두려움에서 벗어나는 길

두려움에서 벗어나는 길

 

우리가 이 세상의 온갖 고통과 죽음의 두려움에서 벗어나는 길은 과연 어디에 있을까? 세상의 다른 가르침들과는 달리 성경은 이에 대해 다음과 같이 간명(簡明)하고 확실하게 알려주고 있다.

 

먼저 우리가 이 세상에 살면서 하나님의 음성을 알아듣고 그 음성을 따라 살면 비록 이 세상에서 어떤 일들이 일어날지라도 그 모든 것들이 합력(合力)하여서 결국은 선(善)을 이룬다는 약속이 있다.

 

“내 양(羊)은 내 음성을 알아듣고 나는 그들을 알며 그들은 나를 따른다”(요한복음 10장 27절). “우리가 알거니와 하나님을 사랑하는 자 곧 그의 뜻대로 부르심을 입은 자들에게는 모든 것이 합력(合力)하여 선(善)을 이루느니라”(로마서 8장 28절).

다음으로 우리가 하나님의 백성이 되어 이 세상에서 그의 말씀을 따라 살다가 죽으면 하늘에 있는 하나님이 지으신 천국에 들어가 영원한 생명을 누리게 된다는 약속이 있다.

 

“만일 땅에 있는 우리의 장막 집이 무너지면 하나님께서 지으신 집 곧 손으로 지은 것이 아니요 하늘에 있는 영원한 집이 우리에게 있는 줄 아나니”(고린도후서 5장 1절). “우리가 육체의 집에 사는 동안에는 주님이 계시는 곳에서 떨어져 있다는 것을 아는 바 ··· 우리가 확신하고 원하는 것은 차라리 몸을 떠나 주님과 함께 사는 그것이다”(고린도후서 5장 6,8절).

 

그렇게 우리가 천국에 들어가면 거기에는 슬픔도 사망도 다 지나가서 없고 거기에는 하나님과 동행하며 누리는 영원한 복락(福樂)만이 있다는 것이다. “모든 눈물을 그 눈에서 닦아 주시니 다시는 사망이 없고 애통하는 것이나 곡하는 것이나 아픈 것이 다시 있지 아니하리니 처음 것들이 다 지나갔음이러라”(요한계시록 21장 4절).

 

이런 하나님의 은혜와 섭리를 알아차린 다윗은 하나님을 그 누구보다 경외하고 그의 말씀을 따라 사는 데 온갖 정성을 기울이면서 살아가는 중에 시편 23편 6절에서 확신하고 다짐하며 말하기를 “나의 평생에 주의 선하심과 인자하심이 정녕 나를 따르리니 내가 여호와의 집에 영원히 거하리로다”라고 하였다.

 

2023. 3. 1. 素淡

 

 

 

God's antidote to fears of the future

by Rick Warren

As you read this, America may be at war with Iraq. Regardless of your position on the conflict, there is no question it will have a worldwide impact and that it will leave many in your community fearful of the future. They will be hungry to hear God’s truth, and I encourage you to offer a special service of worship and prayer related to the war at your weekend services.

In today’s article I’ve outline God’s antidote to fears of the future, based on Psalm 23:6. In addition, you will find links to two of my sermons that you may download for free: When is it right to fight (from the series Strength for stressful times) and God’s antidote for dark valleys (from the series Stressbusters).

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

God is watching over you

"Surely goodness will follow …." David is not saying, Surely only good things are going to happen to me! Bad things happen to good people. Rather He's saying only goodness will follow. Good things will always come out of whatever happens - even the bad, the evil, and the difficult. God will insure that good will come!

It’s a great promise that God has given to believers: We know that all that happens to us is working for our good - if we love God and are fitting into his plans (Romans 8:28). If you're a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good - not that all things are good - but working together for good. There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, disaster in the life of a Christian that God can’t ultimately get some good out of.

Grace is working in you

When you understand God's grace and mercy, then you have no need to fear the future. God isn't trying to get even with you. Jesus has taken the penalty for everything you've ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So when a bad thing happens, you don't have to think, God's getting even with me. That's grace and mercy.

Mercy, like goodness, follows us in life. Picture a parent following a little child around picking up after them. God is constantly picking up our messes.

Christians go to the future - not with a question mark - but with an exclamation point. God will be with you no matter what happens. He will help you out.

God's goodness will provide and protect. God's mercy will pardon and forgive.

God's goodness will supply. God's mercy will sooth.

God's goodness will help. God's mercy will heal.

Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don't deserve. Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.

Heaven is waiting for you

"... and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." That's one of the most important connections we see in the Bible. It connects yesterday and today with tomorrow. God says, "I've got this great life planned for you and surely goodness and mercy will follow you through it, BUT that's not the end! I've got something else at the end!" He builds it to a crescendo.

David ends this Psalm by saying "We're going to heaven!" Jesus saves the best until last. With God it just keeps getting better and better. The best is yet to come.

"We know that our body will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands; instead, it will be a home in heaven that will last forever." 2 Cor. 5:1

How long is forever going to last? Forever! Someday your body is going to die, but you aren't! Your body is going to end but that's not going to be the end of you. You're going to live forever in one of two places - heaven or hell. They’re both real places. You will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Your body is going to die, but you're not going to die. We were made to last forever.

Why are Christians the most confident people about the future?

"We look forward with confidence to our heavenly bodies. And we are not afraid, but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord." 2 Cor. 5:6, 8.

Death, for Christians, is a transfer, a promotion. It's on to better things. No more problems. You're not ready to live until you're ready to die. You don't know how to live until you're ready to die. Only a fool would go all through life, totally unprepared for something that everybody knows is inevitable. You're going to die - someday. If you have accepted Christ, then you’re going to go to heaven.

You’ll be released from pain, from sorrow, from suffering, from depression, from fear.

"He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever." Rev. 21:4

Doesn't that make you a little homesick for heaven?

How do I know I'm going to heaven? If you were to die tonight, are you sure you’d go to heaven? I don't have an ounce of doubt in my mind that I would. Not that I deserve it but because I've done what the Bible says to do to get ready.

How do I know I'm going to heaven? Jesus says, "My sheep listen to me and they follow me." (John 10)

Are you doing that? Are you listening to what God says to do with your life? Are you following Jesus Christ? Is He your Shepherd and your Savior?

If you say, Yes, I'm listening to God, and I'm trying to let Him lead my life - letting Jesus Christ be my Savior. Yes, I know I'll never get to heaven on my own, and I'm trusting Jesus.

Then you can say with absolute confidence, Surely, I know I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

You can say, I will dwell - not I might or I wonder. Rather, I know I'm going to heaven because I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

When you face the future, what do you see? Do you look at it with eyes of doubt? With eyes of cynicism? With eyes of expecting the worse?

You have two choices in life: You can either face the future as a cynic, a doubter, with negative thoughts, expecting the worse.

Or you can face the future expecting God to be with you and His goodness and His mercy to follow you all the days of your life.

It is amazing how much better life gets when you start to actively look for God's goodness and God's mercy in every experience. It'll change your life.

Jesus is all you need. The good shepherd provides protection, provision, peace, providence, companionship (His presence), and paradise. That wraps it all up!