(Luke 13：6∼9) God is the Creator.
He put man He created in the stream of time. Man aught to live in His grace and in His word. The Word of God gives man the knowledge that enables him to get the wisdom of realizing what is in truth happiness and how to live a happy life: The word of God gives man the holy opportunity for eternal happiness. Nothing is out of God’s knowledge: He therefore knows how a man is and what he does. Nothing is impossible for God: He solves problem of man, however great it might be or whatever it might be. He is the almighty. Man however was so foolish that he dared to leave the true love of God without considering whether he would live or die; like the younger son Jesus Christ told about, who left his father with his own share of the estate. The son lived a wild living squandering his wealth in a country far from his father’s; and after a long time of bitter suffering he could realize how precious his father’s love was and decided to return to his home.

It was the last opportunity for the son to find his own fault although in that miserable condition. It was His kind intention to grant us the best opportunity of salvation that God gave mankind His word.

A farmer who missed the time of seeding in the spring would have nothing to harvest in autumn: He failed to catch the opportunity given to him. Noah got opportunity. He built an ark: He succeeded in making the divine opportunity a precious way to save his family as well as himself.

Every man was under the curse of death without finding any way of salvation, while Noah and his folk saw the opportunity God has given them; so he made day and night over a long time every effort and succeeded in obeying God. Abraham also got an opportunity. He was given the first opportunity: God ordered him to leave his country, his people and his father’s household and go to the land God would show him. (Creation 12:1)

Abraham was told to leave Ur of the Chaldeans where people worshiped idols under the curse of the evil spirits. Abraham succeeded in making the God’s calling a great opportunity for himself and his offspring.

Abraham was told again to sacrifice his only son Isaac that God gave him; and he was not reluctant to observe the Lord’s command to kill his son. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22:9-10)

God ordered him to withdraw his knife, not to do anything to Isaac, instead accepted a ram as a burnt offering that the Lord Himself provided. After seeing that Abraham feared and was obedient to Him, the LORD blessed Abraham: God made him the father of all who believe: The history of God’s work to save the world through Jesus Christ began with Abraham. The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”(Genesis 22:15-18) Jacob, Moses, Joshua and Elisa all were among those who didn’t fail to seize the holy opportunity given to them.

One day God sent an angel to Maria who told her that she should give birth to a son. (Luke 1:31) She was to be married to Joseph and was not in the position she could obey what the angel ordered to her. Maria however realized that she must not miss the great opportunity she would meet only once in her life. (Luke 1:26-38)

Consequently she could give birth to a son, Jesus Christ who was the Savior of the World and showed with His almighty power unlimited signs and miracles.

He raised the dead, cleansed those who had leprosy; and He let the lame walk, made the mute speak; and He had the blind see, healed the deaf to hear and cast out demons.

Anybody that had faith could come anytime to Jesus Christ: Whoever and only those who succeeded to make Jesus Christ their own opportunity could gain the great mercy of the LORD.

Bartimaeus, a blind man in Jericho did so when he shouted over people who rebuked him, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

A centurion in Capernaum who loved his servant in terrible suffering could get the chance for Jesus Christ work for him when he said, “ Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” A Greek woman in Tyre whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit could see the mercy of Jesus Christ when she replied to Him, “ Yes, Lord but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

A father who brought to Jesus Christ his son demon possessed from childhood could see what Jesus Christ did for his child when he exclaimed, “ I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

The woman who came up behind Jesus Christ and touched the edge of his cloak saying to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed,’ could be healed at once Jesus Christ told her, “Your faith had healed you.” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrew 13:8): He is the great opportunity for everybody to solve his trouble, of body and spirit, that he can never get out of by himself.

Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector gained the opportunity to meet Jesus Christ; but the young man who could not give up his wealth missed the chance to get eternal life he desired so earnestly for.

Jesus Christ does not disappoint anybody who tries to seize His opportunity. Every trouble and pain He underwent in this world was just for man to get the sacred opportunity both in body and spirit. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

Jesus Christ commanded us to be forgiven of our sin, to pray and to do anything in His name; He is determined to let anybody to seize whenever he seeks the opportunity He prepares.

He commanded us to repent, to pray, to be healed and to make the most of His holy opportunity.

Now He commands us to work for him so that we get the crown of life; He commands us to preach the gospel so that every soul may be given the opportunity to be delivered from the death; He commands us to pray so that we possess the promise He made for us. (John 14:14)

My beloved members in the church, now let’s listen to a parable Jesus told to His disciples: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ’For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ’Sir,’ the man replied, ’leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9) The fig tree without fruit was given just another year to seize the chance of bearing fruit; in the same way we are given time to get the great opportunity of Jesus Christ: We are to make this opportunity our own rightly within the time we are in body.

All the time of our days on earth, for the sake of the Lord and for the time of our soul, let’s succeed in making the most of every holy opportunity of our LORD Jesus Christ.(Amen)

위 글은 교회신문 <54호> 기사입니다.