여러분이 증인이 되십시오

룻4.7-12

초점을 ’내‘가 아니라, ’하나님‘에게 바꾸는 것이 신앙입니다. Faith is shifting the focus from "myself" to "God."

그리스도인들에게는, 희생했지만 희생이 아니라 축복입니다 For Christians, sacrifices are not sacrifices, but blessings

God desires us to offer ourselves as a pleasing and holy sacrifice. We often feel inadequate and ashamed, thinking we need to be perfect before dedicating ourselves to God. However, God doesn't require us to be holy before offering ourselves; He wants our obedience. We should shift the focus of our faith from ourselves to God and trust that He will lead us. The story of David Livingstone, who offered himself as a young child, and Boaz, who obeyed God's word despite the challenges, teaches us about obedience and faith. We are called to be witnesses of God in this generation. A witness repeatedly affirms and confirms a clear fact. We should testify to the world that there is no other God besides the Lord and that He is our hope. Our lives should demonstrate the presence of God and our hope in Him, even in difficult circumstances. Sometimes we may face hardships and feel lacking, but through our surrender to Jesus, we can experience joy and resurrection life. Our suffering can become a testimony of Jesus' life within us. By acting according to God's word, even if it seems like a loss at first, we will eventually receivee unexpected blessings.

In our service to others, we may think we are loving and sacrificing for them, but in reality, we often receive love from them and experience the love of Jesus through them. Ministry is not only about what we give but also about what we receive from others. As young members, we are called to offer ourselves to God through obedience. We should focus on God rather than our own inadequacies and trust that He will lead us. We are to be witnesses of God's love and hope in this generation, testifying to the world that there is no other God besides Him. In our service and relationships, we will not only give love but also receive love from others, experiencing the love of Jesus. Even in the face of challenges and hardships, we can find joy and resurrection life by surrendering to Jesus. Let us embrace the calling God has given us and trust in His guidance as we navigate our faith journey.

I have had discussions about the way of dedication while living the life of faith last week. God desires us to offer ourselves as a pleasing and holy sacrifice. So, before we offer ourselves, we usually try to prepare ourselves, live a life that pleases God, and read the Bible extensively to reach a point where we believe God will be satisfied. However, how many people are truly like that? When I look at myself, I always feel inadequate and ashamed. Therefore, I often postpone it, saying, "I am not yet qualified for dedication. I should wait until I become more mature." But here's the thing, God does not make us holy in order to offer ourselves. When God speaks, if we obey His words and offer ourselves in obedience, God receives it as a holy sacrifice. When we listen to His words, agree with them, and come before the Lord, it means that He receives us as a living sacrifice, a pleasing offering. What we need is not "holiness," but "obedience." However, it doesn't mean that being holy is not important. This means that we need to shift the focus of our faith from "me" to "God." When we are told to be holy, we often think that we need to live a good life, be consistent in our daily devotion, and serve in order to be holy. All the focus is on "me." Instead, the focus should be on "obedience." God is the one who speaks, and I am simply called to obey. After obedience, thoughts like time commitment, sacrifice, and the seemingly impossible should not make us turn away. Rather, since God has spoken, I will "obey," and then I will trust that "God" will lead me. Keeping the focus on "God" and moving forward is the correct focus of faith.

There was a little child who attended a revival meeting at the church. He received great grace. After the sermon, when the offering plate was passed around, the child had nothing to give as an offering. So, after the worship service, he went to the place where the offerings were being counted and climbed onto the plate. The pastor was taken aback and asked, "Livingstone, what are you doing?" The boy replied, "Pastor, I have nothing to offer to God right now. So, I have climbed onto this plate to offer myself, my body, and my heart." This boy was David Livingstone, who later became the first person to cross the African continent and spread the Gospel. He was a renowned physician in Scotland in the 18th century, but he obediently left everything behind to become a missionary in Africa, considering it his own land.

We often think, "I will dedicate myself 'later' or when 'I' am ready." However, those whom God uses say, "I will do it 'now' because God has requested it." They are interested in God's heart, God's words, and God's will, not their own conditions, abilities, or circumstances. David Livingstone was the one who shifted the focus of his faith from "himself" to "God.“ In the book of Ruth, we encounter another person who aligns the focus of their faith with God. It is none other than "Boaz." Even though we have only read verses 7-12, there are two repeated words that appear in chapter 4, and one of them is the verb "buy" which appears six times. Three of those occurrences are in verses 8-10. In verse 8, it is mentioned that there is a closer relative than Boaz who should redeem Naomi's land and take Ruth as his wife, but when he realizes that his own inheritance will be affected, he refuses by saying, "You redeem it." So in verse 9, Boaz declares, "I will redeem all that belongs to them," and in verse 10, he promises, "I will also take Ruth as my wife." The Bible emphasizes Boaz's decisive action of "buying" through repeated expressions.

In reality, Boaz had no obligation to buy anything. He had to take care of two women, purchase the land, and restore their property to them. It was a burdensome task, and it was an era where no one else was willing to take on such sacrifices for the weak. However, Boaz did not focus on the "circumstances" that others saw as unprofitable but rather on the "word" of God. He was deeply moved by God's heart to bear the responsibility of redeeming the vulnerable through a close relative. Therefore, he declared, "I will buy the land, I will take Ruth as my wife, I will do what no one else is doing, I will go to a place where no one else is going," and he made it his own. God blesses such Boaz in verses 11-12. Dear saints! This world is the land that God rules. God says He will give us this land, conquer it, and rule over it. So, how can we make this land our own? "We can possess it as our own."

There is always an unbelieving soul that weighs on my heart. It is not an easy opponent. However, I embrace that soul and pray for it. I claim it as the soul God has given me. The soul that I cherish, serve, and carry with me is my land.

There are corners in the church that require service. They may not be visible to others, but they are evident to my eyes. It is the land that God has shown me. I will claim it as my own. It is my land and my higher calling. Missionaries, it is not about someone telling you to go to the mission field, but it is God who has given you the heart to embrace that nation and claim it as your own land. That land becomes mine, the land I serve.

Everyone! Take a moment to look around your pastures or your neighbors. Do you see their needs and places that burden your heart? Do you have souls that you should embrace? Instead of debating whether it can be done or not, if it continues to linger in your heart, make a decision to claim it as your own, that soul, that place. Embrace it, pray for it, and as you serve, you will experience God's amazing guidance. I want to challenge all the saints. Do you have "my land" or "my soul" that you embrace? It could be a VIP, a workplace, a ministry field, or any place where God has given you the heart to reveal Him. If so, you have already achieved victory. Do not be discouraged by the lack of immediate fruit, but believe that the time will come for you, who hold hope, to reap with joy. Do you still not have a place that you embrace? Then, in this moment, I bless you to pray and make a decision to ask for one soul today. May you become blessed saints who decide and pray for it.

Today, I would like to introduce another word that is emphasized repeatedly in today's passage: "witness." In verse 9, it says, "You are witnesses of these things today." In verse 10, it says, "You are witnesses of these things today." In verse 11, it says, "We are witnesses." The words are clear: "You are witnesses." Therefore, we respond by acknowledging ourselves as witnesses.

A "witness" is someone who repeatedly affirms and confirms a clear fact. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew, while the New Testament is written in Greek. For those who do not understand Hebrew, there is a Greek translation of the Bible known as the Septuagint or LXX. In the Septuagint, the word "witness" in Ruth 4:10 is translated as "martus" (martyr). This is the same word used in Acts 1:8 when it says, "You will be my witnesses.“

The people of the town address Boaz by saying, "We are your witnesses," and they proclaim, "You are indeed a man of God, and we are witnesses that you act in accordance with God's will in this generation." At the same time, they see that Boaz, as a "witness" who demonstrates God, is truly receiving the amazing blessing that God has promised to those who obey His word, as stated in verses 11-12. We hope and bless our saints to be witnesses in this generation, revealing that God is our hope. When our colleagues at work look at us and say, "Why are you so grateful even in difficult circumstances? Why don't you do what everyone else is doing? Do you really have a God you believe in?" We hope to become "witnesses" of God. These are Isaiah 43:9-12 and Isaiah 44:8. In Isaiah 43:9-12, it says, "Let all the nations gather together and let the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this and proclaim to us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, 'It is true.' You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me, no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God." In Isaiah 44:8, it says, "Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.“

We hope to be witnesses in our daily lives, demonstrating that besides the Lord, there is no other God and no other Rock. May we, as witnesses, testify that the Lord, the King of the whole world, has saved us and that our lives proclaim the living presence of God and our hope in Him. May we testify of the works of the Lord, the casting out of demons, the healing of the sick, rejoicing in the midst of lack, giving thanks in times of pain, not losing heart in the face of unresolved situations, and experiencing closed doors being opened. Let us proclaim, "People of the world, our God is alive. There is no other God besides Him. He extends salvation to those who hope in Him." May our lives be a witness that reveals God. Are you saying that I am a witness of hope? Or am I a witness of despair? Am I a witness of positivity? Or a witness of negativity? Am I a witness of resurrection? Or a witness of death? Am I a witness of joy? Or a witness of sorrow? I hope to become a witness of resurrection, where the world can see and gain hope and joy through us.

Sometimes we may seem to lack what others have. We may not have things that others envy. In fact, as we follow the Lord, we may face hardships, pain, and even failure. However, in those moments of despair, true believers who possess the life of Jesus will experience that despair turning into life within them, experiencing the resurrected Lord and living a life that testifies to Jesus. Glory comes through suffering, and resurrection comes through death. Therefore, trials allow the saints to experience Jesus and be grateful for the life within them. The apostle Paul confesses in 2 Corinthians 4:7, 10-11, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us... We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body." I hope that by surrendering our lives to Jesus in the midst of suffering and hardships, we can experience joy and life, becoming witnesses of Jesus.

Finally, in today's passage, verses 9-10 portray the "sacrifice and love" of Boaz, while verses 11-12 reveal the "blessings" bestowed upon Boaz by all people. Even at the end of verse 12, it says, "May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah." The readers who are currently reading the book of Ruth are people who lived after the time of David. And David is a descendant of Perez. In the end, Boaz, in accordance with the word, embraced and loved a soul and a family, and sacrificed himself. He received an astonishing blessing that he never expected: David was born as his descendant.

It seems that when we act according to the word, it may seem like a loss, sacrifice, and injustice at the moment. However, eventually, we see that it turns into a blessing for us. I served them, and now I am served. During a conversation with a missionary in Kenya, he made a confession. He said that he loved the African people so much that he sacrificed his life to go to that land to share love. But as he experienced a culture of constant lies and a life of betrayal, he reached a point where he couldn't bear to see them anymore, and they became his enemies. However, in the midst of frustration and conflict, he realized that God still loves those people, and they began to reveal themselves. He thought he loved them, but he saw that he was being loved. When he went to the village to minister, he couldn't sleep if they didn't provide him a place to rest, and he couldn't enter the village if they didn't welcome him. He witnessed their acts of welcoming, providing rest, and even offering food in the midst of scarcity. Through these acts, he realized that he was receiving love from them and experienced the love of Jesus through them. He confessed that he repented greatly. It seems that when I married my wife, thinking that I loved her, I actually learned about love as I received love from her. I thought I served the shepherd family as a shepherdess, but at some point, I began to experience the love of Jesus through them and realized that I was receiving their service. I started ministry claiming to love the saints, but in the field of ministry, I realized that I had no love and that I was an incapable being. However, I discovered that the saints were actually waiting for me, showing obedience and love towards me. I saw that it was their service and love towards me. I started with love, but as I realized that I was receiving love, my eyes began to open to what ministry truly is.

In the morning, after finishing morning prayer and heading home, if I see a church member's car parked there, I start to worry. If I don't see the appearance of the saints on Sundays, I become concerned. If someone struggles in ministry, instead of thinking, "Why is he struggling with that?" I worry about the distorted state of the other person's heart. At first, I had conflicts because it seemed like I was the only one sacrificing, but in retrospect, I see that it turns into a blessing for me. It is the mystery of the saints who possess the life of Jesus and the secret of the Gospel. Here is a summary of the message.

God has entrusted the whole world to us. He challenges us to take possession of wherever we have the Father's heart. Then that land will become your land, that soul will become your soul, and that life will be transformed because of you. In this time, make a decision to embrace the soul you will carry and the field you will conquer. In doing so, you will become a witness who reveals the living presence of God through that field, that soul. Be a witness of the Word. Be a witness of God as the hope. Be a witness of God as the solution to the problem. May the souls born out of your sacrifice and love become like the house of Perez.