Acts 27: 23-25

(Acts 27: 23-25)

『For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 』

 

Paul said in a boat when a craze called "Euragula" blew. The storm continued for many days, but Paul said to those who could not eat and had no hope of salvation, "Don't worry, no one hurts but the ship's damage." Paul was bound to chains and was taken to Rome. What Paul could confidently say to people is "I believe God will do it." He met "Jesus in amazing light" at Damascus. He also experienced the kingdom of God. He knew about God. "Knowing God" is hard to understand. "In order to know the Lord, we must meet Him personally.

 

『And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 』(Exodus 19: 18-19)

 

God warned the people through Moses. "Do not come up to the mountain" The moment the people come to the mountain and see God, they will die. They cannot see God because they are sinners. The same is true of us. God gave Moses two tablets (the Ten Commandments) on Mount Sinai. However, the people made golden calf under Mount Sinai. The people experienced ten plagues in Egypt and a miracle of the breaking of the Red Sea, but they did not know God.

 

The people felt God like fire and feared it. But they tried to make a god for them. So in gold he made a bull-shaped idol. Why did they act like that? For God cannot be their Lord. No matter how experienced miracles or the power of the Holy Spirit, salvation is determined differently by who their spiritual master is. "Those who regard themselves as masters" replace idols with God. But the one whose God is Lord is a knower of God.

 

In order for God to be Lord, we must enter into Jesus Christ. God is not Lord except Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ is the Son of God. To enter into Jesus Christ, we must be united with Jesus who died on the cross. God makes the repentant so. Repentance is returning to God through Jesus on the cross. That is why we die on the cross. To die on the cross is baptism. To crucify all evil greed in the flesh. So you become a new person. All memories of the past do not disappear, but the memories of the past belong to the past. But a man born of God must live by the word of God. Satan tries to bring back the memory of the past to the born again. In the heart of the born again there is a spiritual battle. So we must always be alert. Whenever memories of the past appear, one must think of oneself of the past who died on the cross.

 

Spiritual warfare in our minds arises because of our thoughts. Suddenly, memories of the past come back to life for a variety of reasons. So Satan tries to return the born again to the memory of the flesh. Suddenly, the eyes, ears, and mouth play a role in reviving the physical memory. If you believe in Jesus and have many miracles and experiences, these things will continue to happen to you. In the Old Testament time, though God blessed Solomon with many blessings, he fell to sin, and Jesus' disciples abandoned Jesus on the cross. If people do not repent, they are all living their own way. Every day, there is a spiritual war. So every day, like the Apostle Paul, we must remember "I die every day." Those who do not realize this are still living in the dark.

 

There are many parables in the Bible. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, two died, the rich man went to hell and Lazarus to paradise. There is a large valley that cannot be crossed between hell and paradise. Hell was so painful that the rich man asked Abraham in paradise. There were several brothers of the rich, who asked, "If Lazarus comes back to life and tells a story about hell, he will repent and turn around." Abraham said, "Even if the dead come back to life, they will not repent." Those who do not repent live for their own sake until they die.

 

Repentance is not about improving life, but about changing it completely. The flesh received from the parents dies, and the body received from God is born anew. It's like replacing your computer's hard disk. This will not happen unless you repent. Even if you confess your faith in Jesus, it is of no use unless you repent.

 

If you do not realize your condition, you will be crushed by Satan's thoughts, even if you live a blessed life like the Garden of Eden. If you do not turn away from your present life, you will not be able to escape from the swamps of the world. The swamp of the world is immersed the more it moves. If you fall into money, power, and honor, it's hard to get out. Spiritual eyes are closed, and Satan's words are deceived. Man is always exposed to temptation. At every moment, unless you turn to the cross, the memory of physical life is revived. God sometimes gives pain for the chosen one not to fall into darkness. Job did so.

"knowing God" means "knowing God's love." God himself came to this world as a Son and died in blood to save sinners. But those who do not realize the righteousness of God do not know the wonderful love of God. Thus, those who do not repent do not know God. "Those who do not accept the Son of God who died on the cross" do not intend to die with Jesus. They are only grateful for the grace of Jesus who redeemed sin. So repentance is to die with Jesus and to deny self.