Mengasihi Musuh

MENGASIHI MUSUH DAPATKAH?
Khotbah DM tgl 6 Pebruari 2011
(Matius 5:43-48 dan Lukas 6:27-36)
Saudara, semester yang lalu kita sudah belajar mengenai ucapan bahagia Yesus, dan di semester ini kita masih tetap mempelajari akan bagian dari khotbah Yesus di bukit. Bulan lalu kita sudah membahas mengenai doa dan kedaulatan Allah.
Minggu ini kita mau belajar sesuatu yang bersifat praktis, tetapi seringkali sulit untuk dilakukan oleh orang percaya, yaitu mengasihi musuh. Selama berabad-abad sejak Tuhan Yesus menyampaikan hal ini kepada murid-murid sampai saat ini, pengajaran ini dapat dikatakan merupakan satu pengajaran yang sulit dilakukan oleh orang Kristen. Bahkan pengajaran ini adalah salah satu yang menjadi bahan perdebatan bagi beberapa teolog dan juga filsuf-filsuf karena menurut mereka bahwa tidak mungkin manusia dan mengasihi musuhnya .
Sehingga ada yang mengatakan bagian tidak boleh diartikan secara hurufiah, leterlek, ada kemungkinan ini adalah kata kiasan, symbol dlsb. Bahkan ada yang menghina dengan mengatakan bahwa ketika Yesus mengatakan ini, maka tidak ditujukan kepada manusia tetapi kepada malaikat atau Tuhan.
Banyak orang mengatakan ini adalah pengajaran yang ngawur, sesuatu yang diawan-awan. Yang lebih ekstrim lagi berkata, "Itu gila!" . Ada yang mengatakan kita masih manusia mana mungkin bisa melakukan hal ini.
Nietzsche. Filsuf Jerman ini mengatakan, bahwa perintah "mengasihi musuh" adalah salah satu bukti nyata, betapa etika Kristen--seperti yang ingin ditekankannya--adalah etikanya orang yang
berkepribadian lembek bagai bubur dan yang punya nyali melempem seperti kerupuk. Bukan etikanya orang yang tegar, tegap, dan perkasa. Etikanya para pecundang, bukan filsafat hidupnya para pemenang.
Confucius ditanya oleh seorang muridnya, "Apakah kita harus berbuat baik pada musuh kita?" Dia menjawab tegas bahwa kita harus membalas kebaikan dengan kebaikan dan kejahatan dengan keadilan.
Dalam "hukum" dunia, kata "mengasihi" dan "musuh" adalah dua kata yang bertolak belakang, karenanya tidak dapat dipersatukan. Dalam bahasa Inggris, musuh adalah enemy, berasal dari bahasa Latin inimicus, artinya "bukan sahabat". Definisinya musuh adalah jelas : orang yang membenci, menginginkan hal yang tidak baik, menyebabkan jatuh, kecewa, sakit, dan sebagainya. Maka, nasihat untuk mengasihi musuh bisa dibilang aneh. Sebab, normalnya musuh itu mesti dilawan, dibenci, disingkirkan, kalau perlu dibasmi.
Memang, mana mungkin kita bisa mengasihi musuh kita? Jika seseorang sudah menipu kita, sombong, tidak tahu aturan, egois, lebih-lebih mau mencelakakan kita; seorang mengatakan bahwa tidak ada tukang sulap dari mana yang bisa membuat kita mengasihi musuh kita?
Kalau demikian; Apa Yesus tidak asal bicara? Jawabnya jelas tidak. Tuhan tahu apa yang diucapkan-Nya. Dia mengerti sungguh-sungguh dan mau membantu kita melaksanakan perintah-Nya ini.
Saudara untuk memahami “kata musuh” dalam konteks ini maka kita harus memahami konteks musuh bagi orang Yahudi. Bagi orang Yahudi pada waktu itu yang disebut musuh adalah orang-orang diluar ras Yahudi. Orang yang diluar ras Yahudi mereka disebut orang kafir, orang yang tidak pantas diselamatkan. Mereka tidak boleh bergaul dengan orang non Yahudi…Yang dimaksud dengan sesame manusia adalah orang-orang Yahudi itu sendiri. Diluar Yahudi dianggap sebagai musuh mereka. (Imam 19:18)
Kenapa kita harus mengasihi musuh kita?
Yang pertama, Perintah dari Tuhan..
Mengasihi adalah sesuatu yang diajarkan dan diperintahkan oleh hukum Taurat dan juga Yesus yaitu mengasihi Tuhan dan sesama. KAsih kepada Tuhan dan kasih kepada sesame adalah sesuatu yang tidak dapat dipisahkan. Seseorang tidak dapat mengatakan bahwa dia mengasihi Tuhan namun dia tidak mengasihi sesame, demikian juga tidak mungkin orang mengatakan bahwa dia mengasihi sesama tetapi dia tidak mengasihi Tuhan.
Mungkin ada orang mengatakan, oh ada orang yang dapat mengasihi sesama tanpa harus dia mengasihi Tuhan. Tetapi kata “sesame” ini siapa dulu… dalam Alkitab tidak mengatakan bahwa yang dimaksud sesame manusia itu adalah hanya orang sesuku bangsa Israel (yahudi), tidak mengatakan sesame orang Kristen. Alkitab tidak mengatakan yang disebut sesame hanya saudara kandung kita, seayah, seibu. Alkitab juga tidak mengatakan yang disebut sesame adalah orang sesuku kita. Alkitab juga tidak mengatakan bahwa sesame kita hanyalah orang yang kita senangi… dekat dengan kita…tidak….. Alkitab tidak pernah membeda-bedakan, mengkotak-kotakan…siapa sesame kita. Lalu siapa yang membeda-bedakan…mengkotak-kotakan, manusia itu sendiri. Jadi yang disebut sesame manusia , termasuk didalamnya orang sering mengecewakan kita, orang berkhianat bagi kita..orang yang menjengkelkan kita, merugikan kita, membenci kita.
Kalau kita hanya mengasihi orang dekat dengan kita, orang yang mengasihi kita maka itu sesuatu yang biasa….Tuhan Yesus menyimpulkan seluruh hukum taurat dalam dua perintah-Nya..yaitu kasihilah sesamamu manusia dan kasih kepada Allah. Dua hal ini tidak dapat dipisahkan.
Mengasihi sesame adalah adalah suatu perintah yang harus ditaati. Ini adalah inti dari iman Kristen. Seluruh pengajaran baik didalam hukum Taurat dan pengajaran lain dalam Firman Tuhan terangkum dalam satu kalimat yaitu mengasihi Allah dan mengasihi sesame.
Saudara, jadi mentaati firman Tuhan itu simple. Hanya kita taat pada perintah Tuhan mengasihi sesame dan mengasihi Tuhan. Mungkin kita bertanya bagaimana dengan hukum-hukum yang lain. Seperti berzinah, mencuri, membunuh dlsb. Sdr. Kalau kita mengasihi Tuhan dan sesama, maka tidak mungkin kita membunuh, mencuri dan berzinah, mengingini harta milik orang lain.
Saudara, menjadi orang Kristen tidak ada istilah Kristen biasa-biasa atau Kristen luar biasa, tidak ada istilah Kristen taat dan Kristen biasa-biasa, kehidupan kekristenan harus utuh. Yang ada adalah orang Kristen dan bukan Kristen. Oleh sebab itu dalam ayat 48 dikatakan: Karena itu haruslah kamu sempurna, sama seperti bapamu yang di Surga sempurna.
Kata sempurna disini, memberi pengertian utuh, total, tidak ada yang kurang. Kata sempurna memberi pengertian taat terhadap semua perintah Allah dan Firman Tuhan. Tidak terpisah-pisah.. Kata sempurna disini saya bisa gambarkan seperti syaraf-syaraf diotak kita. Ada ribuan syaraf diotak manusia. Supaya tubuh kita sempurna maka tidak boleh ada satu syaraf walau yang paling kecil didalam otak kita putus atau koslet. Kalau ada maka tubuh kita tidak akan sempurna dan berfungsi dengan baik.
Satu saat ada satu dosen saya kena stroke, lalu dia menceritakan kepada kami kenapa tangannya sulit digerakan..menurut dokter waktu dia kena darah tinggi ada satu saja urat syaraf kecil di otak yang putus. Satu syaraf saja yang putus menyebabkan setengah dari tubuhnya tidak dapat digerakan. Lalu dia mengatakan walau stroke saya bersyukur karena bukan syaraf dipinggirnya yg putus atau koslet..kalau tidak saya tidak bisa mengajar lagi, dan pasti saya masuk di rumah sakit yang berbeda, dokternya pasti akan berbeda…bisa saja kalau syaraf yang lain putus dia akan masuk rumah sakit jiwa.
Menjadi orang Kristen, harus menjadi orang Kristen yang taat akan semua perintah Tuhan, karena perintah Tuhan utuh. Kita tidak bisa mengatakan bahwa saya hanya taat perintah Tuhan yang lain dan yang lain bisa melanggarnya. Demikian juga dengan perintah mengasihi musuh. Kita tidak dapat mengatakan “saya mengasihi sesama tetapi saya tidak dapat mengasihi musuh saya” Kalau demikian arti sesame kita berbeda dengan arti sesame yang dikatakan Firman Tuhan.
Saudara, pertama ; mengapa kita harus mengasihi musuh karena itu adalah perintah Tuhan, dimana kit harus mengasihi sesame kita, karena mereka patut dikasihi.
Kedua: Mengapa kita harus mengasihi musuh kita karena Standard moral dan etika anak Tuhan lebih tinggi dari orang-orang di luar Tuhan.
Kita perhatikan dalam Matius 5:46-47, dam Luk. 6:32-34 dikatakan “ bahwa semua orang dapat membalas kebaikan dengan kebaikan. Semua manusia dapat mengasihi orang yang mengasihi dirinya..
Apa yang Tuhan Yesus mau sampaikan kepada kita melalui firman Tuhan ini adalah mengenai suatu perbandingan antara standar moral kekristenan atau standar kerohanian orang percaya dengan orang non Kristen. Antara anak Tuhan dan bukan anak Tuhan, pengikut Yesus dan bukan pengikut Yesus. Sebagai orang percaya ada satu ukuran yang dipakai oleh Allah, ada satu standar yang dapat membedakan antara orang percaya dan belum percaya.
Perhatikan ayat 46-47 : Apabilah kamu mengasihi orang yang mengasihi kamu, apakah upahmu? Bukankah pemungut cukai juga berbuat demikian? Dan apabilah kamu hanya memberi salam kepada saudara-saudaramu saja, apakah lebihnya dari perbuatan orang lain? Bukankah orang yang tidak mengenal Allah pun berbuat demikian?
Saudara kita perhatikan kata “bukankah” dan kata “apakah lebihnya” …ini sesuatu yang sangat penting untuk kita renungkan. Kalau kita orang Kristen hanya dapat mengasihi orang yang mengasihi kita..itu hal yang biasa, karena semua orang pun melakukan hal yang sama , kalau kita hanya menyapa orang, menyalami orang yang dekat dengan kita…apa kelebihan kita dengan orang lain.
Seorang penulis Kristen bernama Alfred Plummer (1841–1926) pernah menulis: “To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine. To love as God loves is moral perfection." Plummer "Membalas kebaikan dengan kejahatan adalah tabiat Iblis; Membalas kebaikan dengan kebaikan adalah sesuatu yang manusiawi, sedang membalas kejahatan dengan kebaikan adalah sifat Ilahi.
Saudara, saya percaya bahwa kita setuju dengan apa yang disampaikan oleh Plummer. Yang pertama ; orang yang membalas kebaikan dengan kejahatan adalah tabiat Iblis…Namun suatu realita yang sering terjadi dalam kehidupan kita. Bukankah kita sering menemukan orang-orang seperti demikian. Kita sudah baik bagi dia, kita sudah banyak membantu dia, kita sudah banyak melakukan kebaikan bagi dia? Lalu apa yang dilakukan bagi kita? Dia membalas segala kebaikan kita dengan kejahatan. Pepatah mengatakan: Susu dibalas dengan air tubah.
Dan yang lebih aneh lagi, saya sering memperhatikan , seringkali yang melakukan hal demikian adalah orang-orang yang dekat dengan kita. Apakah rekan bisnis kita, saudara kita dlsb. Saya pernah mendengar sharing dari seorang teman.. dia menceritakan tentang orang kepercyaannya yang menghianati dia , orang ini sudah dianggap seperti saudara sendiri, semua keinginannya tidak pernah dia tidak turuti namun tidak disangka-sangka menusuk dari belakang, menjatuhkan orang ini.
Plummer mengatakan bahwa orang ini bukan memiliki sifat manusia tetapi sikap tabiat iblis. Kalau sudah demikian masih pantaskah kita mengasihi dia? Alkitab mengatakan kita harus tetap mengasihinya, kita harus berdoa baginya. Sulit..pasti sulit tetapi saya percaya Allah Roh Kudus berdiam didalam hati kita memampukan kita untuk mengasihinya. Tuhan Yesus menawarkan satu cara yang dapat kita lakukan untuk orang seperti demikian yaitu berdoa untuk mereka.
Mungkin ada diantara kita mengatakan; membalas kebaikan dan kejahatan hanya bisa terjadi di dunia bisnis atau dengan orang lain. Tidak mungkin terjadi didalam keluarga. Saudara didalam keluarga bisa saja terjadi, saya banyak mendengar ada suami istri sudah tinggal bersama, tetapi tidak mengasihi satu dengan yang lain, tidak ada keharmonisan, tidak saling pengertian satu dgn lain.
Kalau itu terjadi maka standard moral kita ada pada level yang paling rendah. Karena dengan orang yang dekat dengan kita saja , kita tidak mampu mengasihi dia, tetapi membencinya, bagaimana dengan orang yang tidak dekat dengan kita.
Sebenarnya itu yang dimaksud oleh Tuhan didalam Imamat 19:18 ‘ jangan Engkau menuntut balas dan menaruh dendam terhadap orang-orang sebangsamu, melainkan kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti dirimu sendiri. Akulah Tuhan. Ayat ini adalah ayat yang disalah tafsirkan oleh org Yahudi..bahwa sesame manusia itu hanya orang sesame Yahudi. Yang membutuhkan kasih hanya sesame mereka. Sebenarnya Tuhan hendak mengatakan disini, bahwa kalau terhadap sebangsamu kamu masih mendendam, memusuhi, bagaimana kamu bisa mengasihi dan tidak dendam terhadap bangsa diluar Israel.
Hal yang kedua; Kebaikan dibalas dengan kebaikan itu sudah lumrah. Sejahat-jahatnya penjahat ia juga bisa mengasihi orang yang mengasihi dia. Pemungut cukai yang paling serakah juga berbuat demikian. Tidak ada yang aneh. Itu suatu keharusan.
Saudara saya mengasihi istri saya, teman-teman saya, saudara seiman itu sesuatu keharusan, karena manusia pada umumnya demikian. Pertanyaannya; apa lebihnya kita dengan orang dunia pada umumnya?
Inilah yang Yesus mau tekankan bagi kita orang percaya..Jangan kita sekedar dapat mengasihi dan berbuat baik kepada orang yang baik bagi kita, lebih parah lagi jangan kita tidak dapat mengasihi orang yang mengasihi kita.
Saudara, kalau standar moral kita, hanya sampai mengasihi orang yang mengasihi kita, dekat dengan kita maka tidak ada perbedaan kita dengan orang lain, bahkan dengan orang yang jahat sekalipun.
Selanjutnya Tuhan Yesus memberi kita standar moral yang lebih tinggi, yang merupakan sifat Ilahi yaitu kita dapat mengasihi musuh kita. Inilah sifat Ilahi, inilah sesuatu standar etika dan moral yang diajarkan Yesus bagi kita. Yaitu saat orang memusuhi kita, kita tetap mengasihi mereka. Biarlah orang membenci kita, tetapi kita tetap dapat berdoa untuk mereka.
Mengapa kita harus mengasihi musuh kita dan berdoa untuk mereka? Karena kita adalah anak-anak Allah, kita bukan berasal dari dunia. Perkataan ini berulang-ulang disampaikan oleh Tuhan Yesus. Didalam pembacaan kita tadi baik dlm Matius maupun Lukas dikatakan engkau harus mengasihi musuh dan berdoa bagi mereka, demikianlah kamu disebut anak-anak Allah. Ini adalah standar moral dan etika orang percaya.
Saudara, saya tidak mengetahui standar moral kita sudah sampai dimana? Apakah masih pada tahap mengasihi orang yang kita kasihi, atau sudah pada tahap mengasihi orang yang membenci kita? Atau masih pada level tidak mampu mengasihi orang yang mengasihi kita.
Alkitab memberi kepada kita satu standard moral yang jelas yaitu kita harus sampai pada level dapat mengasihi orang yang membenci kita atau orang yang memusuhi kita. Kalau standar moral kita baru sampai mengasihi orang yang mengasihi kita. Maka kita perlu memohon Roh Kudus untuk memampukan kita untuk dapat mengasihi orang yang membenci kita.
Yang ketiga, Teladan Yesus Kristus
Saudara dalam ayat 45 dikatakan; Engkau harus mengasihi musuhmu dengan demikian kamu menjadi anak-anak Bapamu di Surga, yang menerbitkan matahari bagi orang jahat dan orang baik, menurunkan hujan bagi orang yang benar dan yang tidak benar.
Disini Tuhan Yesus mau mengatakan bahwa Allah bapa di surge telah memberikan teladan yaitu IA mengasihi orang yang baik dan yang tidak baik, yang benar atau tidak benar. Siapa orang yang tidak baik dan tidak benar itu?
Saudara, kalau kita merenungkan akan kehidupan kita sebagai orang percaya, sebelum kita percaya kepada Tuhan. Siapakah kita? Kita tidak lebih dari orang yang berdosa, kita tidak lebih dari musuh Allah, kita tidak lebih dari orang membenci Tuhan. Hanya oleh belas kasihan dari Tuhan kita bisa diterima dan dikasihi oleh Tuhan.
Tidak ada yang dapat kita banggakan diri kita, tidak ada satu kebaikan didalam diri kita yang membuat kita layak untuk dikasihi oleh Tuhan. Semata-mata hanya oleh anugerah Tuhan.
Saudara dalam Roma 5:8 dikatakan bahwa Kristus mati bagi kita ketika kita masih berdosa. Bukan setelah kita bertobat, Kristus mati buat kita. Tuhan sendiri telah memberi contoh dengan mati bagi musuh-musuh-Nya, yaitu kita, manusia berdosa. Kita musuh Tuhan? Ketika Adam dan Hawa jatuh dalam dosa, saat itulah kita telah menjadi musuh Tuhan. Saat itulah seluruh diri kita berontak tak mau mendekati Tuhan.
Sepanjang sejarah Perjanjian Lama kita membaca pengkhianatan umat manusia yang tak terhitung banyaknya terhadap Tuhan, sampai sekarang! Tapi Tuhan mau membalas kejahatan manusia itu dengan cinta kasih-Nya. Saudara, muungkin mudah bagi seorang untuk bersedia mati bagi orang benar, bagi orang yang dikasihinya. Namun tidak mudah bagi orang yang mau berkorban dan mau mati bagi orang yang membencinya dan memusuhinya.
Saudara, Tuhan Yesus sudah memberikan teladan bagi kita, yaitu dia mau mati bagi musuh-musuhnya, yaitu manusia yang berdosa. Inilah perwujudan kasih Allah yang tak terbatas bagi manusia. Dapatkah kita sekarang mewujudkan kasih Allah itu terhadap sesama kita?
Paulus dalam suratnya kepada jemaat di Korintus berkata bahwa di antara iman, pengharapan, dan kasih, yang terbesar adalah kasih? Dengan iman kita menerima Yesus; dengan pengharapan kita menantikan Dia, tetapi dengan kasih kita dapat menyatakan bahwa Tuhan telah hidup dalam hati kita.
Pertanyaannya sekarang adalah: Dapatkah kita mengasihi musuh-musuh kita, apalagi mendoakan mereka? Kalau Saudara bertanya pada diri Saudara sendiri, "Dapatkah saya dengan kemampuan saya sendiri mengampuni bahkan mengasihi musuh saya?" Jawabannya tentu tidak atau tidak mungkin. Lalu, bagaimana? Kita memang tak bisa mengampuni dan mengasihi dengan usaha kita sendiri, tetapi dalam Roma 5:5 dikatakan bahwa
"Kasih Allah telah dicurahkan di dalam hati kita oleh Roh Kudus yang telah dikaruniakan kepada kita."
Kalau kita begitu terbatas hingga tak dapat mengasihi musuh kita, gunakanlah kasih Allah yang telah dicurahkan bagi kita itu. Dengan rendah hati kita datang ke hadirat Tuhan, minta Dia membantu kita. Tuhan pasti mendengar doa kita.
Mungkin diantara kita berkata saya sudah berusaha, tapi tetap tidak bisa mengampuni musuh kita? Saya sulit untuk mengasihi orang yang membenci saya. Yang biasanya terjadi adalah bukannya kita tidak bisa, tetapi kita tidak mau. Kita tidak mau mencurahkan kasih Tuhan. Kita mau menyimpan sendiri kasih Tuhan. Dengan kata lain kita sama seperti perumpamaan Tuhan Yesus mengenai orang yang telah menerima pengampunan dari tuannya atas hutangnya yang begitu banyak tetapi dia tidak bisa mengampuni orang yang berhutang sedikit baginya.
Diakhir renungan saya hari ini, saya ingin menceritakan satu kisa nyata mengenai mengasihi dan menagmpuni musuh.
Seorang wanita berkulit hitam yang telah renta dengan perlahan bangkit berdiri di suatu ruang pengadilan di Afrika Selatan. Umurnya kira-kira 70, di wajahnya tergores penderitaan yang dialaminya bertahun-tahun. Di depan, di kursi terdakwa, duduk Mr. Van der Broek, ia telah dinyatakan bersalah telah membunuh anak laki-laki dan suami wanita itu.
Beberapa tahun yang lalu laki-laki itu datang ke rumah wanita itu. Ia mengambil anaknya, menembaknya dan membakar tubuhnya. Beberapa tahun kemudian, ia kembali lagi. Ia mengambil suaminya. Dua tahun wanita itu tidak tahu apa yang terjadi dengan suaminya. Kemudian, van der Broek kembali lagi dan mengajak wanita itu ke suatu tempat di tepi sungai. Ia melihat suaminya diikat dan disiksa. Dia memaksa suaminya berdiri di tumpukan kayu kering dan menyiramnya dengan bensin. Kata-kata terakhir yang didengarnya ketika ia disiram bensin adalah, “Bapa, ampunilah mereka.”
Belum lama berselang, Mr. Van den Broek ditangkap dan diadili. Ia dinyatakan bersalah, dan sekarang adalah saatnya untuk menentukan hukumannya. Ketika wanita itu berdiri, hakim bertanya, “Jadi, apa yang Anda inginkan? Apa yang harus dilakukan pengadilan terhadap orang ini yang secara brutal telah menghabisi keluarga Anda?”
Wanita itu menjawab, “Saya menginginkan tiga hal. Pertama, saya ingin dibawa ke tempat suami saya dibunuh dan saya akan mengumpulkan debunya untuk menguburkannya secara terhormat.” Setelah berhenti sejenak, ia melanjutkan, “Suami dan anak saya adalah satu-satunya keluarga saya. Oleh karena itu permintaan saya kedua adalah, saya ingin Mr. Van den Broek menjadi anak saya. Saya ingin dia datang dua kali sebulan ke ghetto (perumahan orang kulit hitam) dan melewatkan waktu sehari bersama saya hingga saya dapat mencurahkan padanya kasih yang masih ada dalam diri saya.”
“Dan, akhirnya,” ia berkata, “permintaan saya yang ketiga. Saya ingin Mr. Van den Broek tahu bahwa saya memberikan maaf bagi dia karena Yesus Kristus mati telah mengampuni saya. Begitu juga dengan permintaan terakhir suami saya. Oleh karena itu, bolehkah saya meminta seseorang membantu saya ke depan hingga saya dapat membawa Mr. Van den Broek ke dalam pelukan saya dan menunjukkan padanya bahwa dia benar-benar telah saya maafkan.”
Ketika petugas pengadilan membawa wanita tua itu ke depan, Mr. Van den Broek sangat terharu dengan apa yang didengarnya hingga pingsan. Kemudian, mereka yang berada di gedung pengadilan – teman, keluarga, dan tetangga berdiri dan bernyanyi "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. 'Twas blind, but now I see. (Anugerah yang ajaib, sungguh merdu suara yang telah menyelamatkan orang yang malang seperti saya. Saya pernah hilang, tetapi sekarang saya ditemukan. Saya pernah buta, tetapi sekarang saya melihat).“
Saudara, ini adalah suatu kisah nyata, artinya bahwa orang yang telah dijamah oleh Kristus, maka dia dimampukan oleh TUhan untuk dapat mengampuni dan mengasihi musuh.
Jadi pertanyaan terakhir yang harus kita pertanggungjawabkan di hadapan Tuhan adalah: Maukah saya membiarkan Tuhan memakai saya sebagai alat cinta kasih-Nya? Maukah saya mengampuni bahkan mengasihi musuh saya? Hari ini jikalau ada diantara kita masih ada dendam ada permusuhan dengan orang lain, baiklah saudara mengatakan kepada Tuhan; Tuhan Yesus, saya ingat kasih-Mu, saya mau coba mengasihi. Walau sulit, saya mau berdoa untuk mereka seperti doamu, ketika engkau dianiaya dan disalibkan oleh musuh-musuhmu, ampuni mereka sebab mereka tidak tahu apa yang mereka perbuat. Mampukanlah saya, Tuhan, mengasihi orang yang mengasihi saya terlebih lagi yang membenci dan dendam terhadap saya. Kiranya Tuhan memampukan saya mengasihi dan menjadi saluran berkat bagi banyak orang. Amin

Blessed are the Meek

Blessed are the meek
Senior Adult Sermons commission GKKB Pontianak August 1

Matthew 5:5
Brother, today we talked about gentleness. Gentleness is one single human character has been transformed by the Holy Spirit. At the time talked about gentleness, often times we either perceive or interpret the meek. I give an example:

Brother, there was one time I study my lecturer is Prof. Sahertian (late), the professor of this face was so grim, black skin, huge body, his voice was so heavy, even when he speaks of new students who first heard and saw certain fear and trembling. People concluded that he is a tough guy and not good enough.

But a look behind the physical form, behind assertiveness, behind all the subjective assessment of the external man, he really was a gentle, he has a heart of a father who was so kind and caring, someone who is so simple, a very populist with students and others. So he is very in love by many people and even students.

But the thing that contradicts the one who named Ryan, the butcher from Jombang who killed dozens of people, according to people close to him, Ryan was a "religious" one who teaches the Koran, gentle, speaking style is almost the same as women, rather quiet therefore, when he was arrested for killing dozens of people, many people who do not believe it. . Behind something physical or visible from the outside who seem meek but it turns out Ryan has a much different character from what is seen or assessed by human
My brother did not try to compare between the prof. Sahertian with Ryan, but What I want to say through this is that sometimes what we perceive or define one's own gentle.
• There is an opinion, if the meek are quiet, not talkative. And if they must speak, then half-whispered voice, speech that may somewhat feminine male.
• Others argued that it was a gentle person who was shy and did not like appearing in front.
• The person who else believes that the meek, it is people who never or can not be mad.
Today we will learn about what is called a gentle according to the Bible: In the Bible especially the New Testament described as a gentle word four times by using the word "praus": From this Praus words we find some sense of gentleness, or the person how I would call a weak soft?
1. The meek are a wise person
Brother, the word "praus" ... wisdom is identical with Aristotle, one of the great Greek philosopher, said that the "meek" is one of the virtues. The name of virtue according to Aristotle, always lies between two extremes. At one extreme is "too over-top." Meanwhile in the other extreme, are too low-low extremes. Be gentle ditengah-tengah/antara these two extremes.
Gentle is a balanced one human character. One character is the result of work of the Holy Spirit for the org believe. But thats not a meek who are always angry with uncontrolled or excessive anger, but also not someone who was never angry.
A meek are those who can put themselves in a balanced condition. He can be angry but always controlled kemarhannya gentle man who can upset but in the context of the right and the right conditions.
A gentle brother does not mean that person is never angry, but are the meek: he can control his anger, he knows when to be angry and when to refrain from anger.
All human beings are sinners, unable to free from what is called the anger, there are people who say, that we could write so much ban-ban for inidan or do not do it like we could write in our office, no smoking, littering prohibited but there is no writing on the wall prohibited office rage, including the office of Pastor. Although no written prohibitions do not get mad. Anger is natural for every human being but if the anger becomes our nature, or our habits, then it becomes a sin. Especially if people angry for no reason it is called a madman ..
Mr. Anger is not something contrary to the meek, but the opposite is when and where we're angry.
Jesus called a gentle, patient person but that does not mean he was never angry. Even once a very, very angry. He was angry with extortionists and fraudsters who trade in the Temple. He was angry with the Pharisees, because the hypocrisy, they make religion as an addition to the burden and joy to humans rather than the carrier. However, the Lord Jesus was not angry when she was treated unfairly, when the despised even persecuted.
Moses was a meek, but he was also angry when the Israelites did not obey the word of God, when the Israelites worshiped idols. But Moses was not angry when Aaron and Meriam insulting him when he took a wife of Kush.
People who are meek man of wisdom because he can put himself, in the conditions and circumstances. He could get angry if seeing untruth, but he can hold anger, he could speak with the words gentle but on the other hand when talking about the truth he can firmly and do not compromise.
Application: This is different from humans in general, when people are personally attacking us, insult us, we will be angry but when the truth abused, when I saw people living in sin and unrighteousness we do not upset even some compromise with sin ..
People who are meek man of wisdom because he can discern the truth and which is not one truth. He speaks with a gentle when taking important decisions, when faced with problems in his life he can handle it well. A gentle person who is assertive in taking decisions but full consideration.
One of the reasons why Musa called a gentle, because she is a wise in taking a decision, and he always surrender to God; such as when the Israelites faced with difficult conditions, when the chase by the pharaoh's army, the Israelites began to fear and grouse -grouse, but he can speak with calm, gentle but firm, he said: do not be afraid, stand up and see the salvation of the Lord, the Lord will fight for you and you will be silent. Similarly, when Aaron and Miriam spoke to him that is not good when he took a wife from Kush, Moses was not angry with them, and therefore the numbers say 12:3 Now Moses was a meek, more than any human on the face this earth.
Dear friends, the meek Strength lies in the wisdom and wise in the face of this life; have the wisdom to respond and react to the difficulties, challenges and even threats against him.
2. Gentle has the ability to control the self-understanding or being able to control myself.
We live in a society filled with violence and vulgarity. We live amongst the people who can not control themselves, and can not control themselves. Today we see people prefer to show that he, more powerful than others, more super than others, more powerful, more intelligent than other people etc..
This brother is no secret, we saw how our people's representatives in senayan, we see the people we work environment, how their attitudes when there is a difference of opinion, how they react when the people around us to make mistakes. Is there a gentle speaking, there are reprimanded with courtesy and patience ... do not .. that there are precisely most people just want to show the power of performance, showing off the grandeur and patted his chest, demonstrating that he better not try to polite and gentle, but said race and rude.
Brother, I've seen happen scratching between cars and motorcycles, a car carrying a mother, a father who brought the motor, I saw something so frightening, this mother her voice like thunder, so loud and out dirty words, these fathers also kala no sinister eyes staring like this mother would swallow him alive. Two-two considered correct, and attempt to justify ourselves. Video Clips
Sisters, consciously or unconsciously we also signed an era that marked the one with the progress of science and technology. Advances in technology ease life on the one hand and speed up a lot of business, double the strength of the hands and feet as well as the brain, but on the other hand, technology may also have contributed to make humans increasingly impatient, meek and humble of heart dealing with others. Accustomed to fast-paced and completely regular, mechanical and automatic, the slightest deviation can make our blood boil and ultimately encourages us to say and to be rude. My brother gave one example:
The word "praus", or gentle in your native language is usually used in the process of making tame wild animals. For instance a lion which was initially so evil and dangerous, then through the process praus, he would become too tame or other wild animals, to be a docile animal and he needs to process "praus" namely the process of taming, training and discipline, until finally becomes A good animal, obedient, and useful to mankind. Praus Through this process, nature, original nature, and these tendencies have been fully controlled animal! So, are the meek, was the one natural tendencies, the original nature destructive, evil nature of sin that tends to have undergone "transformation" and trained in such a way as to become good human beings who can control and master himself ..
Brothers are the meek are those who can master himself, who can rein in the mouth, heart and action. Brother of gentleness rather than talent or innateness. But gentleness is actually the result of work of the Holy Spirit or the fruit of the Holy Spirit to the believer. As the saying by the Apostle Paul to the Galatians, that one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness and self-mastery.
Dear friends, We are human beings who have fallen in sin, then by our own efforts, we are not able to control ourselves, our words and deeds. Even James (James 3:7) says one thing is very ironic, James says; man can tame wild animals, dangerous, but for small things in his own body he was unable to tame. Humans can be difficult to curb his tongue, and controlling his body. Therefore let us allow the Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts to control and rule our lives. Because only by RK strength enabled us to be able to control ourselves.
Brother, a gentle rather than a weak but he can control his words, his attitude. The meek does not mean he can not be angry, but anger is the anger of the controlled, where he knows where and when he should be angry.
Brother, probably in our life, we've seen how a wife yell at her husband in front of other people, a husband being rude to his wife in front of others. We saw a mother scolding and beating his son harshly. We see how a boss treats his subordinates with k the afternoon, yelling, scolding, cursing with words that do not deserve.
Brother, I'm sorry I ever saw there was a wife who said to her husband's rant, I know that he was angry, I know that her husband was wrong but whether he deserved scolding her husband in public.
Gentle closely connected with our self-mastery, a meek is a man who could overtake him. He is able to behave and act with care and precision.
3. The gentle person is a man of humility.
A gentle, he is a man of humility, he knew exactly who he is, what the pros and cons. Therefore, a gentle, when faced with life's success he will not be arrogant, haughty but she will not be able to receive a fair but when he was having trouble he would not have broken grindstones, disappointment and blame themselves.
Prof. Meadley; said that the meek one is a man who has a heart of steel, she can bend easily, but hard to be broken. Could cry, when temptations come, but never surrendering to sin, despair, let alone an apostate and leave the Lord ..
Gentle person is a man of humility, because he knows that he has weaknesses, limitations, because he knew that he was no more than a sinner who can be wrong and make mistakes. The Lord Jesus is never mad at people who hurt, who menfitnah him, even kill him, he even forgave those who treated improperly. But that's where the strength so that when someone does things that are not right for her she can respond correctly, when people make mistakes to him, he was able to forgive
What a blessing of the meek:
II. Thanks from someone who is meek inherit the earth
Dear friends, today's concept of human being, if someone who wants to inherit the earth, then he should be a ruler, or a person who has wealth. But the Lord Jesus said that people who inherit the earth instead of people who are not rich or powerful person, but a gentle.
Brothers, passing what Jesus said is contrary to natural law, because by Natural 'we have the strong view that people in power over this earth, gentle with the weak, the powerless, meek person must serve a strong is something even a gentle symbol of weakness and helplessness, but the Bible says differently is precisely the weak gentle with the earth.
Why are the meek shall inherit the earth? Because the meek man is a man of wisdom where he can control the attitude, the action in his life. Second, because the meek are those who can master himself; third person is a man of gentle humility.
The question is, what this third relationship by having the earth: a brother can be a powerful but if he is not wise, then he is not only respected but his reign will be a boomerang for him. A person can become a ruler in this world, tetapi if he could not control himself, then kewibawanya will be lost, he would not be a leader who noted there is no authoritative history of many of those who have power but no wisdom, can not control, and not humble, all he had been in vain.
Our friend knew several famous figures who have the power, such as Joseph Stalin, he was a ruler of Russia at the time, an incredibly wonderful but he's not enjoying his life in this world. He is always scared
Should not be afraid, for he is the mighty ruler of Russia. But unfortunately she can not enjoy what he has. Every day he's afraid to go to sleep. He has seven bedrooms are different. Each room can be locked and wearing an iron door. But every night he's always afraid, afraid murdered so that every night always move rooms. If he was a walk he always brought five cars limousine, and each car was given a closed curtain so no one knows where he is dimobil. Even in a book biography, written that to drink the tea / water she's not afraid of indiscriminate drinking poisoned. Stalin became the ruler of the earth "but failed to inherit the earth
Similarly, people like Howard Hughes, a very rich, as a 'master of the world "through his wealth, but actually he did not really have one. Hughes was a billionaire, but kecurigiaannya against people and paranoid about germs make him go to Mexico, and there he died like a gaunt ascetic with his beard until the belly and curly fingernails like a corkscrew tool. Hughes never became an inherited or inherit the earth, because she lives in fear grip!
Different sisters, mother Teresa, who did not have the power and wealth but life traversed with joy, his life giving inspiration for many people, he can enjoy life, because she knew her purpose in this world. He called a meek inheriting the earth.
Dear friends, the meek, not weak people but people who have enormous power because the person who is gentle man of wisdom, someone who could overtake him and those who are humble. Gentle person is one who is favored by many people, because character is good. Even his life will be fulfilled by the joy and peace.
Let us be a meek, for only the meek may inherit the earth alone is this. May the Lord bless us. Amen

Miskin dihadapan Allah

Blessed are the poor in front of GOD
MATHEW 5:3

by. Ev. Beni Samuel Regoh

Dear friends, during these few months we will discuss about the Sermon on the Mount in particular beatitude. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount can be considered as the core of all teaching of the Lord Jesus. Sermons on the hill is a great sermon, great, TTP is also a controversial sermon. There are people who say that this is an ideal teaching something that can not be done by humans.
Because of what Jesus said in the face of very difficult to do by men, and in contrast to real human conditions such as in the beatitude, blessed are the poor, how could the poor are blessed, blessed are the persecuted, how could people who were persecuted happy. If you give your left cheek slap your right cheek, our understanding, if someone slaps us then we should return at least slap on the cheek.
What does it say Jesus is not only confusing us at the moment, but for Jews at that time. Because the law says that law an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, life changing lives. But Jesus says the opposite. That is not to repay evil with evil, love your enemies and pray for them to hate you.
But the brother of a beautiful and regal this is the teaching of Jesus, this is what distinguishes between the teachings of other religions with the teachings of Christianity. Sermon on the Mount is not something that is difficult to apply, but in applying the Mount sermon, we need the help and grace of God, so we are enabled to apply it. Without God we are not able to apply the Sermon on the Mount is in our lives.
Brother today we discuss the first beatitude is blessed are the poor before God for theirs is the kingdom of surge.
There are some keywords that we learned from this section;
First: The word "happy" is derived from the word Makarios, which means Blessed, or "joy." It is interesting here that Jesus correlate between happiness and poverty. We understand happiness is synonymous with wealth, with all its needs fulfilled, happiness was synonymous with safety, but Jesus said that a person's happiness or joy, thanks to the presence of God when people are poor.
What is meant by the Lord Jesus with this? The word happy is more menujuk to joy in one's life. For Jesus, true happiness lies not in something that comes out of ourselves dai or outward, but because of the work of God in Christ is given to him.
Why did Jesus talk about happiness or blessing in his teaching?
Because, basically, that happiness is a fundamental or essential rights of every person. Every man in this world miss what is called happiness. Everyone was trying to reach or find happiness. But if we're honest, not everyone can feel and enjoy the happiness in her life. There are many rich people in this world, there are many smart people in this world, there are many families who seem happier outside but next to it suffered. Why? Because they do not have true happiness. So anything they try to create happiness in their lives they still can not find happiness.
Happiness is in fact only those who truly live in God. So that poverty is no excuse to not be able to enjoy happiness. Precisely in poverty, Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."

Said the second: the word "Poor"
There were two words "poor" in the Greek New Testament, namely: "πενης - penês" and "πτωχος - ptôkhos".
πενης - penês mean poor so that the daily income to eat out daily. As though poor people but not too poor, (used on poor widows) because he was still there and still eat income. Poor people like this a lot and I included, which discharged a month salary a month, sometimes have to eat some of the savings or term partner (MANTAB = ate savings in the Indonesian language)
While word-ptôkhoi πτωχοι, plural of "πτωχος - ptôkhos" means those who live by begging alms. A so-called ptokhos, then that person is not just poor but very, very poor. Even poorer than beggars at traffic lights in Pontianak. If a beggar in Pontianak, I've seen with this there is still a gold necklace, the food is still ok, even still able to buy cigarettes or could still say he's poor "penes". That means their income is still enough for a meal a day, but is a ptokhos is to eat only once a day is difficult. The person who called pthokos is very poor and if not then he will mati.Atau helped in other words life is very dependent on others. His life depends on the mercy of others.
The word used by Jesus in the Sermon the Mount, but this is not Penes Ptokhos; is a very, very poor.
The Lord Jesus said blessed are those who very, very poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Did Jesus want to say here that in order to obtain the kingdom of surge person must be poor first? Or whether Jesus would katakana that to get happiness one must be poor first? Not as such, although in other parts of the Lord Jesus who said that the rich always difficult to enter the kingdom of surge, but Jesus did not intend that to have penah surge seseornag kingdom must be a materially poor ..
The word "πτωχος - ptôkhos" was used by Matthew has a spiritual meaning to those who are spiritually poor. Why are not people who are spiritually rich who have the kingdom of heaven?
Why are the poor (spiritually) before God called the people happy and have the kingdom of God?
1. Hungry and Thirsty for the truth of God's Word
Brothers in the book of Psalms, the psalmist always correlate between happiness with life in the light of God's word. A person who is happy is a man who is always there in light of the psalmist says God told my heart hunger for your Word, like a deer longing for water my heart so long for the word of God.
Happy people are those who always feel thirsty for the Word of God in his life. So he must continue to seek and obtain God's Word. This is the people who are poor before God.
Brother, someone will not grow in faith in God if he did not have a heart thirsty for God's word. But a growing is a man who would seek and continue to want to learn the word of God.
Brothers, said ptokhos is poor or poor people who always expect petolongan others to life, so with the poor in spirit, he feels that he can not live and walk in a world without the guidance of the word God in this world.
Therefore, he continued to feel hungry for the word of God, he felt that he could not live without the word of God. He always felt hungry and thirsty to be filled by the word of God.
Have you felt very, very hungry or thirsty? Of course, we never feel hungry and thirsty, but feeling hungry and thirsty we probably because there are many who work will be done, therefore we postpone the time we eat, but the food is there if not at home, we can buy. But the brothers ever feel hungry, but nobody wants to eat, and also no money to buy food ... this is an extraordinary suffering. This is a picture of someone who called ptochos ...
Therefore, first; people bagaiamana called the poor man before God? Poor people before God are those who hunger and thirst for the word of God.
Thus, the word poor here will emphasize the spiritual aspects of human needs.
Humans are not just made up things carnal but spiritual. Humans do not just take things that are physical but also the things that are spiritual or spiritual. Man can only be physically healthy but it may be spiritually sick. Spiritually sick would be more harmful than physically ill. If people feel that physical pain is only yourself, but people who are spiritually ill will affect his relationship with God and also with sesame.
Brother. We may not experience bodily satisfaction but not to the spiritual needs not being met because if the spiritual needs not met then he will have trouble in his life. People who are spiritually satisfied with himself he will experience an carnal satisfaction.
How to meet our spiritual needs? There is no other way than we have to live in the light of Your Word.
The second is how the people who called the poor man before God?
2. Hoping and relying entirely only to God
Brothers, said poor (ptokhos) is very poor, so that his whole life at the mercy of others. He will die, if not helped others. Contemporary Bahasa Indonesia it is written: "Who Depend on Him only."
Said poor (ptokhos) was also used to Lazarus in Luke Luk.16: 22, which states how poor Lazarus itself, so for her life depends on the food that fell from the tables of the rich. But one thing happened after the two-contrast two dead Lazarus, the poor enjoy the happiness, while the rich have suffered.
Dear friends, This is a picture of poverty before God? Poor people who before God are those who always depend on God. Therefore, people who are poor before God, to those who always hoped to God, he will feel that he can not do anything without God's help himself. So he's always hope and rely on God.
Application: If the story is still depend on ourselves, or our wealth, then we are not poor dihadapn someone that God is still there that we rely on in our lives, someone that we are not poor before God.
A poor before God, just like a small child can not live without the help of their parents or someone else, so it was Jesus illustrates that the true faith as the faith of a child, other than innocence and honesty, but also dependence on others.
People who are poor before God is a person who has a dependency with God, just like the twigs of the vine (John 15) can not be separated by a branch of the vine, he would die if separated as well as the poor man before God. There are a lot of people are physically but his life is fulfilled spiritual needs are not fulfilled,
Allah willed the poor man before him, rather than poor in humans. Poor in spirit we will be actually directed to the needs and our dependence on God. Both in terms of physical and spiritual matters.
Applications: How to test the dependency of a person to God? To know that we depend and beharap to God not when we are having difficulty, or challenge, but when our lives better ... If you have difficulties, we are automatically going to depend on God. But what if our life was safe berkecukapan, do we depend and beharap to God?
Mr. People who are poor before God are those relying entirely to God.
3. Before God humbly
Sdr.tidak there are arrogant people who are poor, there is no shortage of people or a beggar who arrogantly. Why? because they realize that they need the mercy of others. So we can conclude that the poor people is normally a low heart. In the old translations of the Bible translate the blessed are low heart ....
Why would people be happy and humbled to have the kingdom called surge? Because humility is the beginning of repentance someone. Someone who thinks he's great, decent people who really are not worthy before God. People who feel capable and powerful it would be difficult to admit that he is a sinner, repent and believe in God.
Paul, before he met Jesus he's a tough, one who will not humble himself, but he beat him, and finally with the humility he recognizes Jesus, and offered his life to God.
The Psalmist says; offerings that are pleasing to God is a broken heart, and crushed, hearts who feel unworthy before God, before God's propriety.
Brothers, at one time Jesus' disciples came to Jesus and asked about who the biggest adalam kingdom of heaven? He responded by placing a child in their midst and said, "Whoever wants to be big so he must humble himself and become like little children."
Jim Colins a best-selling business book author, he conducted research on companies-companies whose ordinary initially and eventually become a large company, he found that these enterprises can thrive due to company leaders in his company is using two characteristics that Humility personal and professional will. Combination of these two things is something that paradox. Because we often hear that it is very difficult to combine professionalism and humility. However, the study of Collins is an incredible combination of professionalism and humility to produce a remarkable result. Company-the company has developed amazingly.
What was stated Jim Collins, in his book to make us stunned .. Why not? Secular business leaders to adopt a humility that is the biblical ideas (though they do not realize that idea comes from the Bible), while Christian leaders / org instead meninggalkn christian biblical thing. So businesses increasingly biblical, God's people increasingly secular. Even if you're honest, many of the churches to apply and incorporate these things into the secular church of the biblical thing. Teaching can be biblical, but the application of secular. For example, the leadership in the church applied to such companies, emphasizing the professionalism of the work, mungin was good, but in running it is not accompanied by a personal Humility (depression personal care) but to the authoritarian system.
No longer apply the values of service in the church, the values of love even further away from the church. There are certain churches who treats his servants as employees, you are on a paid, then you should be submissive and obedient. Therefore, as God's servants so there began my reckoning on a paid just like this yes I serve as the pay. If the church like this is very dangerous. If a servant of God like this is very dangerous.
Mr. Monday ago we were on vacation to the beach, staying misconstrued one hotel, inn, I saw how their service to us, it's very unusual. That's the business world, in the church do? Is the concept still exists or not in church?
Pondering what Jim Collins said this, I thought about what was said by the Lord Jesus that became a major in the kingdom of heaven, it must be a condition of humility.
Why are the poor before God is a humble person, because only with humility enabled us can come to God, the Bible says God is very pleased with the humble people but God hates pride and arrogance.
What is humility? Humility is that we understand ourselves in a proper position before God. A humble is not a man who says that he does not have any skills and are unable to do anything (because it means insulting God the creator), but a man who says that all of his ability comes from God and he was able to do something because God enabled. Even without God, he was not nothing.
Therefore, God calls us to memilliki humility before Him, and acknowledge our powerlessness before God, and need God in our lives;
The things we need in our lives? First, we need God to free us from sin and saved us. Secondly, we are not able to live our lives without God's day.
Conclusion:
Dear friends, only people who truly realize that she is poor before God, who is entitled to the kingdom of heaven and obtain true happiness. Therefore we have to do things is that we must continue to feel poor before God, that we must always thirsty for the word of God, depending on the total life to God and to live humbly before God. Amen

The False Repentance

Sermons on the Christian Church of West Kalimantan (Adult Associate)
THE FALSE REPENTANCE
Hosea 5:15-6:6
Preliminary
Brother, several years ago I often serve in prison. There was one prisoner who had looked earnestly repent. At the time of worship he always testified, after services he was always talking to me and seemed already converted. I am very impressed with what is presented and briefly I think he has repented sincerely.
Therefore are close to me, I visited his parents. From her mother I know who this person really is. It turned out that her son was very unusual evil. This child is very, very hostile towards her mother, if she asks something of her mother and her mother was not granted he did not hesitate to beat and abuse his mother, even her daddy had died by the Due behavior. Therefore, none of his brother who recognizes him as a brother, by being so evil as this guy.
Year 2005 if not mistaken he was free, when he was free to visit me several times never met, his mama always katakana he always not at home he was returned to a long life. Look he is a person has repented, but actually he has not repented at all.
Three months after he was free to people to find him in the river in a state of dead cow. His death is not clear why, whether in a hit-run death or taxable. Conversion does not mean it.
This person has no genuine repentance, but repentance seems sesu ngguhnya, his conversion only to the extent the mouth alone. Which is called a false repentance.
Brothers, in our lives as believers God wants the genuine repentance. Repentance in the native language has a different meaning, ie, turned one hundred eighty degrees. So when people say he repents, he will not see mmebelakangi sin and will sin again. But the brother of the fact that many people turn over not just turn around 180 degrees but 360 degrees means back position to the beginning. Another meaning is sorry, where a person came to God with a broken heart, he felt unworthy and he will not repeat what has been done.
Examples: David, when he committed adultery, and was rebuked by the prophet Nathan, he came to God with confession and a broken heart with all the remorse he came to the Lord. He came not just heart broken and crying with great regret, but inside there is a commitment to repentance will not repeat the same falling into sin.
In Psalm 51 so obviously he's sorry and suungguh really repents, she not only regret but he also turned away from sin.
God wants, when we truly repent our sins and put the old life to God and start a new life. In repentance there is a commitment to live in truth and must be held to that commitment seriously. God does not want dipermainan, God wanted when we repent, not because it is influenced by factors outside ourselves, but must come from the hearts and our lives. Like David.
Repentance must be based on the awareness that what we are doing is something that is hated by God.
Brothers, in our reading we had seen how God reveals God's disappointment towards his people who will not repent (5:15) so God told me I would place my home until they plead guilty from seeking face-KU. In the constriction they miss me.
This verse speaks about God letting and leave his people, for the time while waiting for them to repent, confess their guilt and seek God. God is described here as a father who was so annoyed and began to grind down with their children who dropped out did not hear the advice and didikannya. So that the father was as if to let what will be his children.
(We also often Thus, if the mentor had annoyed our children and they are not heard, usually God seemed to leave them with their desires until one time they realize what they did was wrong and they need God.
How is God's way of bringing people to confess that they are really guilty and need God. God used difficulties and tightness in their lives so they turned to God.
This is one way of God in a practical and effective way to bring the nation of Israel and of mankind dating back to the Lord and recognize the power of God. Because humans have a tendency not to repent if only in preaching. Therefore the prophets who called for repentance ignored them, they do not want to hear, that they want to hear is the false prophets who deliver things that are pleasant to their ears, but the prophets who rebuked the sins they did not listen so God must constriction and difficulty to use to bring them back to God.
Dear friends, as long as I serve God, I ponder a lot about the ways of God brings a sinner to God. Sometimes God mermakai way too young to get people to come and believe in God, for instance when he saw the testimony of Christian life he immediately converted to believe God. But there are many years in prayer in the gospel do not want to believe, believe in God.
Some people seem unlikely to believe in God and repent, but the seconds would die can not believe Tuhan.percaya Someone once heard a sermon can believe in God and repent, but have repeatedly heard the sermon does not repent-repent. There are people who are invited by a good to believe in God and repent from sin, not willing to repent-repent even God had to hit her repeatedly until the new trust God.
Brother, for God's people at that time, God used the method by allowing them to face the difficulties and look how God has worked, in verses 1-3, where they called for an invitation to repent and know God. "Let us turn to the Lord '" let us know and trying to truly know God.
This is an invitation to all God's people to repent and turn to God, this is something that looks good, but does this guarantee that they will repent sincerely. Apparently not?
There described in paragraph 4 of their repentance, is the apparent repentance, repentance is temporary. They really do not repent sincerely. Repentance is only limited to their mouth, or only briefly and did not last long. It is unclear to what God katakana "love setiamu like morning mist.
Dear friends, never saw the fog, the fog here is not the fog of smoke, haze like if Pontiac could survive a week in two weeks, there was no rain during the fog persists. But the word of God says this is actually fog. As the fog dipuncak, fog only appears briefly in the morning after that when the sun, the fog will disappear. Thus Allah compares the repentance of God's people at that time. Their repentance is false, only briefly and did not last long.
Why God's people at that time did not experience a genuine repentance:
1. Repentance does not come from the heart that truly know the Lord (1-3)
Brothers in verses 1-3, we know, what cause they did not repent in earnest? The reason is that per bertobatan they do not come from their hearts, and not because they recognize and be aware of the power and greatness of God.
Not because they are the true recognition of God, not because it was his own personal God, not because God is worthy of praise and glory but because God is the source of blessing and help in their lives.
Dear friends, we need to understand is no difference between repentance for God to be released from trouble, OR repentance because so blessed by God with repentance because really know God.
Civil note the reasons they repent in verse 1-3? Why did they repent, because they know God is punishing them when they repent and God will heal them. They know that the God who beat them and when they repent God will restore them, God will turn on them.
Here we can see, what was the motivation they repent? Or in other words, why should they repent? Their motivation is that they are exempt from difficulties, and constriction of their lives.
Brother, some time ago I saw on TV someone arrested for stealing, beating the police, he said .... Boy, I repent not be stealing ... try again if released he would repeat his actions again. He said reconciliation was beaten and tortured so that no police anymore.
When we repent of motivation because of things like this, then I believe our repentance is not repentance seriously, and will not last long. When the safe return of our lives is not a problem for sure we will get back to the old life.
Brother, there's an old, sick and stroke, one time I served the Lord's Supper house. Finish the eucharist we talk to each other. Then he said this; pack I had for so long in the baptismal, koq pain I do not heal? He said after being baptized will be healed because God Almighty ... .. hear the words of this old man I was shocked. Then I asked who's to say like that? Turns out there was a visiting church members homes and asked him to be baptized with frill when he was baptized he will recover.
When I say that it is wrong and wrong, he looked so disappointed, praise the Lord through constant guidance he would understand and he served until he died in the Lord MIH.
Brother, why in the KKR-KKR so many people who mengancungkan hand but who can survive in the church and worship on a regular basis just a little? Why are there many people who baptized our church but the long-kelaman out of circulation?
It all happened because of their repentance from the heart not really know God. His conversion on the basis of external factors, whether in order to be cured by ill health, in order to experience a change in the economy, because of economic difficulty and say believe and come to church with hope God will bless and will recover its economic life. There are even being baptized in order to wed in church.
Sisters, repentance must begin from a broken heart and broken before God, through the awareness of who we are before God? Repentance is really about all aspects of our lives. Repentance must begin from our hearts and minds.
Some people just turn up minds, he repented to the logic but not to the hearts. There are those who repent based on feelings or liver is also not true. There's worse where there are people repent only to the mouth. Having carried out to speak to God again.
Brother why God's people, not experience serious repentance? Because of their repentance does not come from the heart and the true knowledge of God, so that their conversion did not last long.
2. Repentance is the National
Brother, God's people at a time when they face disaster and divine punishment, they realize that what they experienced, everything happened because of their lack of obedience to God.
Therefore, they asked all of God's people to call for repentance so that they can be free from disaster and divine punishment. They realize that just turned around and called for repentance they will be free. But the national character of their repentance is a repentance that is planned and conducted jointly with the crowd, nationally, and en masse, all those who are in a country.
Brother, how it is often done by the nation of Israel was not only time but when THEY have kind of disaster, both diseases, natural disasters, famine, and so forth. This calls for repentance usually commanded by a king or a prophet or a priest and would not want the whole nation will go and come to God, they mourned and wept before God. Then God banish all sorts of disasters that befall them. But what happened? not so long, they sin again namely by rejecting God, and they even worship idols!
Why is this so? Because of their repentance is repentance en masse, repentance is "to-do" with the entire nation and society. This repentance is a repentance that is not effective, why is that? Because the national repentance, not the case in private meetings between the sinner with God. They only come to God together, cry together, but no personal perjumpaam. They cry because of the suffering they experienced and not because of their sins in private to be recognized and altered personal secaa! So not surprisingly, they easily fall into sin again.
Civil repentance of one's personal concerns, not just a proclamation that we will repent. It's about our personal repentance to God. Therefore, when a person repents, not necessarily known by the crowd, but he must finish before the Lord. Because it involves personal with God.
3. While Repentance
While repentance is a form of repentance is not really well. This repentance occurs only up to the level "Regret" only. People who do not necessarily regret it repent; no regrets even if in repentance, but repentance is not necessarily representative.
Sorry it only recognizes that his actions are not true, even if done with an attitude of regret that cry, that attitude was disappointed and asked why I was doing! But only to the extent that's all.
Regret is never done with a truly heart broken before God. The repentant heart and mind to realize that his behavior was really mendukacitakan heart of God and then ask for strength in God to truly change.
The Lord Jesus gave the parable of the Sower, there are seeds that fell by the roadside. The seed was grown and then crushed by the stones, and eventually die. Mat. 13:20,21. The picture described by the Lord Jesus as someone who heard the Word of God, they repented but once in her life face challenges, difficulties either at work or in your family, then that person deviates, even leaving the right path. That is what is called the Repentance meantime.
Meanwhile repentance happens only to someone on the level of regret. And those who regret was not necessarily repent, because after he returned to regret the old life again. When reminded, he was sorry again and then do it again. Because it is in him has not repented!
Concrete examples in the Bible, for example in the OT was the Pharaoh - many times he seems to repent and believe in God, but basically he did not repent, and finally die in the middle of the Red Sea; Saul seems to repent but actually that is not only regretting his behavior right, where he finally came to a shaman at Endor. In the New Testament example occurred in Judas Iscariot.
Brother, What about repentance we are today, whether our repentance or regret only to the extent we truly repent. Dear friends, God wants us to experience genuine repentance or truly repent.
Lastly, what is True Repentance "(Conversis Actualis Prima).
True repentance, occurs in the personal encounter between God and men in private. Where we truly meet the Lord Jesus personally, we acknowledge ourselves as sinners, and impossible to save themselves in any way.
So we ask that the Lord Jesus into the hearts and lives and then we truly obedient to the Lord Jesus. We accept the Lord Jesus as Lord and personal Savior.
Repentance is not because of the people or me-too many people, but personally we meet the Lord Jesus and He is our melahirbarukan (Yoh.3: 3). And after that we really have a new life, a life that runs according to the Word of God, and truly God-fearing. Pikriannya, feelings and behavior change. Her life was not in vain, but able to spend the fruits of the Holy Spirit, goodness, truth, purity, patience, peace, love, and so forth.
Brother there are several people in the Bible who actually experienced repentance setlah met with Jesus: For example like Zacchaeus. Luke noted. "But Zacchaeus stood and said to God:" Lord, half of mine I would give to the poor and a presumably there's something squeezed from a person will return it fourfold. " Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has happened to this house, because people even this son of Abraham. (Luke 19:8,9). So it is with repentance Woman of Samaria (John 4:29,39); conversion of the eunuch from Ethiopia (Acts 8:30) and The Conversion of Paul (Acts 9:5). This is called true repentance.
Jesus said, if there is someone who truly repent, then there is great joy in heaven over one repentant person. The question we need gumulkan together is, the extent to which our true repentance? Are we already in a susungguhnya repentance?
If we are in real repentance, let us live our lives with God-fearing, obedient to His will and leadership and we really become a role model in our lives, whether in family or at work.
Amen

Tak Kenal Tak sayang

TAK KENAL TAK DISAYANG
(Hosea 4)
Khotbah Dewasa Madya

Pendahuluan
Kita sering mendengar satu pepatah yang mengatakan “ tak kenal tak disayang” pepata ini sebenarnya, mau menjelaskan betapa pentingnya pengenalan kita akan seseorang. Pepatah ini juga mau menjelaskan pengenalan akan seseorang adalah satu dasar untuk membangun suatu relasi dengan orang lain. Satu hubungan yang normal harus dimulai dengan satu pengenalan. Apakah hubungan dengan rekan kerja, apakah dengan suami, istri, rekan sepelayanan, rekan kerja, maka semua harus diawali dengan suatu pengenalan. Kalau seseorang tidak saling mengenal maka akan sulit untuk membangun suatu relasi

Saudara, apa jadinya jikalau kita hidup sebagai suami istri tetapi tidak saling mengenal, apa jadinya jikalau orang tua tidak mengenal anak-anaknya, apa jadinya kita kerjasama bisnis dengan seseorang yang kita tidak kenal. Oleh sebab itu pengenalan itu sesuatu yang sangat penting.

Oleh sebab itu dalam konseling pranikah, ketika ada pasangan muda mudi yang mau menikah dan datang kepada saya, saya selalu bertanya; satu pertanyaan, apakah anda mengenal dia dengan baik, sudah berapa lama anda mengenal dia? Sudah berapa jauh anda mengenal dia? Saya tidak bertanya apakah kalian saling mencintai?

Mengapa saya tidak bertanya apakah anda saling mencintai atau mengasihi? Karena sebenarnya dasar seorang mengasihi dan mencintai itu adalah pada pengenalan. Kalau orang mengasihi seseorang tanpa mengenal pribadi orang dicintai , itu yang disebut cinta buta. Seharusnya orang sebelum ia mengasihi, ia harus mengenal. Karena pengenalan kepada seseorang menjadi dasar, kelevel selanjutnya yaitu saling mencintai, dan akhirnya memutuskan untuk membangun keluarga.

Saudara sangat berbahaya bagi seseorang jikalau seseorang memutuskan untuk menikah tanpa dia mengenal terlebih dahulu orang menjadi calon suami atau istrinya. Untuk bisa mengenal seseorang itu butuh proses, oleh sebab itu kalau seseorang mengatakan mengenal seseorang ketika ketemu di bis, sama-sama satu bis, atau satu pesawat setelah itu besok ngajak nikah, jelas orang itu tidak mengenal satu sama lain. Atau waktu ketemu dihalte bis, langsung jatuh cinta besok menikah...kalau demikian apa saling mengenal tentunya tidak saling mengenal.
Kalau tidak saling mengenal satu dengan yang lain, bagaimana nantinya kehidupan rumah tangga mereka, pasti akan kacau.

Saudara, dalam hubungan dengan Tuhan, maka yang harusnya terlebih dahulu ada dalam diri kita yaitu mengenal Tuhan, baru setelah mengasihi dia dan selanjutnya kita melayani dia. Jangan terbalik melayani Tuhan baru mengasihi atau mengasihi Tuhan baru mengenal Tuhan, mana mungkin kita dapat mengasihi dan melayani orang yang kita tidak kenal...

Oleh sebab itu yang menjadi dasar akan hubungan kita dengan Allah, adalah pengenalan akan Allah. Kita tidak dapat mengasihi kalau kita tidak mengenal Allah, kita tidak dapat melayani Tuhan kalau kita tidak mengenal Allah.

Sdr. Yang menjadi dasar utama untuk kita mengasihi Allah adalah pada pengenalan kita kepada Allah. Yang menjadi dasar kita melayani Tuhan ada pengenalan akan Allah. Bahkan yang menjadi ukuran keintiman kita dengan Allah ada pada pengenalan kita akan Allah.

Oleh sebab itu bagian firman Tuhan yang baru kita baca Allah, memberitahukan dengan tegas apa yang menjadi menjadi penyebab hancurnya bangsa Israel dan juga bangsa Yehuda. Apa yang menyebabkan moralitas dan kehidupan bangsa Israel menjadi rusak? Apa yang menyebabkan mereka menjadi penyembah berhala? Apa yang menyebabkan melakukan perzinahan rohani. Apa yang menyebabkan para imam-iman yang bekerja di bait Allah melakukan penyelwengan? Apa yang menyebabkan hubungan Tuhan dan umatnya hancur?

Saudara, dari firman Tuhan kita baca secara khusus; Hosea 4:6 ”umatku binasa karena tidak mengenal Allah”

Apa yang dimaksud dengan pengenalan kepada Allah:

I. Apa pengenalan akan Allah
Kata mengenal dalam Alkitab dalam bahasa Ibrani memakai kata da’at (pengenalan atau pengetahuan) yang berarti melihat dengan matanya sendiri untuk memperoleh ide atau pengalaman dan hubungan pribadi yang mendalam.

Jadi pengenalan atau pengetahuan didalam Alkitab berbeda pengenalan didalam bahasa indonesia, pengenalan didalam Alkitab lebih menekankan kepada hubungan seseorang dan menghasilkan suatu hubungan yang sangat intim. Jadi pengenalan akan Allah berbeda dengan tahu tentang Allah, mengenal artinya memiliki kedekatan, memiliki hubungan yang baik.
Mengenal Allah tidak sama dengan tahu akan Allah. Bnayak orang tahu tentang Allah tetapi tidak mengenal Allah. Orang tidak beragama juga tahu ada Allah tetapi mereka tidak mengenal Allah. Saudara, sama halnya dengan hubungan kita dengan orang lain, kita tah seseorang belum tentu kita mengena orang tersebut. Kita bisa mengetahui tentang seseorang melalui kita melihat autobiografinya, melihat riwayat pendidikannya, dan semacamnya. Saudara, sama dengan saya tanya tahu siapa presiden Amerika saat ini, pasti semua orang tahu, tetapi pasti kita tidak mengenal dia.
Saudara didalam pengenalan ada relasi, ada hubungan, ada kepercayaan. Demikian juga dengan mengenal Allah, banyak orang mengetahui ada Allah tetapi tidak mengenal Allah itu sendiri. Dalam pengenalan akan Allah, ada hubungan yang intim dengan Allah, ada penyerahan diri pada Allah. Tetapi mengetahui Allah hanya sebatas satu pengetahuan.
Mengapa kita harus mengenal Allah
Saudara, firman Tuhan mengatakan bahwa ”umat-Ku binasa karena tidak mengenal Allah. Allah menginginkan manusia tidak sekedar tahu Tuhan, tetapi manusia harus mengenal Allah yang benar, Allah yang mencipta langit dan segala isinya. Mengapa manusia harus mengenal Allah:

I. Agar manusia mengetahui kehendak Allah didalam hidupnya
Bangsa israel mengalami satu kondisi kemerosotan rohani dan moral didalam iman mereka kepada Tuhan. Saudara dalam psl 4:1 dikatakan; Tuhan mempunyai perkara dengan penduduk negri ini, sebab tidak ada kesetiaan, tidak ada kasih dan tidak ada pengenalan akan Allah di negri ini.
Apa dampak tidak mengenal Allah; mereka tidak mengetahui apa yang menjadi kehendak Allah, sehingga mereka hidup sesuka mereka, mereka hidup seperti tidak memiliki Allah. Sehingga kita melihat didalam ayat 2-3, Allah menunjukan dosa-dosa mereka, dimana mereka suka mengutuk, berbohong, membunuh, mencuri, berzinah, melakukan kekerasan dan penumpahan darah. Apa yang menjadi penyebab bangsa Israel melakukan hal itu semua, karena mereka tidak memiliki pengenalan Allah yang benar. Mereka tidak merasa bahwa apa yang mereka lakukan itu, sesuatu yang menjadikan Allah murka, sesuatu yang tidak menyenangkan hati Tuhan.

Saudara, semakin kita mengenal seseorang, semakin kita mengetahui apa yang disukai dan apa yang tidak disukai. Semakin kita mengenal seseorang semakin kita mengetahui sifat-sifatnya, apakah itu keburukan atau kebaikan. Semakin kita mengenal seseorang kita semakin berusaha untuk dapat memahami dia. Demikian juga hubungan kita dengan Tuhan, semakin kita mengenal Tuhan, semakin kita mengetahui sifat0-sifatnya, apa yang Allah yang tidak sukai dan apa yang Allah senangi.

Saudara, setiap kali mengajar konseling, saya sangat senang karena saya melihat setiap pasangan selalu senyum, semua kelihatan saling menyayangi, begitu mesra dan rasa-rasanya sulit untuk dipisahkan. Lalu saya memikirkan; seandainya kalau suasana seperti ini dipertahankan sampai 25-30 tahun pernikahan, itu suatu yang luar biasa. Karena kenyataan bahwa ada banyak keluarga-keluarga yang dibangun diawali dengan begitu mesra dan saling mengasihi tetapi baru beberapa tahun menikah, sudah terjadi cek cok sini sana dlsb.

Mengapa ini bisa terjadi? Salah satu faktornya adalah kurangnya pengenalan satu dengan yang lain dan akhirnya mempengaruhi hubungan pernikahan mereka. Satu maunya seperti ini, tetapi yang satu maunya seperti ini...akhirnya cekcok...

Saudara dalam hubungan dengan Tuhan, Allah menginginkan manusia memahami apa yang menjadi keinginan Allah. Allah menginginkan manusia memahami apa yang menjadi kehendak Tuhan bagi mereka.

Allah ingin mereka memahami Allah dengan benar, namun bangsa Israel tidak memahami Allah dengan baik, salah satu contoh dalam Mikha pasal 6:8-10 (Mikha bernubuat sezaman dengan Hosea) dimana mereka berfikir bahwa Allah akan senang jikalau mereka sudah memberikan korban persembahan, mereka berfikir korban persembahan satu-satunya cara untuk membujuk Tuhan. Tetapi Tuhan mengatakan bahwa; Aku tidak membutuhkan korban persembahanmu, lalu apa yang Tuhan inginkan dari mereka; dalam Mikha 6:11 dikatakan; Hai manusia, telah beritahukan kepadamu apa yang baik. Dan apakah yang dituntut Tuhan dari padamu: selain berlaku adil, mencintai kesetiaan, dan hidup dengan rendah hati di hadapan Tuhan.

Allah tidak ingin mereka memberikan korban persembahan namun hasil persembahan dari hal-hal yang tidak halal. Dari pemerasan mereka terhadap orang miskin. Allah tidak ingin menerima persembahan dari mereka dengan konsep yang keliru dan dengan motivasi yang salah. Oleh sebab itu Allah mengatakan kepada mereka bahwa dia menginginkan mereka melakukan keadilan, setia pada Allah dan rendah hati dihadapan Tuhan, itu sudah cukup. Tetapi mereka berfikir bahwa Allah lebih menyukai korban persembahan mereka.

Lebih dari pada itu, ada satu kesalahan fatal dari bangsa Isrrael, mereka berfikir, bahwa Allah yang mereka sembah seperti Allah yang disembah bangsa-bangsa kafir yang senang dengan persembahan. Mereka tidak mengetahui bahwa Allah mereka sembah adalah Allah sang pencipta langit dan segala isinya. Sehingga dia tidak membutuhkan persembahan yang mereka berikan.
Mengapa ini semua bisa terjadi? karena mereka tidak mengenal Allah mereka dengan benar.

Aplikasi: Saudara, kita manusia lemah dan terbatas, kita tidak dapat mengetahui kehendak Tuhan dalam hidup kita, bisa jadi kita merasa bahwa apa yang kita lakukan adalah kehendak Tuhan, tetapi sebenarnya sesuatu yang menyakiti hati Tuhan, bisa saja jalan hidup yang kita ambil menurut kita adalah kehendak Tuhan, tetapi sebenarnya bukanlah kehendak Tuhan. Oleh sebab itu sangat penting bagi kita mengenal Tuhan supaya kita mengerti kehendak Tuhan dalam hidup kita, dalam keluarga kita dan dalam pekerjaan kita.

Selanjutnya, mengapa kita harus mengenal Allah?
II. Agar kita memiliki hubungan yang intim dengan Allah
Saudara, sebagaimana diawal saya sudah katakan bahwa yang menentukan kedekatan kita dengan seseorang adalah pada pengenalan kita terhadap orang tersebut. Maka kedekatan kita atau keintiman kita dengan Tuhan ditentukan dari seberapa besar kita mengenal Dia.
Sdr. Tidak mungkin orang yang tidak kita kenal kita dapat menceritakan suatu rahasia atau kita langsung terbuka dengan orang tersebut. Atau kita langsung meminta tolong, atau meminta sesuatu dari orang yang tidak kita kenal. Mana mungkin orang yang tidak kenal langsung percaya atau mempercayakan sesuatu yang berharga kepadanya. Demikian juga dalam hubungan kita dengan Allah.
Mana mungkin, kita tidak mengenal Allah, tidak dekat dengan Allah, kita berani meminta tolong kepada-Nya, apalagi kita berani memanggil dia Bapa...Saudara, kalau saya lagi jalan dipasar lalu tiba datang seorang anak lalu memanggil saya papa, heran gak saya... pasti saya akan kaget...berbeda kalau di rumah anak saya memanggil Papa..saya gak akan kaget..
Sdr. Mengapa Allah memanggil kita anak dan kita memanggil-Nya Bapa, ketika kita berdoa? Allah memanggil kita anak dan kita memanggil Dia bapa menunjukan suatu hubungan yang intim suatu relasi yang sangat dekat.

Saudara, bangsa israel adalah bangsa yang kelihatan mengenal Allah tetapi sebenarnya mereka tidak mengenal Allah mereka. Apa bukti mereka tidak mengenal Allah mereka? Terbukti dalam sepanjang sejarah Israel, mereka lebih banyak menyakiti hati Tuhan. Mereka lebih sering tidak setia kepada Tuhan. Mereka lebih sering melanggar firman Tuhan, mereka lebih sering melawan Allah. Bahkan mereka lebih banyak meragukan akan kuasa dan kekuatan Tuhan sehingga mereka lebih percaya dewa-dewa kanaan dari Allah mereka, mereka lebih percaya kekuatan dewa2 darri pada kuasa Tuhan.

Walaupun Tuhan sudah dengan berbagai cara membawa mereka untuk mengenal Allah tetapi mereka sekali lagi tidak dapat mengenal Allah. Mata hati mereka begitu tertutup dan tidak mampu mengenal Allah, walaupun Allah telah menyatakan diri melalui berbagai tanda, apakah itu melalui urim dan tumim, melalui para nabi, melalui teofani atau penampakan-penampakan tetapi mereka tidak juga mengenal Allah dengan benar.

Oleh karena mereka tidak mengenal Allah dengan benar, sehingga mempengaruhi hubungan mereka dengan Allah. Ibadah mereka kepada Allah menjadi suatu yg bersifat rutinitas, korban persembahan yang mereka berikan, tidak berkenan dihadapan Tuhan karena diberikan hanya sebagai suatu ritual tanpa makna, bahkan terkesan asal-asalan.
Mereka tidak menaruh kepercayaan yang sungguh-sungguh kepada Tuhan, mereka lebih percaya dewa-dewa orang kafir dlsb.

Bahkan bukan saja umat Tuhan yang melakukan seperti itu, ttp para imam yang dipercayakan Tuhan untuk melayani dia, melakukan hal yang menyakiti hati Tuhan. Mereka mengajarkan ajaran-ajaran yang tidak benar, dan anehnya ajaran-ajaran seperti itu yang disenangi oleh bangsa Israel.

Saudara yang dikasihi Tuhan, pengenalan akan Allah sangat berkaitan erat dengan hubungan kita dengan Tuhan, termasuk didalamnya berkaitan erat dengan ibadah kita kepada Tuhan. Berkaitan erat dengan penyembahan kita kepada Tuhan. Berkaitan erat dengan doa kita kepada Tuhan.
Orang yang mengenal Allah dengan benar, maka ketika dia datang beribadah ia memiliki sikap hati yang benar. Ketika dia beribadah kepada Tuhan dia mau menyenangkan hati Tuhan, bukan untuk menyenangkan hatinya semata.
Orang sungguh-sungguh mengenal Tuhan, dia akan menaruh segala kepercayaanya kepada Tuhan, bukan kepada kekuatannya sendiri.

Hal ini juga menjadi bahan introspeksi bagi kita, apakah ketika kita datang beribadah kita sungguh mau menyembah Tuhan, apakah kita sungguh mau menyenangkan hati Tuhan atau diri kita.
Sdr. John Stot: Pengenalan tentang Allah sejati akan membawa kepada penyembahan kepada Allah...
Erwin Lutzer berkata: ”semakin jelas visi kita tentang Allah, semakin kuat pula motivasi kita untuk menyembah Allah”.
Bagaimana sikap kita didalam ibadah kita kepada Tuhan? Bagaimana kita menyembah Tuhan hari ini? Sdr. Pengenalan kita akan Tuhan dengan benar, berdampak kepada hubungan kita dengan Tuhan, semakin kita mengenal Tuhan, maka semakin intim hubungan kita dengan Tuhan.

III. Agar kita dapat berjalan dalam kebenaran
Saudara pengenalan kita akan Tuhan, memampukan kita untuk dapat berjalan dalam kebenaran dan hidup dalam kebenaran. Hari ini kita diperhadapkan dengan berbagai pengajaran yang kelihatan rohani tetapi tidak rohani, kjita diperhadapkan dengan ajaran yang kelihatan menyembah Tuhan tetapi sebenarnya tidak menyembah Tuhan, kelihatan menyenangkan hati Tuhan, namun sesunguhnya sesuatu yang menjijikan Tuhan.
Kelihatan mengajarkan tentang Allah tetapi sebenarnya bukan Allah yang benar.

Banyak orang di dunia ini, bahkan bisa dikatakan bahwa semua orang memiliki allah dalam hidupnya. Data pada tahun 2002, di Amerika ada sekitar 92% orang mengaku percaya kepada Allah. Namun seorang jurnalis bernama Chris Stemper melaporkan bahwa ternyata Allah yang dimaksud adalah allah yang tampak semakin tidak mirip dengan Allah yang dinyatakan dalam Alkitab

…”. Saat ini, jaman kita sedang digerogoti dengan filsafat Postmodernisme, masing-masing memiliki kebenaran, masing-masing memiliki pandangan tersendiri tentang Allah. Kebenaran itu menjadi begitu individual dan plural. Karena masing-masing memiliki kebenaran, maka kebenaran itu menjadi tidak ada.

Hari ini kita diperhadapkan dengan situasi dimana kita sulit untuk membedakan mana kebenaran dan mana yang bukan kebenaran. Kebenaran bisa menjadi sesuatu yang relatif, tergantung pada situasi dan kondisi, tergantung pada konteks; misalnya: Bagi sebagian orang homoseksual dan lesbian sesuatu yang sah-sah, poligami suatu yang sah-sah saja, berbohong bisa dilakukan sesuai dengan konteksnya, kalau lagi dagang boleh bohong-bohong sedikit, boleh memeras seseorang, kalau itu dilakukan dengan cara halus, semua yang absolut menjadi suatu yang relatif dlsb.
Pada pasal 4:1 Tuhan mengatakan tidak ada kebenaran di negri ini; tidak ada kasih, tidak ada kesetiaan dan tidak ada pengenalan Allah, Apa yang menyebabkan mereka tidak hidup dalam kebenaran:

Pertama: Para imam tidak mengajarkan pengajaran yang benar.
Yeremia 5:30-31.. Para nabi-nabi bernubuat karena uang dan mengajar dengan dusta kepada bangsa Israel; Mikha 3:11.Juga para imam-imam mengajar dan mengambil upah dengan kekerasan.

Mengapa para imam dan nabi tidak mengajar suatu kebenaran, karena memang sulit untuk mengajarkan kebenaran, karena kebenaran itu sesuatu yang tidak enak disampaikan. Oleh sebab itu para nabi lebih senang dan menyampaikan sesuatu yang enak didengar.

Hari ini khotbah-khotbah di mimbar, lebih banyak menyampaikan sesuatu yang menyenangkan telinga jemaatnya, yang dibicarakan adalah berkat, penghiburan, kesembuhan jarang berbicara tentang dosa, dan kebenaran. Bukan tidak boleh bicara berkat, penghiburan, kesembuhan tetapi perlu ada keseimbangan. Kita perlu berbicara tentang dosa, perlu berbicara tentang kebenaran walau tidak enak didengar.
Bahkan ada satu hamba Tuhan, bukan di pontianak, ketika dia mengundang pengkhotbah dia mengatakan kepada pengkhotbah jangan khotbah yang keras-keras jemaat saya itu masih muda secara rohani, nanti mereka tidak lagi ke gereja, nanti mereka tidak lagi memberi persembahan..dlsb.
Kalau sudah begini kapan jemaat bisa dewasa secara rohani.

Kedua: Dari pribadi umat Israel
Mereka tidak menyukai ajaran yang benar, Para nabi-nabi yang mengkhotbahkan kebenaran Allah mereka tidak mau mendengar dan mereka tolak (Yeremia 5:13). Mereka lebih menyukai para nabi-nabi yang mengkhotbahkan kebohongan ataupun dusta. Mereka lebih senang mendengar sesuatu yang enak didengar telinga.
Kebenaran di hasilkan dari pengenalan kita akan Tuhan. Tetapi pertanyaannya; bagaimana kita bisa mengenal Allah yang benar

Melalui apakah kita mengenal Allah yang benar?
Saudara, dalam Yoh. 8:31-32 mengajarkan bahwa hanya di dalam firman Nya kita dapat mengenal kebenaran yang memerdekakan. Dengan kata lain, hanya melalui firman kita dapat menemukan kebenaran yang sejati (pengenalan akan Allah yang sejati). Tidak ada cara lain, hanya dengan merenungkan firmanNya, kita dapat mengenal Dia dengan benar, dan oleh pengenalan itulah sikap hidup dan motivasi kita akan dimurnikan.

IV. Menuntun orang untuk percaya sungguh-sunguh percaya kepada Allah
Mengapa bangsa Israel menyembah berhala? Semua dilakukan karena mereka tidak mengenal Allah mereka dengan benar. Ketika mereka tidak mengenal Allah dengan membenar, maka membuat mereka ragu untuk percaya akan kuasa Tuhan dalam hidup mereka.
Mengenal Allah itu penting sekali. Kalau kita tidak mengenal Allah, kita tidak bisa betul-betul percaya kepada Tuhan. Bagaimana kita bisa percaya kepada seseorang yang tidak kita kenal? Bahkan Firman Tuhan mengatakan bahwa pengenalan Allah menentukan akan keselamatan kita.
Yohanes 17:3
Inilah hidup yang kekal itu, yaitu bahwa mereka mengenal Engkau, satu-satunya Allah yang benar, dan mengenal Yesus Kristus yang telah Engkau utus.
Sdr. Hidup kekal sama dengan mengenal Allah, hidup kekal tidak sama dengan pergi ke gereja setiap minggu, tidak sama dengan kita melayani Tuhan. Bisa jadi kita datang ke gereja setiap minggu tetapi kita tidak sungguh mengenal Allah, bisa jadi kita giat melayani Tuhan, namun kita sebenarnya tidak mengenal siapa yang kita layani.

Francis A. Schaeffer mengatakan: “I do what I think, I think what I believe”. Apa yang kita lakukan (do) dalam hidup kita – sikap hidup, berelasi, berkomunikasi, beribadah, melayani, bekerja, belajar, dll. – dipengaruhi oleh bagaimana pengenalan (think) kita terhadap apa yang kita percayai (believe). Sikap hidup, pelayanan, dan komunikasi kita akan baik jika pengenalan akan Allah baik. Hal ini juga selaras dengan apa yang John Calvin katakan bahwa pengenalan yang benar akan Allah akan membawa kepada pengenalan yang benar terhadap diri sendiri.
Saudara, Kita bisa kuat atau tidak dalam menghadapi permasalahan hidup ini, itu tergantung dari bagaimana pengenalan kita akan Allah. Sewaktu kita menghadapi persoalan, kalau kita tidak mengenal Tuhan, kita tidak bisa mempercayai Tuhan. Sehingga kita temukan banyak orang kalau ada persoalan, cari dukun, lari dari masalah, pergi meninggalkan masalah. Mereka tidak percaya sama Tuhan karena mereka tidak kenal Tuhan. Kalau kita mengenal Tuhan, kita tidak akan pernah cari dukun. Karena itu mengenal Allah itu sangat penting.
Kalau kita mengenal Tuhan, kita bisa mempercayakan diri kepadaNya. Percaya dengan mempercayakan diri adalah dua hal yang berbeda. Ada orang yang sampai pada tahap percaya saja. Itu bagus! Tapi tidak cukup sampai di situ. Kita juga harus mempercayakan diri. Contohnya seperti ini. Ada orang yang percaya sama Tuhan. Tapi ketika ada masalah, ia mempercayakan dirinya kepada dukun, kepada akal pikirannya sendiri. Nah, percaya dengan mempercayakan diri itu beda. Kalau kita percayanya benar, mempercayakan dirinya juga pasti benar. Bukti kepercayaan kita kepada Tuhan adalah kalau kita berani untuk mempercayakan diri kepadaNya. Kalau kita mengenal Bapa, memiliki pengalaman dengan Bapa, kita pasti akan berani untuk mempercayakan diri kita kepadaNya. Itulah sebabnya Tuhan mau kita mengenal Allah dan mengenalNya sebagai Bapa.

Kita mungkin mempercayai Allah sebagai Bapa. Tapi apakah kita pernah mengalaminya sebagai Bapa kita? Karena ada orang Kristen ‘katanya'. Mereka adalah orang-orang Kristen yang tidak pernah melihat atau mengalami Allah sebagai Bapa. Karena itu ada orang yang percaya kepada Tuhan tapi mereka tidak bisa mempercayakan diri. Karena mereka cuma percaya di pikiran saja. Untuk percaya di dalam hati, kita harus mengalami Tuhan dan memiliki pengalaman dengan Tuhan. Kalau kita sudah memiliki itu, barulah kita bisa masuk pada langkah yang kedua yaitu mengasihi Allah dan akhirnya melayani Dia.
Kesimpulan:
Pengenalan Akan Allah sesuatu yang penting bagi kita orang percaya, karena melalui pengenalan akan Allah yang benar, memampukan kita untuk dapat mengetahui kehendak Allah dalam hidup kita, memampukan kita untuk memiliki hubungan yang intim dengan Allah, menuntun kita untuk dapat berjalan dalam kebenaran dan menuntun kita untuk percaya sungguh-sungguh kepada Allah.
Sdr. Ketika kita sudah mengenal Allah dengan benar, maka ini membuat kita lebih sungguh mengasihi Allah. Kiranya Tuhan memberkati kita. Amin.

Seeking God Together

SEEKING GOD TOGETHER (Psalm 42:1-6)

By: Ev. Beni S. Regoh

Brother, man has an instinct to look for something ... this is apparent from how humans had attempted in his life. Humans are always looking for something that is not in himself, man is always looking for something less than himself. For example, looking for money .. the more money the more he can not completely satisfied with the money ... seeking knowledge, the more he gets more knowledge and ingenuity he kept searching.

Can be said that in terms of physical, human beings are never satisfied to find and keep looking. But what about the things that are spiritual. Are there people who have desire to seek God. In all conditions and circumstances. Paul in Romans 3:10-12 that humans tend to deviate from God no one seeks God.
Brother in this post modern era, according to some research that people become less interested in spiritual things. Humans are more attracted to things outward from the spiritual things to spiritual things So do not be a priority and human longing.

Karl Marx was a communist and atheist famous saying that God is the result of human thought. God is just an engineering mind about the ideals becomes how should a man, who could not be achieved in reality. God is the manifestation of human existence in a delusion.
It makes a religion that worships God just as a forum for human escape from the problems faced. As an escape, then religion is similar to opium, which are often used by people to escape from problems. Then came word that is very popular among the Marxist religion is the opiate of the people. This conclusion was derived after Karl Marx to see how the behavior of European societies towards religion. A memorandum of benenya are Christian.
Where he saw a phenomenon of people just saying believe in God, but in their lives do not demonstrate that they are godless people. Where there are many people who claimed that he believed in God but have no desire to seek God.

And even worse she saw one more phenomenon that many people seek God only if he has a problem, struggles in his life. But when their lives safe they forget God, do not seek God. There are many people searching for God just to satisfy himself.
So that Karl Marx concluded as such.
Brother if anything presented by Karl Marx was right ... One side if we see a phenomenon that occurred in the history of Christianity, there is truth. Since the days of the Lord Jesus until today there are many people who are looking for Jesus not to worship Jesus, but so that he gets something from the jesus, whether healing. Inner peace etc..
On one side of one's brother delivered by Karl Marx was a wrong ... because for a true Christian seeks God is something necessary and what needs .... As expressed by the psalmist in our earlier readings.

In psalm 42 where the psalmist describe this .. he always has the yearning to meet God. Talking to God. But he did not get a chance to meet with God.
We saw a little brother backgrounds writer of this Psalm, the writer of this Psalm when he wrote the psalm, he was far from Jerusalem, according to some interpretations he was living abroad in areas of Lebanon, so he was not able to worship to the temple in Jerusalem. Due to the nation of Israel God's temple is the symbol of God's presence. When they're not into the temple in Jerusalem, that means they do not meet with God.
He describes himself as the Deer are always hungry and always looking for the river to drink. He can not survive without God. She described herself as deer are always in need of water, without water will die Deer, deer can not live without water.

Why we should seek God:

I. Human being without God and he will die spiritually (3)
Civil servants of God ever say that God is looking for something basic human needs. Because obviously in the FT that when someone does not have God in her life so she will die spiritually.
Since Adam and Eve's fall in sin, so from then on humans have lost something precious which is the source of human life, which she lost a relationship with God.

When people lose the true God then automatically people will die spiritually. Therefore, when Adam and Eve garden of Eden, God said if they violate the commands of God that is prohibited to eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil they will die.

The impact of a spiritual death is very harmful to humans, when humans die spiritually, it will impact on the relationship between man and God even the relationship between human beings with one another.
This we can see in the book happened when Adam and Eve fell into sin, then from then on sin came to power over life of Adam and his family, Cain killing Abel and beyond the Bible notes that humans are increasingly uncontrollable evil even more crimes.
Even in Genesis. 6:7, God said I regretted making man, and ultimately destroy God's people with a flood.
Keterhilangan relationship between man and God is a tragic ... where God can not relate directly to human.

Hence we see in the third paragraph in the reading we had, the psalmist describes how humans have lost touch with God, humans who do not have God in his life then he will have a thirst to see God, and when he did not meet with God he will die spiritually.

Humans without God she will die spiritually; the only way humans can re-live is through Jesus Christ. Man must find God in his life.
God with an everlasting love he knew that man without God, the man would die, so God sent His son Jesus Christ to come into the world to restore the relationship between God and man.
The brothers only to restore the original position of humans as humans must have a life then there is no other way then the man must find God again and find that they will live! 1 John 5:12 says: "Whoever has the Son has life; who does not have the Son of God does not have hidup.Semuanya I write unto you, that ye who believe in the name of the Son of God, know that ye have eternal life.
Lord jesus said I am the way truth and life, truth and life does not exist outside of Christ. Jesus also said I am the water of life. Humans have died spiritually she could only live if there is Christ in his heart.
The Lord Jesus said: Seek and you find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Look for Christ and you will live
Brother let us seek God, so we have eternal life. And eternal life that we discover only through Jesus Christ.
II. Human life without God will not prosper v. 4-5

Fourth paragraph to say "My tears into my food day and night, because all day people said to me: where your God.
Civil something really awful if man abandoned by God. This is illustrated by the psalmist.
The psalmist feels that without a God nearby, he does not find rest, without a God nearby he can not live their lives in peace. The psalmist reveals how she suffered for not closer to God. Especially people around him are always asking where his God. When he had struggles in his life as if God did not help himself. He felt that he was struggling himself.

The importance we seek God to find rest and peace proclaimed by David at the end of his life, he commanded earnestly to Solomon in 1 Chron. 28:9 "thou my son Solomon and his God know my father and beribadahlah Him sincerely and with relah hearts, because God searches all hearts and understands all the intentions and ideals. If you are looking for him then he found acceptable by you, but if you leave him then he will cast thee for ever.

David was so obvious about a secret life revealed to Solomon, of David know clearly who God that he worshiped, David know clearly about the real secret of life.
David knew very clearly that when human beings are far from God, when humans are not looking for God, then life will not prosper. That he so clearly told Solomon that thou shalt seek the Lord and he will be found acceptable.

Brother of the background of the psalm 42 this is the outpouring of a person believed in God who lives in the middle of infidels or unbelievers. He lives far away from communion with God and Christian friends.

When he faces a struggle, he felt as if God does not stay close to him. So throughout her life she felt no comfort there is no peace. Especially when facing a tough struggle of people around about always says your God ... Can your God which could help you.
Brother when someone far communion with God and fellow believers, then he will lose the peace.
Brother of God's presence will be evident when in life we have fellowship with one another, as brethren. The presence of God will manifest in our lives if we are always close to God. Through always worship God, build a personal relationship with God.

III. In order for us to have a hope (ayt. 6)
"Why are you depressed, O my soul, and anxious within me? Hope in God! Because I would be grateful to Him again helper and my God "

Why should we seek God? Brother humans who have no God, then automatically he did not have expectations because it is God the only hope for mankind. During the middle of a sinful world, amid the people who do not yet know God. We live amid the world of this evil. We need one thing that holds up as we who were the expectations, and we backrest that is God himself.

Brother God is the only source of our hope, we do not expect to humans. Humans may be able to help us but rose has its limits, we expect to our wealth, because wealth is temporary, we can not hope to the ability of us, because there are limits to our ability we can only hope to God.

Seek God for the Bible says he is pleased met ... And God wants us to seek Him. Why would God require that we look for people because it will be like what he was looking for! If men are only looking for money then he will become matre, a young woman who only thought he would find himself a play boy and vice versa. When people seek God and he will be like God in character, speech and power in this life!

How can we meet with God:
The Psalmist says God placed Kudusnya look, which meant the psalmist is seek God in the Temple. Brother concept of the old covenant that God can only be found in the temple of God, but God can be found in the New Testament where we are.

Illustration: There was a young man asked, whether God can only be found in the church? I say no .. if so should we still go to church ... are not we can worship anywhere, because God is not restricted only in church? For example we just pray to sing at home, turn the TV who broadcast sermons preaching or VCD?

Brother we can worship God, we can meet with God wherever we are but that does not mean not important for us to worship in church. Because communion with brethren, it is very important. The church is a symbol of God's presence, the church is the house of God and therefore we must be faithful to worship the Lord, we worship with us then and there he met with God.

How to meet the Lord:
We can meet with God through our personal prayer to God, as busy-busy we are, still we use our time to talk with God. Lord Jesus in the busy life in the ministry, he still gives time for personal prayer. Even more he is busy, the more he was tired of getting him closer to God.
God wants us as children of God, for always talking to him. God wants us to speak with him not only when we experience the struggle, not only when there is something we want from God, but in good condition or not good.

Brother imagine if our children will only speak to us if he wants something from us, or when he called for help from us, but at the good life she never wanted to talk to us ... If our children as so of course we will sad.
Therefore let us continue to build communication with God through continue to pray privately to God.

How can we meet the Lord; third way is with us often to read and ponder God's Word, the more we read the Word of God reflect the more we know the contents of the heart of God, the more we know God's will.

The last thing how can we meet the Lord, by constructing the family altar; is something very important in the family. By building the family altar that means we would like to bring our families to continue to seek God. Brother as the family of Joshua, Joshua was not only an extraordinary leader of Israel but he became a successful head of the family. He successfully took his family to keep praying to God. He said one word which is very important "but me and the whole family will keep praying to God."

Brother of the family altar is one effective way to build family spiritual life. We can not expect that the spirituality of our families can be built only with the church once a week, we can not build our relationship with God to worship God only once a week. We can not know God only by hearing a sermon once a week.

Relatives as parents we are given a great responsibility by God, which brought the rest of us to seek God's family. God wants every parent to the priesthood in his family. To teach children the fear of God and live according to God's way.

Brethren in the Old Testament every father should be a priest in the family? Have we run this function ... Have faith in the family is brother to brother ...
If not let's start a family altar in our homes each; Take time together as a family to always pray together, read the Word of God together.

Let us invite all our families to get together to seek God, the FT says in Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord for He is pleased to be found, call Him for He is near"
Let us make our families, families who are always longing to find God, through our faithful worship of God, pray privately and build a family altar in our family. Amen