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<2011.11> The Task of How to Live Our Lives in Light of the Bible

The 42nd Bible Study Meeting 7
This sermon is taken from the evening sermon on July 29, 2010 during the 42nd Bible Study Meeting for All from Home and Abroad.
[T]hat is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.   (2 Corinthians 5:19)
The Living Words of God
Among the many passages that were introduced during this Bible conference, some were simple and some were difficult to understand. Why do we feel that certain passages in the Bible are easier to understand? The content of the Bible is not a simple matter. And it isn't that certain passages are more precious than other passages. But why is it that certain passages seem easier to understand? It's because we've repeatedly listened to those passages over an extended period of time. In other words, we've chewed the cud. In the Bible it says, "Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud_that you may eat." (Leviticus 11:3) It says that you can eat the animals that have cloven hooves and chew the cud. The divided hooves can be understood as accurately deciphering the words of the Bible.
But despite talking about the same Bible passage over and over, we think, "I've finally come to understand something that I didn't know in the past. Although I've read the Bible several times I am now able to see what it says in the Bible." Why does this happen? The Bible is definitely different from books that spread the knowledge of this world. The words of the Bible are alive. All these books are recorded as a text, however, the words that appear in the Bible is different from any writing recorded by the people of this world.
Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39) Let's think about who Jesus is through the Bible. Just as we've compared the books of this world to the Bible, let's compare Jesus-who is the main character of the Bible in which the Word became flesh-and mankind who lives in this world in the same image as Him. Just as we have eyes, nose, a mouth, arms and legs, Jesus was the same. Just as we get thirsty, He too has been thirsty. Just as we get hungry when we don't eat, He too was hungry. Jesus was born in this world in the same image as us as a man.
But just as the words of the Bible are differentiated from other books of this world, Jesus is different from all of mankind. The words of the Bible are God's word which is alive, and the more we read these words and have fellowship, we come to understand the message in greater depth. This is because the words of the Bible are alive. "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." (2 Timothy 3:16) This is the distinction between the Bible and the many books of this world. As there exists such distinction between the Bible and the many books of this world, so does between Jesus and humankind.
Blood was flowing in the body of Jesus just like us. This blood had the same shape and color as our blood. But our blood contains the life of our physical body that God breathed into, however, the eternal life of God was contained in the blood of Jesus. And that blood was shed on the cross on the mountain. And God saw that blood and started to see mankind through that blood. The Bible is telling us that all sins came to end on that day.
Jesus Came in the Flesh as God's Word
 Earlier we studied about king Nebuchadnezzar's dream about a great image. We read about the description of the great image from head made of gold, to  feet made partly of iron and clay, and that the stone struck the feet of the image and broke the image into pieces, and the wind blew them away.
We are able to reflect upon ourselves in this passage. Through Adam's disobedience to God, children were born through the body with sin and after several thousand years had passed, we too have been born in this world as his descendents. What is our image?  God explained the history of this world through this one image and God saw the history of this one nation called Israel as an individual entity. But what about us who were created in the image of God? It's necessary to compare the image in which we are born and the image of Jesus that is introduced in the Bible.
The first thing we need to understand through the history of Israel and the Old Testament is that these many passages were recorded so that we would be able to discover ourselves and learn something. Solomon was a wise king who built the temple and received riches, glory and wisdom from God and is shown as the judge of people. Solomon and David is an image of Jesus Christ who came to first suffer and then return to this world in glory as the Judge. But because Solomon was human, he also failed. He was close to gentile woman and brought them as his wife and started building high places and worshipped their idols. The propensity of the Israelites making a golden calf and worshipping it while Moses was receiving the laws was present in Solomon. Basically the main reason why God punished the Israelites was because they worshipped idols.
God made man and woman and told them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28) And He also said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) When mankind acted contrary to this commandment, God caused Noah's flood and also destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Being fruitful and multiplying is the most basic commandment God gave to us living in this world. This existed before the Law existed. And when the society of mankind diverged from this fundamental commandment and lived freely in their sexual lives, God judged the world.
When we take a look at the history of Israel through the Bible, we can see that God used the expression "adultery" when the nation of Israel worshipped foreign gods. We need to think about the reason.
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, and separated themselves to that shame; they became an abomination like the thing they loved. (Hosea 9:10)
It says that they have become shameful by offering themselves. This is prevalent in passages in the books of the prophets, Ezekiel chapter 36 and the beginning of Hosea. If you continue to read through the books of the prophets, the nation of Israel abandoned God and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them and burned incense. And you can see this act being described many times as the nation of Israel committing adultery.
Since God created man and gave His commandment, He continued to watch over this long period of history of man committing adultery and the nation of Israel worshipping other idols. And thus in Jeremiah, it says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
God was looking at us as individuals and the history of Israel all at once. There was the great nation that emerged in this world through Daniel, but also there was the image of the gentile nations that appeared as dead images. On a certain day 2000 years ago, God had one body born into this world. And this was Jesus.
It wasn't an ordinary event that Jesus was born into this world in the flesh. In the Bible it says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) This isn't some kind of fabricated story of a person appearing in legends or movies.
God created man and He saw the sinful nature of the descendents that were born into this world through one man's sin. He chose one person among the descendents and established one nation. And through this nation He recorded the Bible and taught us. But even this chose nation worshipped idols and committed adultery against God.
God was looking at the nation of Israel-who was His partner that He guided-that abandoned Him. God saw the history of gentiles as a lifeless image that seemed dead. Nothing could offer God the life that He desired. So when the time came, as testified in the Old Testament, Jesus started growing in the body of a woman. He was born into this world that way.
Jesus who was born into this world had said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28) He also said to think of the days of Noah and also the days of Lot. (See Luke chapter 17) These words that proceeded from His mouth was an expression of the heart of God who has been watching the complicated history from the time of creation to the individual lives of the people of this world-even counting the strands of hair-as He Himself led history.
Our Sinful Image Reflected in the History of the Nation of Israel
In the Bible, we are able to see through the history of Israel our sinful nature and realize the punishment that we would receive if our sins are not resolved and also the blessings we would receive if we are obedient. The history of Israel continued to flow and reached the time of Daniel.
Daniel was an individual who lived during the time of Babylon right before it lost its power to the kingdom of Persia. Daniel expressed that he understood the words of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet. Towards the end of Second Chronicles and Second Kings, after Judah was destroyed by Babylon, it says that the nation of Israel resided in Babylon. Daniel said that he realized that the desolations of Jerusalem would end in seventy years.
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans_in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.  (Daniel 9:1-2)
The words of the prophet Jeremiah that Daniel was referring to is in Jeremiah chapter 25 verse 12. The words recorded in Jeremiah chapter 25 verse 12 were prophesized one hundred years before Daniel understood these words. The prayer of Daniel that appears in Daniel chapter 9 is obeying the law. But in Daniel's prayer to God, he earnestly hoped for his nation to turn away from their sins and return to God.
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. (Daniel 9:3-6)
It says that the nation of Israel departed from God's commandments and didn't heed to the words of the prophets.
O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day_to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the LORD our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. (Daniel 9:7-12)
The blessings and punishment that they would receive is outlined in detail in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and Leviticus chapter 26.
As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. The
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