존경하는 기독신우회 선배,동료,후배 여러분!
회장님께서 기독 신우회 활성화를 위해 많은 글이 필요하다고 말씀하셨습니다.
그래서 제가 영어설교 원고를 올렸습니다.
저는 현재 서울 월드비젼교회 장로이며, 외국인 영어예배 설교자로도 섬기고 있습니다.
제가 영어예배설교자로 섬기고 있는 것은 영어를 잘하기때문이 아니라,
부르심에 순종하고 있기 때문입니다.
참으로 부족한 영어실력이지만 부족한 영어를 통해서도 하나님은 당신의 역사를
이뤄가고 계십니다.
혹시 영어설교에 관심있는 동문분들을 위해 종종 영어설교를 올려드리겠습니다.
부족한 부분은 지도편달해주시면 큰 도움이 되겠습니다.
감사합니다.
(Daniel 3:16-18) Even if He does not
“16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
As you know, today’s passage is about the faith of Daniel’s three friends.
This story may be well-known story to you.
When I was a child, I was very familiar with this story.
It was one of many stories I knew when I was a child.
But when I read this passage according to my Bible reading schedule, I was touched by its spiritual meaning.
Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, boldly confessed their faith and their trust to God, risking their lives.
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
How bold they were!
Think about their situation.
Daniel’s three friends were captives of Babylon.
And Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Babylon.
At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all peoples and nations that he ruled over to worship the image of gold.
He said, “Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
Nevertheless, Daniel’s three friends never fell down nor worshipped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar set up.
They kept their faith.
My brothers and sisters!
Could you do this if you were in the same situation?
There are many Christians who praise God when everything is going well.
But they easily grumble to God when something bad happens.
Furthermore, some of them doubt the existence of God.
But, Daniel’s friends never complained against God in their bad situations.
Instead, they boldly confessed their faith.
“Even if he does not, even if he does not rescue us from your hand, we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold.
Their faith was very mature.
Recently, I went to Israel for a pilgrimage.
I visited many places, such as the tomb of Jesus; Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified; the road that Jesus walked on carrying the cross; Temple Jerusalem, and Wailing Wall.
I wrote down my wish on the paper and put it on the Wailing Wall, because there is a passed down story that the wish comes true if you do that.
And I went to the Dead Sea which has the lowest sea level in the world.
My body floated on its own in the Dead Sea due to the high concentration of salt.
I also visited Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood, and Mountain Garmel where Elijah’s prayer was replied by the fire from the heaven.
I was really touched by the Holy Spirit when I visited those holy places.
But the most impressive place to me was the Holocaust National Museum.
There, I found a massage which was written by a Jew who was detained in the camp.
The message was written down like this; “even though I do not understand God, I trust Him”
I was shocked by the message.
“Even though I do not understand God, I trust Him”
Do you know how many Jews were killed in World War Two?
Six million Jewish people were killed in gas chambers or by other cruelties.
They saw the death of their father, mother, brothers and sisters.
They were treated like animal in the concentration camp.
Nevertheless, a Jew who wrote down the message trusted God.
He never disbelieved God.
He trusted God even in camp where he was treated like animal.
He trusted God even in tragedy, when his family was killed by the Nazis.
He trusted God even though he did not understand his situation, even though he could not understand God’s will.
My brothers and sisters!
Can you be like this?
Can you trust God even in your misfortunes?
Can you trust God even though you do not understand God?
There are many Christians who forsake their faith and turn back from God when they meet misfortunes.
They cry out to God, “why me, why me?” complain to God, and finally lose their faith and leave God.
Let’s go back to Daniel’s three friends.
Did they meet misfortunes due to their sin or fault?
No, they were innocent.
They were very righteous especially to God.
Nevertheless, they faced peril of death due to their sincere faith to God.
From their perspective, their situation might not be acceptable.
But, they did not complain to God.
They did not cry out to God, “why me, why me?”
Instead, they kept their faith risking their lives and trusted God without grumbling.
“Even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."”
My brothers and sisters!
Here I would like give you a question.
What made Daniel’s three friends keep their faith even in the peril of death?
What made Daniel’s three friends trust God even in the peril of death?
I thought that their past experience of faith might have made them trust God.
They might know who God is through their past meeting with God
They could know God’s character through their experience of faith, that God is sincere, God is good, and God is almighty.
Let’s turn to Daniel 1:8-17;
“8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”
Through this passage, we came to know that Daniel and his three friends had deep trust to God.
This means that they had special relationship with God.
This is the experience of faith that cannot be attained without meeting God person to person.
Therefore they could trust God even when they were carried to the Babylon as captives and their nation collapsed.
How could you trust God in this situation without meeting God person to person, without knowing God’s character, without trusting in God’s character?
In fact, God walked with them even when they were in Babylon as captives?
Now, let’s turn to verse 8-9;
8“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel”
When Daniel asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself with royal food and wine, God made the official to show favor and sympathy and the official accepted Daniel’s request and allowed him to eat only vegetables.
What happened when Daniel and Daniel’s three friends resolved not to defile themselves with the royal food and ate only vegetables?
Let’s turn to verse 15;
“At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.”
Hallelujah!
Furthermore, all they were blessed by God.
Let’s turn to verse 17;
“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”
Hallelujah!
Through their faith, God gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.
And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Like this, in order to trust God, first we must meet God person to person.
Second, we must have the experience of faith.
How about you, my brothers and sisters?
Have you met God?
Have you had experience of faith?
Or, are you just church-goers?
Do you just come to this church to meet your friends?
Is this a place for your social interactions or for meeting God?
Do you believe that God is Spirit and He is living God?
Do you worship Him in spirit and in truth?
Let’s turn to John 4:24;
“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
I bless all of you to worship God in spirit and in truth.
I bless all of you to meet God through this worship service.
Third, we must believe that God will take care of all our lives if we trust God.
When Daniel’s three friends were thrown into the blazing furnace, God sent an angel to take care of them.
And all of them were safe.
Let’s turn to Daniel 3:19-27;
“19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king."
25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.”
Yes, all of them saw that the fire had not harmed Daniel’s three friends’ bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed.
Hallelujah!
Fourth, we must yearn for eternity, not for this world.
We must yearn for spirituality not for materialistic goods
If we yearn for materialistic goods, such as money, power, fame, or health, we will be disappointed by the bad situation or circumstances.
But materials never give us true happiness.
Material goods never give us eternality.
Fifth, we must be satisfied with God alone.
We must rejoice in the Lord, our Savior.
When we are satisfied with God alone, we can rejoice even in suffering. And we can trust Him in all circumstances, bad or good.
Do you know how the people of faith died for faith?
They could die for the Lord, because they could rejoice in the LORD, because they believed that they would revive through the blood of Jesus Christ after their death.
This is the reason why the writer of Habakkuk praised the LORD.
Let’s turn to Habakkuk 3:17-19;
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”
The writer of Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord even though the fig tree does not bud.
He is joyful in God even though there are no grapes on the vine.
He is joyful in Savior even though the olive crops fails and the fields produce no food.
He rejoices in God even though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.
How can the writer of Habakkuk rejoice in the Lord even in those situations?
Because he was satisfied with God alone.
He trusted God.
He believed that God is his strength and he will make his feet like the feet of a deer.
He believed that God will enable him to go on the heights.
My brothers and sisters!
Can you rejoice in the Lord even though the fig tree does not bud, even though there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, and even though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls?
Are you satisfied with God alone?
Is there anyone who doubts God’s goodness?
Is there anyone who doubts God’s sincerity?
Is there anyone who doubts the love of God who sacrificed His one and only Son?
Trust Him.
Trust His goodness and His love and His sincerity.
He will surely take responsibility for all your lives from now to the eternity.
I trust Him because I know who He is through my experience.
He delivered me from my severe suffering when I was totally broken-hearted, and restored me and made my life much better than the past.
He has molded me as His man and used me as His servant.
I believe that he will surely change your difficulties into blessings in His own good time if you trust Him.
Let’s pray.
회장님께서 기독 신우회 활성화를 위해 많은 글이 필요하다고 말씀하셨습니다.
그래서 제가 영어설교 원고를 올렸습니다.
저는 현재 서울 월드비젼교회 장로이며, 외국인 영어예배 설교자로도 섬기고 있습니다.
제가 영어예배설교자로 섬기고 있는 것은 영어를 잘하기때문이 아니라,
부르심에 순종하고 있기 때문입니다.
참으로 부족한 영어실력이지만 부족한 영어를 통해서도 하나님은 당신의 역사를
이뤄가고 계십니다.
혹시 영어설교에 관심있는 동문분들을 위해 종종 영어설교를 올려드리겠습니다.
부족한 부분은 지도편달해주시면 큰 도움이 되겠습니다.
감사합니다.
(Daniel 3:16-18) Even if He does not
“16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
As you know, today’s passage is about the faith of Daniel’s three friends.
This story may be well-known story to you.
When I was a child, I was very familiar with this story.
It was one of many stories I knew when I was a child.
But when I read this passage according to my Bible reading schedule, I was touched by its spiritual meaning.
Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, boldly confessed their faith and their trust to God, risking their lives.
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
How bold they were!
Think about their situation.
Daniel’s three friends were captives of Babylon.
And Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Babylon.
At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all peoples and nations that he ruled over to worship the image of gold.
He said, “Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
Nevertheless, Daniel’s three friends never fell down nor worshipped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar set up.
They kept their faith.
My brothers and sisters!
Could you do this if you were in the same situation?
There are many Christians who praise God when everything is going well.
But they easily grumble to God when something bad happens.
Furthermore, some of them doubt the existence of God.
But, Daniel’s friends never complained against God in their bad situations.
Instead, they boldly confessed their faith.
“Even if he does not, even if he does not rescue us from your hand, we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold.
Their faith was very mature.
Recently, I went to Israel for a pilgrimage.
I visited many places, such as the tomb of Jesus; Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified; the road that Jesus walked on carrying the cross; Temple Jerusalem, and Wailing Wall.
I wrote down my wish on the paper and put it on the Wailing Wall, because there is a passed down story that the wish comes true if you do that.
And I went to the Dead Sea which has the lowest sea level in the world.
My body floated on its own in the Dead Sea due to the high concentration of salt.
I also visited Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood, and Mountain Garmel where Elijah’s prayer was replied by the fire from the heaven.
I was really touched by the Holy Spirit when I visited those holy places.
But the most impressive place to me was the Holocaust National Museum.
There, I found a massage which was written by a Jew who was detained in the camp.
The message was written down like this; “even though I do not understand God, I trust Him”
I was shocked by the message.
“Even though I do not understand God, I trust Him”
Do you know how many Jews were killed in World War Two?
Six million Jewish people were killed in gas chambers or by other cruelties.
They saw the death of their father, mother, brothers and sisters.
They were treated like animal in the concentration camp.
Nevertheless, a Jew who wrote down the message trusted God.
He never disbelieved God.
He trusted God even in camp where he was treated like animal.
He trusted God even in tragedy, when his family was killed by the Nazis.
He trusted God even though he did not understand his situation, even though he could not understand God’s will.
My brothers and sisters!
Can you be like this?
Can you trust God even in your misfortunes?
Can you trust God even though you do not understand God?
There are many Christians who forsake their faith and turn back from God when they meet misfortunes.
They cry out to God, “why me, why me?” complain to God, and finally lose their faith and leave God.
Let’s go back to Daniel’s three friends.
Did they meet misfortunes due to their sin or fault?
No, they were innocent.
They were very righteous especially to God.
Nevertheless, they faced peril of death due to their sincere faith to God.
From their perspective, their situation might not be acceptable.
But, they did not complain to God.
They did not cry out to God, “why me, why me?”
Instead, they kept their faith risking their lives and trusted God without grumbling.
“Even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."”
My brothers and sisters!
Here I would like give you a question.
What made Daniel’s three friends keep their faith even in the peril of death?
What made Daniel’s three friends trust God even in the peril of death?
I thought that their past experience of faith might have made them trust God.
They might know who God is through their past meeting with God
They could know God’s character through their experience of faith, that God is sincere, God is good, and God is almighty.
Let’s turn to Daniel 1:8-17;
“8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”
Through this passage, we came to know that Daniel and his three friends had deep trust to God.
This means that they had special relationship with God.
This is the experience of faith that cannot be attained without meeting God person to person.
Therefore they could trust God even when they were carried to the Babylon as captives and their nation collapsed.
How could you trust God in this situation without meeting God person to person, without knowing God’s character, without trusting in God’s character?
In fact, God walked with them even when they were in Babylon as captives?
Now, let’s turn to verse 8-9;
8“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel”
When Daniel asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself with royal food and wine, God made the official to show favor and sympathy and the official accepted Daniel’s request and allowed him to eat only vegetables.
What happened when Daniel and Daniel’s three friends resolved not to defile themselves with the royal food and ate only vegetables?
Let’s turn to verse 15;
“At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.”
Hallelujah!
Furthermore, all they were blessed by God.
Let’s turn to verse 17;
“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”
Hallelujah!
Through their faith, God gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.
And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Like this, in order to trust God, first we must meet God person to person.
Second, we must have the experience of faith.
How about you, my brothers and sisters?
Have you met God?
Have you had experience of faith?
Or, are you just church-goers?
Do you just come to this church to meet your friends?
Is this a place for your social interactions or for meeting God?
Do you believe that God is Spirit and He is living God?
Do you worship Him in spirit and in truth?
Let’s turn to John 4:24;
“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
I bless all of you to worship God in spirit and in truth.
I bless all of you to meet God through this worship service.
Third, we must believe that God will take care of all our lives if we trust God.
When Daniel’s three friends were thrown into the blazing furnace, God sent an angel to take care of them.
And all of them were safe.
Let’s turn to Daniel 3:19-27;
“19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king."
25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.”
Yes, all of them saw that the fire had not harmed Daniel’s three friends’ bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed.
Hallelujah!
Fourth, we must yearn for eternity, not for this world.
We must yearn for spirituality not for materialistic goods
If we yearn for materialistic goods, such as money, power, fame, or health, we will be disappointed by the bad situation or circumstances.
But materials never give us true happiness.
Material goods never give us eternality.
Fifth, we must be satisfied with God alone.
We must rejoice in the Lord, our Savior.
When we are satisfied with God alone, we can rejoice even in suffering. And we can trust Him in all circumstances, bad or good.
Do you know how the people of faith died for faith?
They could die for the Lord, because they could rejoice in the LORD, because they believed that they would revive through the blood of Jesus Christ after their death.
This is the reason why the writer of Habakkuk praised the LORD.
Let’s turn to Habakkuk 3:17-19;
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”
The writer of Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord even though the fig tree does not bud.
He is joyful in God even though there are no grapes on the vine.
He is joyful in Savior even though the olive crops fails and the fields produce no food.
He rejoices in God even though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.
How can the writer of Habakkuk rejoice in the Lord even in those situations?
Because he was satisfied with God alone.
He trusted God.
He believed that God is his strength and he will make his feet like the feet of a deer.
He believed that God will enable him to go on the heights.
My brothers and sisters!
Can you rejoice in the Lord even though the fig tree does not bud, even though there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, and even though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls?
Are you satisfied with God alone?
Is there anyone who doubts God’s goodness?
Is there anyone who doubts God’s sincerity?
Is there anyone who doubts the love of God who sacrificed His one and only Son?
Trust Him.
Trust His goodness and His love and His sincerity.
He will surely take responsibility for all your lives from now to the eternity.
I trust Him because I know who He is through my experience.
He delivered me from my severe suffering when I was totally broken-hearted, and restored me and made my life much better than the past.
He has molded me as His man and used me as His servant.
I believe that he will surely change your difficulties into blessings in His own good time if you trust Him.
Let’s pray.
우리 동문 중에 이렇게 훌륭한 평신도 사역자가
있다는 사실에 놀랍고 또한 자랑스럽습니다.
복음 사역을 위해 하나님께서 "배"장로님에게 주신
달란트를 최선을 다해 활용하시기 바랍니다.