Offering with promise
Leviticus 27:1~8 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate persons to the Lord by giving equivalent values’ (1~2)
If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value for him according to what the man making the vow can afford.” (8)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #180 When the Trumpet of the Lord Shall Sound (#168 in previous version)
The fact that we have become children of God means that Jesus Christ has already taken upon Himself the sins and curses that are rightfully ours and has also broken the authority of Satan. The saved children of God must have the strength of prayer and the strength to enjoy the Gospel when they are by themselves. The time to gain this strength is the time of worship. After receiving salvation, you can have hardships, and the saved children of God receive a different grace when they are alone in the world or are faced with problems and crises. That is the mystery of prayer and the blessing of worship. How must the saved children of God pray and devote themselves?
1. True devotion of the one who has experienced the grace of God
When the Israelites came out from Egypt, they experienced the 10 miracles; the power of God that led them across the Red Sea; the covenant of the three feasts; and the answer of the manna and quail when they were about to die of hunger in the wilderness. A symbol of all of these things is the offering that the Israelites gave to God. Even when we are indebted to a person, we greet them, thank them, and repay them. Likewise, it is rightful for the believer to give their hearts and their thanksgiving through offering to the Christ who has given us life. The church gathers the offering of the believers to relay Christ to the entire world. My devotion is the start of blessings.
2. Words to those headed towards the future
In the future, the Israelites must cross the Jordan River, fell the Wall of Jericho, and enter into Canaan land to fight against the seven tribes. For this purpose, they must pray and receive answers. When the people of God receive answers, they will gain power and then they will rightfully devote themselves.
3. For our posterity
The children of God must remember the grace of God that He gave to us in the past, hold on to the evidence of God being with us, and go forward towards the future. In doing all of this, we must have the mystery by which we can gain the strength of God every day. We have the commission to relay this mystery to our posterity. We must gain strength for our children and for our posterity, and we must seek out the blessing of praying before God and giving our offering.
- Meditate on the grace that God has given to you in your past as well as God’s Word that He will fulfill in the future. For this, what must we do today, how must we pray the prayer of enjoying the Gospel, and how must we devote ourselves?
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2011.7.17