Galatians 1:10

We are all servants of Christ. Galatians 1:10 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Today is the first Sunday of 2013. It seems like yesterday was the beginning of the new year. How fast time flies. God has granted us this year of 2013 but with what purpose are you living this year as True Light church members? With the life that God has granted you, what kind of life are you to live? With what purpose must you live that you would live a life that is pleasing to God? With these questions in mind let us look at today's verse in Galatians 1:10. 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. When they say servant of Christ who are they referring to? Many believers use the term slave. Who are they referring to when they use these terms? Who is a servant of Christ? What does it mean to live a life that you were called to live? Who are we referring to when we say servants of Christ? What are we talking about when we say that one is living the life that they are called to? Are we referring to a pastor who is powerful and preaches well? Is he a servant of Christ? Is he living the life of his calling? Or are we talking about someone who prays, who has the power to heal, who prophesies? Is this one who is a servant of Christ? Is this the individual fulfilling their calling? Or is it someone who goes to a country like Africa as a missionary? Is this a servant of Christ, is this person fulfilling their calling? Who is the servant of Christ? And what kind of life must one live that they may be living the life that they are called to? Who are we speaking of? What kind of person is this? In today's Scripture Paul is telling us that there is a life which is not lived as a servant of Christ. Many people received prayer and are told that they have been called by God. Then what do they do? They all decide to go to seminary school. If you go to seminary school does that mean that you have been called by God? For those of you who have not gone to seminary school, then have you not received a calling? If you have stepped foot on a seminary school does that mean that you have been called? What are we talking about? Who is the person living what kind of life that is called and living the life of their calling? With what standard are we able to make this decision? Do all people who are called need to attend seminary? Do you need to be a pastor or a missionary to be fulfilling your purpose or to be a servant of Christ? I would like for you to think about these things. Is it so? Yes or no. No. Why? It is written in the Bible, "you have been purchased with a price, do not be servant of men." What does this mean? We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus. Through the blood of Jesus we have become children of God. So then according to Scripture we have been sold to Jesus. We are servants that have been sold to God. Each of you is a servant of God, and because you are his servants, we are commanded not to be servants of men. But we are caught up in people and try to please others. Is this not the condition of our lives though we say we are servants of God? We have all been purchased by Jesus, and we must acknowledge that we are his servants then we can move to the next step. We know that in history people bought slaves. Does a wealthy man purchase a slave that is sick and dying? What kind of person does he purchase? When you go to buy a horse or when you go to buy cattle, you examine the animal first. You buy the animal that is healthy. It is the same when you purchase a slave. You examine and when you have found the one that is to your liking that is the one you purchase. Why do you purchase the slave? It is because the owner will reap a benefit and has use for the slave. So if today Jesus has saved us and called us, it is because God has a purpose for you to fulfill and that is why you have been called. Everyone has a purpose. But when anyone is told that they have a purpose their response is "no." They answer saying that it is something that a pastor is to do. They say "no", that it is up to a missionary, an elder or deacon. Everyone refuses to answer the call. Everyone who has been saved by the blood of Jesus and believes in him, has been called to fulfill a purpose. You must know this in order to make the decision to live as a Christian. There was a purpose in saving your life. And the owner of your life desires to use you in a certain way. But you who are a servant refuse and say no. What must be done with you? When a servant does all that the master requires, then who is responsible for feeding clothing and providing all that the servant needs? The owner is responsible. All that the servant needs to do is do what he is told. The rest is the responsibility of the owner. But us, mere servants, stand in defiance before God demanding that our needs must be met first before we will do our work. To demand that our needs be met first before we do what is required of us means that we have placed our self in the place of master and put Him in the place of servant. If we have switched our roles, and yet come out to worship before Him and call on His name, would the master fulfill all the needs that you are requesting of Him? We know that God created the heavens and the earth. It is revealed to us in Genesis 1:1. From the time of the creation until now, through all that has happened has been revealed to us through the Bible. We know everything has happened in God's providence. If we know we that everything is going according to his will until we are all come face to Jesus. If all is to be done according to the will of God. If we see that we are standing at a crossroad where we must choose to do our part in being used in the unfolding of God's will, then whatever it is that God asks of me, must I obey or choose to do what I desire? Think about it for yourselves. Each of you has a different talent, job, and if the same job, at different locations, everything is different. As men, women, fathers,mothers. Everywhere you stand it is separate from others. But as a wife if you were to argue with your husband, could you ask to trade places with him so that you can be the husband and make him the wife? Would this resolve your arguments? The place where you have been put, your calling, your position, can never be changed. We must acknowledge that where we are is where God has put us and it is our duty to accept this and to do our best. But rather than doing so, we complain about how heavy our burden is and would rather lay it down. Are we complaining and putting the blame somewhere else and desiring an easier life? We are to accept our calling. But we would prefer to be seen and recognized by others. All want to be pastors. All want to be leaders. There are many times when this is the case. When we look at the history of the church in Korea the pastor and the usher are both officers of the church. But the pastor was given the honor and the usher person is not. Who is judging who? Those who claim to believe in Jesus. Jesus told the parable of the rich man who was told to sit in a place of honor and to those who is dressed poorly to go sit where others will not be able to see them or at the feet of someone else. This is how we judge. When we judge someone who has been created in the image of God who are we truly judging? We are judging God. God has made both the one to be used for noble purposes and one for less noble. But we do not realize that we are judging the one who has created all for his work. This is why everyone wants to be raised up. They want to be recognized by others. Everyone wants the best for themselves. What happens if all are lifted up? What if there is no foundation to support them? Then it will all be finished. The foundation must be built well so that as you build upon you can go up higher without falling apart. If we all desire to live lives going higher, we must realize that there is a problem. How we failed to see this. Let us look at watches. There are expensive watches and inexpensive ones. What is the purpose of the watch? It is to tell time. The watch tells us the second, the minute, and the hour. As technology advanced it tells us the date and day. Much of the things are accessories but the basic is the second, minute, and hour. On the outside there are many different styles and sizes. Some are encrusted with jewels and very expensive. There are also ones that are worth just a couple of dollars. Although this is not important but what is important is that it tells time. In order to tell time how many parts are needed for it to do so? How many parts are needed to work together to tell us the second, minute, and hour? Have you thought about this? We just look at the time and never give it another thought. What we see is the secondhand, minute hand, hour hand and the numbers on the clock but that which we do not see we do not even know how many parts there are. Of all the countless parts that would we do not see that they must move precisely together to tell us the exact second, minute, and hour. There are those who do the work of God who are seen by others and give glory to God, but there are countless more who are unseen who are also doing the work of God according to his purpose. The more expensive the watch, the workings of it can be altered by the smallest foreign particle. It can speed up or slow down the measurement of time. The value of the watch will diminish. Within your families, within each of your own individual lives, same principle applies. If I stand before you and you are able to see that I am fulfilling my duty as a pastor and doing everything in speech and action, teaching and living in a manner to be recognized that I am following the path of Christ means that what you do not see, the spiritual life within me, must first move rightly to do so. If I have one wrong thought, or say one wrong thing, or do any thing wrong in action, then the time that I reflect which is to be of Jesus, will be wrong. People will look at me and say that I am false. They will say that though I say I am a Christian they will think otherwise. Just as a watch will lose its purpose of telling time, the purpose I have of being a witness of Jesus I will have ruined. We fail to see this. We think about having a title of pastor, elder, or deacon and by preaching a good sermon that we have fulfilled our purpose. That is not so. From the top of my head to the soles of my feet, every cell in my body, every thought that I have, must work together perfectly, and then be shown in my life, as a Christian, as one called to live life of purpose, to be a witness of Jesus through my life that comes from within. But if I say something wrong, if there is dust in my life, or because of my character I get angry easily or I speak bluntly because I am unable to control my tongue, or I think foolish thoughts constantly, then what is reflected in my life is not Jesus. What do you think will be reflected in your life? Can you say that in this condition that Jesus will be reflected in your life? Will anyone look at you and say that you are a follower of Jesus? Will they want to follow Jesus because of you? Think about this. If it is not so, then what must you do with your life as you must do with an expensive watch? Cheap watches once it is broken you will throw it away. But the more expensive the watch is, what does the watchmaker recommend? They tell you at least once a year to clean it. To clean a watch once is at least $100. There are many watches that cost a hundred dollars, but to clean a watch is worth that much if not more. I am only speaking of this as an example. The more you try to live a life that is right in Jesus, you must pay a higher price. You must clean yourself regularly without doing so you will not be worth the value that you are. No matter how expensive a watch is if it stops telling time then even that watch is useless. And to prevent that you take care of it and likewise, in order to live the life that has to fulfill the calling for which you have been called, then daily you must repent and live your life according to the word so that you can live a life that is renewed, fulfilling the purpose for which you have been given. What is the purpose of a student at school? It is to study. They are to do well in studying. Who are they to listen to? When the teacher teaches, they are to listen and learn and do their best in study. This is the duty of a student. At home the mother and the father each have a specific duty. As a Christian, as a member of True Light church, as one who has been called in into God's providence out of this vast universe, in your individual life, you have a purpose to which you have been called. To be a witness to all you meet in your place in speech and in action through your life. But do we not fail to live our lives this way much too often? We say we have been purchased by the blood of Christ. When we live our lives in purpose as Christians, what kind of life are we to live? In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus says: 13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Jesus is telling us that our purpose is to be the salt and light to everyone. Did Jesus say this only to his disciples? Who did he speak these words to in Matthew 5? The sermon on the mount was spoken to the people. It was to everyone who was following Jesus. If you say that you are a follower of Jesus then you have a duty to be the light and a duty to be the salt and it is your calling to live this life. It is a command. But we think that I coming to church and having a title of pastor, elder or deacon, missionary we think that only these people have received a calling. But again I say that this is not so. The moment I call upon the name of Jesus Christ, I must surrender my life over to God because he has purchased me with his blood, and I must live my life as one who has been called. This is what we are told. But we forget this truth many times as we live our lives. When there is light it is not put on the floor nor is it covered, it is put up on a high place to shine on everything. If your life is not shining light on the people around you, and no one is able to see Jesus through your life, and you are not living as the salt and light that you are called to do, then we must examine ourselves. What was the last command Jesus gave to his disciples as he washed their feet? He told them to serve each other and do as he has shown them. But rather than to serve each other we desire to be lifted up above others. Because I am a pastor, missionary, elder or deacon, we choose to only live our lives of faith through our speech. This is not the way. This is wrong. As you increase in faith you are given more responsibility, and as you are given a different position, you must follow Jesus taking off your robe in putting on a towel and washing your neighbors feet and serving them and caring for them. Then will God be able to use you. This is the life of one who has been called. Rather than living this life, we take the anointing that God has given us and try to put ourselves over others. The Bible teaches us that with the gifts, grace and love that we have been given, we are to share, serve, to humble our selves and lift up Jesus, and raise up the ones before us, but do we not fail to live this life? Like Paul confesses, the life of one who is called is not living to please men. It is living to please God. In your life today you choose to live the life that you are called to, you are not to live to please the person whom you see before you, but you want to choose to live to please the one who has given you life and salvation. What does it mean to please God? What does it mean to live a life that is pleasing to God. Is it to constantly be fasting, to always be giving, to always be praying, does this please God? To always be dancing and praying losing and singing? Is this the life that God is pleased with? What pleases God? What is it? Yes. Only obedience! There is no other life that pleases God except a life of obedience. what kind of obedience? Obedience outside my thoughts, my judgments, my wisdom, and my experiences. It has nothing to do with me. If I am told to go I go. If I am told to stay I stay. This is obedience. This is the life that pleases God. But no matter how much we are told, without experiencing it ourselves we refuse to obey. This is the condition of our heart. We boast about praying, praising, fasting, or whatever it is we do and then say that it pleases God. We sing and worship him for our pleasure. This is false worship. To live in obedience according to the word. When Abraham was called did he argue with God? He who is the father of our faith did not argue with God. When he was told to leave he left. When he was told to offer his son as a sacrifice he offered him up. This is obedience. We are taught that it is through this life that we can receive the blessings that is given to us through faith from Abraham. But still we refuse to obey, and too often we try to do things according to our thoughts judgments, stubbornness and try to control our circumstance. Let us say that God has given you an anointing. What will you do with this anointing that you have been given? Is it to be lifted up? Is it to say that when you pray for something all your prayers are answered? Is it to bring all people to you? It is not God to whom you are to give glory for being used by Him rather you bring all people to you because it is you who claim to do it by your will. Are we not walking along the cliff of pride? With the anointing that we are given we are to reveal Jesus to others. The life of obedience is to serve others and show Christ. This is the calling of a Christian. We must examine ourselves and decide to live this life. Galatians 2:20 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Paul is saying that by believing in Jesus he is now dead and no longer present. He lives so that Jesus can be revealed through the life he is living. This is the confession of a Christian. To live the proper life of faith you must be able to confess that you have died with Christ. I must die with Christ in order that the resurrected Christ may be revealed through me. Without dying the resurrected Lord cannot be seen in me. Ephesians 2:22 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. In Christ we are in a process of being built. Because we were once safe and have received grace does not mean that we are complete and that the work is done. To be a place where God can dwell, we are being worked through Christ. This is what we are told. But because of the grace we have once received, we forget that we are continuously being worked on and neglect this in our lives too often. We think because at one time our prayers were answered or because we had a vision that everything is made complete in us. It is not. Our faith is worked upon daily in the renewal of ourselves until we meet our Lord. Ephesians 4:1-4 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; We are to make every effort to keep these commands so that we can live the life that we have been called to, which these verses teach us. But do we live completely humble? Are we united? Are we gentle and patient bearing with one another in love in our lives? Are we making every effort to keep peace in our lives? We are to make every effort to make our churches one. The work of the Spirit we have been brought together as one church here but where must you put in your effort first? Your family must be first. Can you do it by yourself? It must be done with hard work and effort. But we refuse. We claim to be the leader of the house and direct orders to others. We demand that people listen to what we say. Is this not how we live? Two are to be one, but you are separated and try to control each other. The family can never be one. The Spirit cannot do His work in this place. The love of Jesus Christ cannot be seen in this place. But in order for there to be peace how must it be done? If the parents are not one how can the children be one with the parents? How can there be a change to be like Christ? Ephesians 6:6 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. A slave of Christ does not do work halfheartedly. They do it from the heart knowing that God is watching them. It is a life of allegiance, the life of purpose. If all of you are living a life of purpose, then we are to live this life. Psalms 24:3-6 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob., If you desire to stand in the place with God, then your hands must be clean and your heart must be clean and you do not trust idols or swear by. You will receive blessings from the Lord and be vindicated from God. This is the life that you must live so that you can stand with God in His place. Without living a clean life and having a pure heart how can one think to enter into the kingdom of God? This is the question that we are being asked. I am not to live my life as master of my life. Isn't a servant one who lives their life to please their master? In fourth century BC there was a painter named Apellos? but there exist none of his paintings. But he is recorded in history to be one of the most brilliant painters but how can that be? How can we say that he was a brilliant painter when none of his paintings exist? His students had made copies of his works. Those copies of his work were considered brilliant. Meaning that the teacher's work was far superior. His work was based upon the copies made but his students. This is a story in history. It's in fourth century BC this happens then what about today. Those who are believers claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ who came 2000 years ago. You live as a copy of Jesus Christ, then when the world is looking at your life who must they recognize when they see you? They must look in your life and be able to praise the one who you serve. Then your life is one that gives glory to God. One person can be lifted up by the copies of his work done by his students. In today's time when there are its countless people who claim to follow Jesus but is there anyone who lives their life that receives the recognition and who would make someone think that Jesus was a great Savior? Because our lives do not reflect Jesus we are called the antichrist. Who's fault is this? It is my fault. With my mouth I say I believe in Jesus. I claim to be as disciple do my quiet time, study the Bible, but because Jesus is not present in my life that I live, the world does not pointer finger at me but they point the finger at Jesus. What am I doing? I must see that I am crucifying Christ on the cross. But we fail to accept this. We must be able to examine ourselves and repent of my sins. This heart does not move within us, do you know why? It is because of Jesus that we only desired blessings, and we do not desire to put our hope in eternal salvation. We only desire to live well here on this planet. This is why we have fallen down on the wrong path which we mistake as faith. Matthew5:16 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. This is a command given to us by Jesus. We are to live as like that others may see our lives and give glory to God. We are commanded to live like this. Will we choose to use the name of Jesus in order that we may benefit in this life. That we may be lifted up amongst others. That we may receive recognition from others. This is wrong. When we go before God we will be judged. Our lives will be a stumbling block that prevents us from entering into heaven. Though we live like this we think that we are living according to the calling we have received. We must realize our sin and examine ourselves and turn from this path. I must decide to live my life according to God's command that through my life God would be glorified. The outer appearance is important, is it not? When we are ridiculed, persecuted, or judge, we react. But although your outside of what we see is important, it is the inside the inner workings within ourselves that are reflected on the outside. I used the example of the watch. If today I think that through my speech, thoughts and actions that I am well like a watch that tells time but if other sees me and tells me that I am wrong like a watch that tells the wrong time then there is a problem within me, within my spirit, which is causing the outer appearance to be wrong. We must cleanse ourselves and fix our problems so that Christ can be reflected in my life so that others may see the great value of the one in me, that God would be glorified through my life. It is my inside that I must first change but the work of the Holy Spirit and bring before God and be washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. In order that through my life I am able to fulfill the duty that was given to me. I must make the decision to live this life in order to receive all the blessings that God desires to give me in His grace in this year of 2013. In order to live this life, examine and see where in your life you are not right with God, fix that problem first. Truly we are not here to please men but to live a life that pleases God. And it is in the lives of those who please Him that God is glorified and it is in their lives that God allows for blessings. If this is so, then may you live your life in this year of 2013 in a manner that will allow you to receive all the blessings that God has planned to give you in his providence. Sermon by Pastor Howard Park Translated by Miguel Park