“Why and How Celebrate Advent” - The Gift of New Hope I - (Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

             “Why and How Celebrate Advent” - The Gift of New Hope I -

(Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

Advent???

Today we embark on the journey of Advent. It’s officially Christmastime. How does your to-do list look? For most of us, in this time of year there are sales to shop and presents to wrap. There are cards to send and decorations to unpack. There are parties to attend and trips to make. There are traffic, stress, and expectations. But in the midst of all this, we’re supposed to celebrate Advent season. So what is Advent? And why should we celebrate it? The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” Advent is the season that helps us to be ready for Christ’s coming. The first two passages of this week’s lectionary – Jeremiah 33 and Luke 21 – provide us two different perspectives on the coming of Christ – the First Coming and the Second Coming. Those two scriptures give us obvious reasons why we should celebrate Advent. They also give us the message of hope. And the third scripture – 1 Thessalonians 3 – gives us guidelines how to celebrate Advent based on this hope.  

Now, more than ever, we live in need of new hope. At an international level we find ourselves facing greater challenges such as terrorism, conflict, immigration, refugees, and climate change. At an individual and family level, we also face different challenges – health problems, financial problems, relationship problems, and so on. In the midst of all this, we need “hope.” We need an “anchor” we can rely on. If you google it, Wikipedia provides the definition of hope in this way: “Hope is an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.” That is a pretty accurate definition of hope, but this “optimistic attitude” or “positive wishful thinking” cannot be our firm and steadfast anchor we can rely on in times of trouble. We need more than that. Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain” (NRSV). Then, what is “this” hope? Today we will explore what this hope is.

The First Advent: The Gospel of Christ (Jeremiah 33:14-16)

Prophet Jeremiah proclaims the first message of hope in times of trouble at a national level. At that time the people of Israel lived in a time of political and moral confusion. God diagnosed their spiritual condition in this way: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer 2:13). God’s people had turned away from God in pursuit of their own interests. If they kept going their own way, they would face defeat and exile. As the Israelites were going through the darkest valley, Jeremiah declares the greatest message of hope ever preached. He speaks of a life-changing “coming”: a righteous branch, a descendant of David. Jeremiah tells us, “Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety!” Why? Because the Lord will raise up a successor of David and his name will be The LORD Our Righteousness. This is Good News. Judah and Jerusalem will be saved, not because of their performance, but because of God’s righteousness. But even after the people heard this message, they kept sinning and finally faced destruction. But that was not the end. As he promised, God remembered His people. He did raise up a better David, our Lord and King Jesus Christ. Through the first coming of Christ, God gave his people a new heart and a new spirit. He removed their stony, stubborn heart and gave them a tender, responsive heart. Through the first coming of Christ, God made His people a new creation. Today we have the same Good News that the people of Israel had. Romans 1:17 says, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God (apart from man’s righteousness) is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”” No matter who you are, no matter what the circumstances are, God is able. He is able to restore you and make you whole when you place your trust in Christ Jesus, not because of what you have done but because of what Christ has done for you. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. This is our hope. The first coming of Christ. The First Advent.

The Second Advent: The Kingdom of God Is Near! (Luke 21:25-36)

The Gospel reading for this first week of Advent tells us the second coming of Christ. This is our second message of hope. In Luke 21 Jesus tells his disciples about the signs of the end of the age. A first glance, it seems that Jesus is providing his disciples with specific information about the end of the world. But he is not. Jesus never makes a one for one connection. The people of Jesus’ time were eager to see signs of the end, but Jesus always spoke of them vaguely and warned people constantly not to follow those who provided specific information. His point was not to give us with specific information about the end of the world. Instead, in verse 28 he said to his disciples, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Here Jesus is saying, “Every time you see earthly things are shaken up, lift up your eyes and remember where you belong to.” Every time we see the signs of the end of the world – war, earthquakes, famines, diseases, and persecution, we need to be reminded how fragile this earth is and how little security is to be found in earthly things. Every time we see earthly things are shaken up, we need to be reminded we belong to heaven, not to this world.

In all ages, one of the greatest enemies to God’s people is complacency. In verse 34 Jesus said, “But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap” (MSG). When I was young, I had two close friends – Borah and Jaewoo. They were siblings. Their father was a very successful business man. One evening Borah was hit by a car and killed on her way home from the stationery store. After this, Borah’s father came to our house and said to my parents, “I am shocked and saddened at the sudden death of my daughter. But I give thanks to God because once I was blinded by my worldly success, but now I am able to fix my eyes on heaven where my daughter is.” His confession of faith helped me to look up to heaven. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 says, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him” (ESV). Just as an eagle trains its young to be a healthy eagle, there are times when God stirs up our nest. So when things are shaken up, stand up and look up to heaven. When things are shaken up, be alert and pray. When things are shaken up, remember the Lord is near and rejoice! This is our hope and anchor. The second coming of Christ. The Second Advent.  

Love One Another! (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

Now we’ve heard two messages of hope – the First Advent and the Second Advent. Jesus has opened the door of salvation that no one can shut. And now he is on his way back to help his people. This is the reason why we should celebrate Advent. And the Epistle reading for this week, 1 Thessalonians 3, tells us how we should celebrate Advent. It is direct, practical, and personal. In verse 12 and 13, Paul says, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (ESV). If Jesus should come today, what would need to be changed? What would survive? The answer is, we need to increase in love for one another and for everyone because at the end only love will survive. We tend to look at our outreach programs and worship, preaching, and music, and ask how we could do these things better. But the most important question we must ask ourselves based on this passage is: “Do we love each other enough?” “Are we doing all these things with love?” In this season of Advent the most excellent way to celebrate Advent is to do everything with love (cf. 1Co 16:14). It might decorate our Christmas tree with love. It might do Advent daily devotional with love. It might ring a bell of the red kettle with love. Small things become greater things when we do them with love.

Mother Teresa always said, “You don’t need to come to Calcutta to discover Jesus in the poorest of the poor. The poor are right there where you are, very often in your own families. Look for them, find them and put your love for Jesus into a living action for them.” She also said, “I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time. So you begin. I began - I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up forty-two thousand....The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin - one, one, one.” The waterfall begins with only one drop of water. The provision of love’s impact begins with you and me. Today let us start with one person. In this season of Advent who will be that one person you need to pick up and love? My prayer is that we will be an answer to another’s prayer so that we may be one of God’s signs of hope in the world He so loves. Amen.

“Eyes on Eternity” (Nehemiah 10:32-39) - Revive Us Again VII -

“Eyes on Eternity” (Nehemiah 10:32-39)

- Revive Us Again VII -

“What Makes You Rejoice?”

One church reporter in Georgia conducted a survey in her neighboring college, Kennesaw State University with the purpose of evangelism, and asked the following question to the students. The question was “What makes you rejoice?” The majority of the students answered: “Family and friends.” Quite a few students also answered, “I don’t know.” Some said, “graduation,” “vacation,” “money,” “success,” “social service,” or “to be a better person.” Few students answered, “Jesus Christ,” or “God.” I don’t have the exact statistical figures, but I think if we visited our neighboring schools and did a survey in them, there would be no significant differences in the outcome. And if someone asked you this question, “what makes you rejoice?” What would be your answer to that? In the age of Nehemiah God sent great revival to his people. One of the sure signs of true revival is the “joy of the Lord.” The people of Israel were filled with great joy. Nehemiah 8:12 says, “Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” And they observed the Feast of Tabernacles. Nehemiah 8:17 says, “And their joy was very great.” And now, in today’s scripture the people renew their covenant with God, particularly in three areas of their lives – marriage relationship, sabbath-keeping, and giving. Actually, churches operate under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “How is your marriage?” “How do you keep the sabbath?” “How much are you giving to the Lord?” We normally dare not ask those questions each other. It’s as if we have an unspoken agreement: “I won’t talk about it if you won’t, so we can go right on living as we are.” But in fact, these three are the very areas that we must talk about and restore for our spiritual growth. The Israelites promised to restore their marriage relationships, sabbath-keeping, and giving, not out of guilt or dutiful drudgery, but out of joyful exhilaration! 

Two types of Joy

There are basically two types of joy found in the Bible. In John 2, Jesus performed the first miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee. He turned water into wine. All the people there enjoyed tasting the best wine and rejoiced! But the joy they had was different from each other. The first group of people, including the master of the banquet and other guests, they rejoiced because of good food and the premium wine. But the second group of people, including the servants and Jesus’ disciples, they rejoiced because they had found the Messiah, the Master of their lives. So what made these two different groups of people have different degrees of joy? Because the degrees of commitment were different. The Bible says that the master of the banquet tasted the water that now become wine but did not know where it came from. However, the servants did know because they themselves had filled the jars with water and took it to the master. Many Christians are invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb. They rejoice over many blessings from God. They enjoy them. But, this joy is the joy of the master of the banquet. Jesus turned water into wine, not just to entertain people, but to reveal His glory and show us that He is the true Master of the banquet and our lives. When we dedicate ourselves to Jesus Christ, we are then able to have great joy that the servant had.

Then, what is the essential difference between those two types of joy? One is temporary, and the other is eternal. Solomon said, in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” But here, the Hebrew word Habel also means “temporary.” So, this verse can be translated in this way: “Temporary! Temporary! Everything is temporary!” And Solomon used the rhetoric on purpose, especially irony and paradox to emphasize the truth. In 2:24, he said, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.” To eat and drink, to work, to spend time with friends and family – surely these are blessings from God. They are good. But, here Solomon is saying, “All of them are temporary.” Our physical health and strength will fade away. Our friends and even spouses will pass away. Our children will leave from us. To find our joy in them is not the point of Ecclesiastes. Instead, in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Solomon concludes, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” The point is this: “Choose for yourselves today whether you will live for temporary things, or for eternity.” Solomon challenges us to live for everlasting joy rather than temporary one.

Eyes on Eternity

The people of Israel, in the past, rejoiced because of the “blessings” from God – their possessions, health, family and friends. But now, they rejoice because of “God” Himself. And they dedicate themselves to the Lord, and God gives them even greater joy. This is a virtuous circle of joy. When we dedicate ourselves to the Lord, He gives us greater joy. Nehemiah 12:43 says, “And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy.” In my early twenties, my bucket list was to travel around the world. I saved all my wages, and right after being discharged from the army, I went to Canada. I went to Europe. I went to Thailand. At that time, my purpose of saving money was to travel as much as I wanted. It was good. I really had a wonderful time with friends and enjoyed nature and people. And I still do love to travel, but it is not my bucket list any more. If the Lord wants me to, I would be willing to stay the same place for life, because I’ve found greater joy in my heart. Now I still save money, but I do with different purpose. Now my joy is to give to God’s missions as much as I can. Because now I know which one is temporal and which one is eternal. Would you want to care more about eternal things? Then reallocate some of your money, maybe most of your money, from temporal things to eternal things. A.W. Tozer said, “As base a thing as money often is, it yet can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor; it can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” Our earthly treasures can become heavenly ones.

Tithing as the Training Wheels of Giving

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). Here Jesus is saying, “Show me your checkbook, your bank statement, and your tax statement, and I will show you where your heart is.” Where is your heart? Let us set our hearts on the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us gain an eternal perspective. Then, how can we gain this eternal perspective and not be entangled with temporal things? Both the Bible and church tradition say “tithing” can be an excellent way to cultivate this. In Leviticus 27:30 the Lord said, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” Some people argue that tithing is Old Testament practice. Tithing is legalism. But Jesus Himself reaffirmed tithing, but he emphasized that we have to do it with act of love and justice. He rebuked Pharisees, in Luke 11:42, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things” (NLT). The early church fathers, such as Origen, Jerome, and Augustine, taught that the tithe was the minimum giving requirement for Christians. Tithing is not the finish line of giving, but it’s just the starting blocks. In this sense, Randy Alcorn said, “Tithing is like training wheels of giving.” It helps us to cultivate the “mindset of eternity.” In all ages, the tithe is the powerful antidote to materialism. It is our visible affirmation of faith, “I own nothing; Jesus owns everything!” It is a visible symbol of putting first things first.

Five Minutes after We Die

Probably, some of you have seen the film, Schindler’s List. German businessman Oskar Schindler bought from the Nazis the lives of many Jews. At the end of the film, there’s a heart-wrenching scene in which Schindler looks at his car and his gold pin and regrets that he didn’t give more of his money and possessions to save more lives. Schindler had used his opportunity far better than most. But in the end, he longed for a chance to go back and make better choices. Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. John Wesley said, “I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.” Missionary C. T. Studd said, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything.” And in verse 11 Solomon comes to a conclusion, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Here he is saying, “There is a time for everything. So, seize the day! Redeem the day! Live for eternity that God had put in your heart!” Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matt 13:44). Do you want to experience this kind of joy? Let us transfer our assets from earth to heaven. Let us give humbly, generously, and sacrificially to God’s work. In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell said, “I believe God made me for a purpose … and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” I would like to testify this: When you give, you will feel His pleasure. Amen.

“Restoring a Sabbath Heart” (Neh 10:31) - Revive Us Again VI -

“Restoring a Sabbath Heart” (Neh 10:31)

- Revive Us Again VI -

Stop!

When you think of the word “sabbath,” what comes to your mind? Many people think that sabbath is “a day off.” Yes, we need days off. They are beneficial. They help us to restore our strength and increase motivation. But the truth is, sabbath is not a day off. It is much more than a day off. We need to understand the accurate meaning of sabbath biblically, not culturally. That way we can keep the Sabbath wholly. Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word, tb;v' (shabath). It means quit. Rest. Stop. Stop for what? Why did God command Israel to stop? There is a Chinese saying, “走馬看山,” (chu-mah-gan-san), which means giving a hurried glance at a mountain on a horse at full pelt. We use this expression, when we are too busy to care about the things we care about. Busyness kills the heart. It makes us stop caring about the things we must care about. Above all else, busyness makes us stop caring about God. In Psalm 46:10, the Lord says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Only when we stop to be still, then we are able to pay attention to God and come to know who He is. In the age of Nehemiah there was a great revival after rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. When revival came, the first thing the people did was to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. They literally stopped everything for more than a week in order to listen to God. And then, they came to know God’s will for their lives. They promised to restore their marriage relationships, covenant relationships with God and with their brothers and sisters. They also promised to restore sabbath. Then, what does it mean to restore sabbath? How can we restore sabbath?

Sabbath as Praying

There are two biblical versions of the sabbath commandment – one in Exodus 20, and the other in Deuteronomy 5. The two renderings are basically identical, but the supporting reasons are different. Eugene Peterson gives a good insight in this regard. He says, “The two biblical reasons for sabbath-keeping develop into parallel sabbath activities of praying and playing. The Exodus reason directs us to the contemplation of God, which becomes prayer. The Deuteronomy reason directs us to social leisure, which becomes play.” First of all, sabbath is for praying. It is to stop from our routines to pay attention to God. In Exodus 20:11 God says, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” Here we keep the sabbath to imitate God’s rest after the creation. Does God really need to rest? Of course not! Then, why did He choose to rest? Because God wanted to reveal a rhythm of rest and work to his creation by observing the rhythm Himself. As we keep this “Exodus Sabbath,” we return to Eden. And there, we discover that God is Creator and we are His creation. We discover that we are not God, and that we need Him.

In his book Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald tells us the story of William Wilberforce as an example. William Wilberforce was a Christian and English politician in the 19^th century. It took him almost twenty years to pass the anti-slavery measure. There was a time when Wilberforce almost broke down because of his ambition to gain the appointment as a cabinet post. In his journal he admitted that he had risings of ambition, and it was crippling his soul. But Sunday brought the cure. Wilberforce wrote in this way: “Blessed be to God for the day of rest and religious occupation wherein earthly things assume their true size. Ambition is stunted.” Because he rested on sabbath day, he was able to keep all of life in proper perspective and to remain free of burnout and breakdown. Jewish people love to say that more than Israel ever kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept Israel. They kept it in the midst of life crisis and terror. They kept it in Warsaw’s ghettos and Hitler’s death camps and Stalin’s gulags. To the extent that we keep sabbath, sabbath keeps us. Unfortunately, Pharisees made sabbath rigid, legalistic, gloomy, and lifeless. They made all kinds of rules and regulations to force people to worship and do nothing else. But that is the wrong approach. The truth is, when we stop to rest in God, we discover that He is Creator and we are His creation. And we will thank Him and worship Him. For this reason, in Psalm 100, the psalmist says, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Sabbath is for worship. It is a day for praying.

Sabbath as Playing

Secondly, sabbath is a day for playing. In Deuteronomy 5:15 the Lord says, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” The motivation for the sabbath rest here is Israel’s liberation from slavery. God commands us to remember who we were and how He saved us, not just once but on a regular basis. We were slaves, slaves of sin (Rom 6:17). But in his great compassion and with his mighty power God delivered us from the enemy’s bondage once for all. So now we live in the freedom! But unfortunately, so many people still live as slaves. They still live in Egypt. They still live under taskmasters. The taskmasters say that you cannot rest until your work’s all done. And they say that sabbath is a reward for your labors. But the truth is, the work’s never done. Sabbath is not a reward for finishing, but it is sheer gift. It is grace. We rest by faith in the midst of work because God said so. When we rest, when we keep “Deuteronomy sabbath,” we experience freedom. When we have this freedom, we can liberate others and give life to others.

Sabbath can be any day of the week. It is a day set apart not to get anything done, but to pay attention to God and reflect what God has done. It is a day set apart for being, not doing. For me personally, Sunday is a workday for me. Monday is my sabbath. Nothing is scheduled for Mondays. Since nowadays Lydia and Abe go to school all day, Joyce and I (and Baby Grace) keep our sabbath together. Monday morning usually we go to library and spend time in silence and solitude. We read books, or keep a journal, or read a psalm and pray, or just take a rest. Sometimes we get out to enjoy nature walk. We sing. We praise. We talk. And in the afternoon we return home and have quality family time with the children. After supper Joyce and I usually make phone calls to our parents and make a plan for the week. This is my sabbath and my favorite time of the week.

Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There

For some reason, when I think about sabbath-keeping, the story of Mary and Martha comes to my mind. One day Martha invited Jesus and his disciples to her house. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing, while Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to what he taught. Finally, Martha got upset and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better.” Sabbath-keeping is not a matter of outward action – “do or don’t do” things. It is a matter of priority. It is a mater of attention. Martha thought, “I am doing something for the Lord.” Yes, it is true, but she was missing one thing, the most essential thing, sitting there and listening to the Lord.

When I was in seminary, Professor Haddon Robinson preached on the story of Mary and Martha. During his sermon, he told us the story of a mother and her son. The father died when the boy was young. This was back before television, when folks spent evenings listening to the radio or reading to one another. They both enjoyed listening to good music. In his early twenties, he met a young woman at the church, fell in love with her, and they decided to be married. Since housing was difficult to find, the mother said, "We have a two-story house. I can make an apartment for myself in the second story. You and your bride can live in the first story. The only thing I ask is that we get a chance to spend some time together because I'm going to miss the reading and the music." Her son said, "Mother, you can be sure of that. It's important to me, too." The couple married. For a while, the son stopped by a couple of times a week to spend some time with his mom. He was busy, and eventually days and weeks went by between visits. The relationship was not what it had been. On the mother's birthday, the young man bought a lovely dress, brought it to her, and said, "Happy birthday, Mother." She opened the package and looked at the dress. "Oh, Son, thank you. I appreciate so much what you've done." He said, "Mother, you don't like it." She said, "Oh, yes, I do. It's my color. Thank you." He said, "Mother, I have the sales slip. They tell me I can take it back." She said, "No, it is a lovely dress." He said, "Mother, you don't fool me. We've been together too long. What's wrong?" The woman turned and opened her closet. She said, "Son, I have enough dresses there to last me for the rest of my life. I guess all I want to say is that I don't want your dress. I want you." Where are you now? Are you listening to God? Let us stop. Let us not just do something, but sit at the feet of Jesus, because He doesn't want your life as much as he wants you. Amen.

“Covenant Marriage” (Neh 10:28-30) - Revive Us Again V -

“Covenant Marriage” (Neh 10:28-30)

- Revive Us Again V -

God’s Marriage to Israel

This year President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn celebrated their 69^th wedding anniversary. One time they were invited to the university event, and one of the students asked, “What’s your secret to a happy marriage?” The former president answered, “In our marriage, love forms 30 percent, and forgiveness 70% percent.” But then, Rosalyn said, “No, love forms 10 percent, and forgiveness 90% percent!” And the hall was filled with laughter and applause. On the human level, the marriage relationship is seen as the most intimate of all relationships. Throughout the Scriptures God often depicts his relationship with Israel, His people, as a marriage relationship. Through the prophet Ezekiel and Hosea, he describes Israel as an adulterous wife whom he yearns (Ezek 16:8; Hos 1:2).Through the prophet Malachi, God expresses his displeasure with divorce (Mal 2:14-16). In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John describes the wedding of the Lamb Jesus Christ, with His bride, the Church (Rev 19:7-8).   

Godly Sorrow, Repentance, Salvation

For a long time the Israelites were an adulterous wife of God. They were wandering around and looking for happiness in all the wrong places. The result was a mess. They became slaves. But in today’s scripture, by the grace of God they came back to God, their true Husband. And they experienced revival. Revival did come through God’s word. The people came to hear the Word, understand the Word, and live the Word. As they began to apply the Word into their lives, they quickly realized how far they had fallen short of God’s standard and cried out in despair, “What shall we do?” When true revival comes, spiritual repentance comes. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 Paul says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” The people of Israel came to have great sorrow in a godly way, and that resulted in repentance. They saw how they and their fathers had rebelled against God countless times. They also saw how God had been faithfully keeping His covenant throughout the whole history of their lives: In the wildness the Israelites became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery, but God was forgiving and did not desert them. They made a golden calf and said, “This is our God who brought us up out of Egypt!” But God was compassionate and did not forsake them in the wilderness. He continued to guide them by the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. And eventually, the Israelites entered the Promised Land. But there, they were disobedient and rebelled against God again. They killed God’s prophets and committed terrible blasphemies. So God confronted them with love and sent them into exile for the time being. But when they cried out to God, in his great compassion he delivered them again. This went on over and over and over. And now by God’s grace, the Israelites were able to clearly see this pattern, “God is a covenant keeper, and we are covenant breakers.”

Contract vs. Covenant

When revival came, it touched every area of the Israelites’ lives, particularly three major areas – relationship, time, and money. The first area of transformation is that of their relationships. They promised to restore their marriage relationships according to God’s Word. In Deuteronomy 7:3 the Lord said, “Do not intermarry with them [the people of Canaan]. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.” What’s wrong with intermarriage? Why not? God Himself answered this question in the following verse, “For they will turn your children away from following me, to serve other gods.” When the Israelites married the people of Canaan, not only did they become one with them, but also they became one with their gods for life. The biblical concept of marriage is more than a contract; it is a covenant. Jesus Himself clearly reaffirmed this in Matt 19:6, “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” So when we marry with somebody, we enter into a lifelong covenantal relationship with that person. In his book Covenant Marriage, Gary Chapman contrasts the differences between contracts and covenants. According to him, contracts are most often made for a limited period of time, whereas covenant relationships view commitments as permanent. Contracts are based on an “If…, then…” mentality, whereas covenant relationships are based on steadfast and unconditional love. For example, many ceremonies include this question: “Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife? To live together in the holy estate of matrimony; wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thou only unto her so long as you both shall live?” This is the language of covenant relationship.

Covenant Relationship: Dream or Reality?

Whether we are single, married, or widowed, when we become Christians, we enter into two covenantal relationships: First, we become one with Christ. Secondly, we become one with our Christian brothers and sisters. We just learned what the covenant relationships look like: it is permanent, other-centered, forgiving, unconditional, and steadfast. We may have tired this covenant relationship with Christ. But, are we willing to try, or is it possible to have this kind of covenant relationship with other believers, particularly with those who don’t get along with us? We can find the answer in the life of Jesus. He was Teacher and Lord, but he washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus was the Head and Bridegroom of the Church, but he gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25). Christ was not saying, "Grovel, submit, bow down." He was saying, "I love you. I want to show it. I'll die for you." When Jesus’ disciples and early Christians experienced this lavish, forgiving love, they were able to do the same. They willingly laid down their lives for their brothers and sisters and even for their enemies. In today’s scripture, the Israelites did experience God’s steadfast love and renew their covenant with God. In Neh 9:38 they said, “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.” It is interesting to see who signed the covenant first: Nehemiah did first, then the priests, then the Levites, then the leaders of the people, and then the rest of the people followed. While I was mediating on today’s scripture during the week, I heard the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, “Do you want to see revival in your church? Then, give yourself up for the church.” In the life of the church, there are several kinds of the committees and leadership. The hierarchy of the church doesn’t mean the level of prestige; it is the order of martyrdom. The pastor must be ready to serve and die first, then church leaders, and then members in order.

Dream to Reality

Yes, we are all self-centered, and this standard is beyond human ability. But, we can stand on the promise of God, Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” In our marriage, or in our church, God’s ability to love unlovely people is available to us. On my wedding day, my father-in-law said to me, “I am handing my daughter to you, not because I trust you, but because I trust the Holy Spirit within you!” We are weak, but the Holy Spirit in us is able. One time a youth student shared her testimony. She grew up in a broken family and lived with her aunt. She was a Christian, so she went to church every Sunday, but her aunt was a Buddhist and didn’t like her niece to go to church. So they fought every Sunday. One Sunday afternoon, after church service, this youth prayed on the way home, “Father, I don’t want to fight with my aunt, but I can’t. I don’t have power to love her. Lord, I know your Spirit is within me. I will let the Holy Spirit in me meet her and love her, instead of me.” Then, she opened the door, and as expected, her aunt began to swear at her. But strangely enough, that day she was not hurt or angry; instead, she felt compassion and in her eyes her aunt looked lovely, so she hugged her aunt, and cried, and said, “I am sorry. Today you look thin and worn out. It’s because of me. You work so hard to take care of me.” And both of them wept aloud, and her aunt received Christ on that day. So let the Holy Spirit within you love and forgive.

Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom

You might have heard the story of the Samaritan woman. When she came to draw water, Jesus asked her to give him a drink. She was hesitant because Jesus was a Jewish man. Then, Jesus told her about a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman asked, “Sir, give me this water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” She answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said, “You’re right. You have had five husbands, and the one you are with right now is not your husband.” Then, she said, “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet." A little bit of background might help here. At that time the Samaritans didn't believe in the prophets. If you had a copy of the Samaritan Bible, it was much shorter than the Jewish Bible. The Jewish Bible consisted of the Law and the Prophets. The Samaritan Bible consisted of the Law, the five Books of Moses, and that was it. So, the Samaritans didn’t believe in the prophets. But they did believe in the one prophet, the Messiah. In Deut 18:15, Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” This prophet refers to Messiah (cf. Acts 7:37). Here this Samaritan woman is saying, “Sir, I perceive you might be the Messiah.” In 2 Kings 17, when the king of Assyria captured Samaria, he brought five foreign peoples and settled them in Samaria. And the Samaritans were subjected to those five different peoples. The Samaritan woman’s difficult life reflects the history of Samaria. When Jesus said, “And the one you are with now is not your husband,” we normally interpret that as a cohabitant. But this statement can be also interpreted as Jesus’ invitation: “You’ve had five husbands and the one you’re with right now, that is me, I’m not your husband yet” (Scott Hahn, Christ and the Church: A Model for Marriage). The woman accepted this invitation. She received Christ as her Bridegroom. And she was reconciled to God and to people. Is Jesus Christ your Bridegroom? God is calling you where you are. My prayer is that all of us in this room may have Jesus as our Lord and Bridegroom and enjoy a covenant relationship with him and with his people. Amen.