Introduction : I had a chance to talk with a pastor who was pastoring with great zeal, and he said, "Pastor Cho, even though I try my best to let self die and let only Jesus live within me, it is so hard for me to do this, and I have no idea what to do. Another pastor said, "I know I should get rid of my greed and my self to experience true peace of mind, but it is not easy for me to give up all that." I agreed with these two pastors. However, we cannot have peace of mind as long as self is still alive. We must empty our mind of self.
1. The matter of my dying 1) The teaching of Paul (1) Gal 2:20 (2) Ro 6:1-6 2) The meaning of dying - Dying is breaking off relationships, being inactive (Gal 5:24) 3) It is understandable, but difficult to practice
2. The matter of giving up everything and emptying oneself 1) It was possible for saints (Lk 9:23, Mt 19:29) (1) St. Francis (2) Dr. Albert Schweitzer (3) Mother Theresa 2) A life besieged with many connections (1) Connection of parents (2) Connection of husband and wife (3) Connection of father and son (4) Connection of relatives (5) Social connection - Saint or prodigal? 3) It is understandable, but difficult to practice (Ro 7:24)
3. God does what human beings cannot do - When Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," the disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." 1) Things human beings cannot do - Let self die, giving up everything 2) God can do it - So we should commit it to God (1) Jer 33:3 (2) Mt 11:28-30 ¨¿ Commit it to God with sincere prayer (Php 4:6-7, Ps 55:22, 1Pe 5:6-7) ¨À Ask the Holy Spirit for His help (Ro 8:26, Zec 4:6) ¨Á Believe (Mk 11:24. Jn 14:1, Heb 10:38) ¨Â The decision of a method and results rest with God (Pr 16:1, Ps 37:5)
Conclusion : We must let self die and give up everything in the midst of a whirlpool to overcome upcoming problems, but this cannot be solved by human strength. It is only possible when we commit everything to God.
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