January 1, 2023 Sunday Worship Service
Call to Worship Isaiah 44:3
Hymn JBC # 21 Worthy of worship
Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayer Time
Offeratory Prayer
Scripture Ephesians 1: 3-14
Prayer
Sermon “God's overflowing Grace”
https://youtu.be/8Snon_ikfM4
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 301 Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction
I am very happy to have the grace to begin the first day of the new year (2023), January 1st, with a worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday).
In the New Year, we usually greet saying "Happy New Year”.
However, there are so many people in our world who are still unable to lead a peaceful and stable life due to ongoing wars, unstable (or even authoritarian) political systems, or devastating natural disasters.
I believe that there are also people around us and in the church who are facing very difficult situations due to various reasons.
As I may have mentioned several times in the past New Years, our society and the world has been in such situation for a long time that we hesitate to say "Happy New Year”.
However, we can say "Happy New Year" again this year based on a certainty that goes beyond the circumstances around us or our own thoughts and feelings.
It is the "Grace of God" that has been given to us.
Based on God's unchanging Grace, this year too, we want to say "Happy New Year" again.
If we believe that "our Lord God has given us another new year," then we can greet the new year with joy, for it is a gift of God.
In the last Christmas Eve. Service and in the recent church newsletter too, I shared the words of a prayer: "If I am alive today, it is the proof that I have a mission.”
A believer prayed that way in faith. I felt it was a word of thanksgiving to God and at the same time a word of renewed commitment of faith.
We do not live by our own strength. We are kept alive by God who made us and gave us the breath of life.
Therefore, I believe that if I am alive today, it is a sure sign that I have a mission (that God wants me to fulfill).
We can believe that I am alive this year, and that our church continues to stand in this area this year - is evidence of the mission that God has given to each of us and to our church.
And God will give us the strength and everything we need to fulfill the mission God has given us ~ that is our faith. We hope to live our lives in that way, always trusting in God.
Today, at the Sunday service on January 1, 2023, I would like to reflect on "God's Grace" as the basis of our hope for life, guided by the words of the Bible.
For today's sermon, I have chosen Ephesians 1:3-14.
Our church motto for this year (fiscal year 2022) is "Remember the Lord’s grace.”
The scripture is Ephesians 2:8.
In Ephesians 2:8 it is written, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”.
We hoped to carry on this year's church activities with this thought in mind: "In this time of real difficulties for society, the world, and our church, let us especially keep our eyes on God's grace and be thankful for His grace.”
There are still three months left in this fiscal year, but as we look back today with eyes of faith, we can believe that God's Grace has indeed been with us so far this year.
We were able to continue our sharing of God's Word in Sunday services and other church gatherings (prayer meetings, Sunday school, FFF, etc.). I believe that the fellowship of faith in the church was continued, and God's grace was poured out abundantly to us through such fellowship of faith.
For a long time, it has been difficult to gather together, and even when we do gather, there are still restrictions due to infection control measures, etc., However, we have been able to continue to hold meetings that is guided by the Bible and the Holy Spirit – that is not by our own strength or determination, but by the unchanging grace of God.
It is also God's grace that allows us to believe that "by faith we are bound together”. And one of our missions as believers is to share God's grace with the world.
Therefore, we thank God that we are allowed to have our church gatherings and renew our hope and determination today to share this grace with those around us.
We praise and glorify God in our worship. We give glory back to God. The first part of today's passage (verse 3) says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Why do we praise God? It is because God has saved us. Because God has raised us up by grace from perdition (doom or destruction) into the path of life.
He has paid for our sins through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can live in a new life through Him.
If we are thankful for that grace of God, we should not fail to praise Him. If we are truly filled with God's grace, we cannot help but worship Him.
Therefore, "praising God" is a very natural expression of faith for the believers.
But we still have the sin of focusing on our own thoughts and desires. We might still worship (make primary) something else (human beings including ourselves, or something else) that is not God.
Therefore, let us renew our resolve today to remain in God's grace, never leaving God's Word and His Assembly (Church), being aware that we are still sinners, but sinners forgiven by the blood of Christ.
Let us look at what is written in today's passage (especially in verses 4-5). In a nutshell, "God decided to love us even before the creation of the world.”
This is astonishing!
Our world and all that lives in it were created by God. The Old Testament book of ’Genesis’ describes how God created the world.
And the Bible (today's passage) tells us that God decided to love us people before He created the world. He determined to make us God's children through Christ.
The reason God created the world was God's love, and God's love for us was his determination to make us his children through Christ. That is one of the important messages that the Bible reveals to us.
Unfortunately, we have chosen the path of sin, of living a self-centered life apart from God. The path away from God's grace is the path to perdition.
God gave Jesus Christ to our world to save us from that path of perdition.
Let us keep our eyes on that Grace of God. Let us live in the overflowing grace of God poured out on us through Jesus Christ, and let us live a life filled with the power and joy of God.
Finally, I would like to conclude my message by sharing today's verse 10:
10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
We are still living on the way to the fulfillment of the words of verse 10. But we can believe that as long as we acknowledge God's grace and continue to live in His grace, the words of this prophecy will be fulfilled.
To be "united in Christ" means that each of us is truly precious to God and to each other.
It means that we recognize each other as important (precious) existence through Christ. It is only through Christ that this is possible.
We want to be a church where we can truly say, "I am important (precisous), I can be here (church), and I need to be here," being united with Christ.
Jesus said in John 13:34-35
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
How can we prove that we are Christians, or that we are a Christian church?
I believe it is as Jesus’ words just I’ve mentioned. If we keep our hearts focused on God, loving one another in worship, then through such our worship, the bible’s phrase "all things will be united under Christ" will be fulfilled, even if only gradually.
By abiding in God's grace and abiding in God's love, let us keep the fellowship of faith centered on Jesus Christ, and let us continue to worship God again this year.
Let us walk together this year in a life of faith in Christ, receiving God's overflowing grace and recognizing His overflowing grace in everything in our life.
Saturday, December 10, 2022
December 11, 2022 3rd Sunday of Advent Worship Service
Call to Worship 1 Chronicles 16:31
Lighting of the Advent candle ~ Prayer
Hymn JBC # 153 “Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming”
The Lord’s Prayer
Sign Language Hymn
Scripture Philippians 2:1~11
Prayer
Sermon “Make my joy complete”
https://youtu.be/rvzH2MEdrPA
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 526 My Jesus, I love Thee
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
In moments of pain or sorrow, I believe that everyone had also the experience of being supported or the feeling of depression is comforted by being told of gentle or encouraging words from someone.
And on the other hand, don’t we also have the experience that having told a word to someone has strengthened or consoled that person?
There is an encouraging effect in our words beyond our thoughts that strengthens a person. In the past, I have casually told a subordinate at my workplace [Don’t worry about it], since he seemed to be depressed.
As for me, if possible, I wished in my heart not just such a brief remark, but that I could take an action (deed) that can help him more in actuality.
However, I didn’t have the courage to such extent, and just by that short utterance was all I could do. Then, I remember that he (with a little smile) simply said [thank you].
After several months, when he was to change workplace, he told me [I was truly comforted by your brief remark at that time when you said 『Don’t worry about it』
Honestly, I have thought [I could just tell him an utterance of that degree when he was really depressed] but he was strengthened from my words more than I’ve known.
Now we are made to realize once again that our words (the more if they are faithful words as possible) surpass our thoughts, strengthen people and have comforting power.
As a pastor, I am given the privilege to give the message in the weekly worship service. Personally, I usually have the intended point “I have given emphasis (focused) particularly on this (these) point” in one message.
However, I often get feedback as [I was strengthened (encouraged or given an idea) from this point of today’s message] even on points where I myself did not intend to give much emphasis.
I am always made to think that the words of the bible, become a message in the worship service (while being supported through everyone’s prayer as well), and when that message receives the breath (power) of the Holy Spirit, it becomes an encouraging message that surpasses the thoughts of the messenger himself.
It is God’s grace and guidance that by far surpasses the thoughts or ability of the pastor that speaks the message. I ask everyone to always by all means pray that I may be able to speak such a message in the worship service.
Anyone of us needs encouragement as we live. As I have just mentioned, we are also encouraged and comforted by words from a person other than us.
However, we receive a more powerful, basic encouragement than comfort from other people, meaning “encouragement in the Lord God, Jesus Christ”.
Verse 1 of today’s scripture is written as follows.
“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion”,
As said, if there be any in you “encouragement in Christ”, “comfort of love”, “fellowship in the Spirit” ～heart of love or mercy～, Paul ( who wrote the letter to the Philippians) asks this matter to the recipients of the letter (Believers of church in Philippi).
And this question is also addressed to us at present as words of the bible.
And I would like us to confirm from these words today (today too) that “there certainly is encouragement in Christ”, “there surely is the comfort of Christ’s love” and that “there is to us the assurance of love and mercy in Christ”.
How is the “encouragement in Christ” given to us at present? Jesus does not live in visible form as a human being.
How can we at present receive the encouragement of Jesus? That is through God’s Word of the bible. His Word of the bible receives the breath (power) of the Holy Spirit and speaks even to us to this day as God’s message.
Thus, when we are depressed or in sorrow, when we are hopeless and the like, the word of the bible is given to us and becomes word to comfort us.
I believe that we have the experience when we are in real sorrow, we become hopeless by our own strength and when we are about to give up, the word of the bible penetrates our heart with a great comforting power.
This word of Jesus is well known that I have also quoted it several times in my past sermons. In John 16:33, Jesus said as follows.
[In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world]
In Romans 8:35, missionary Paul said as follows.
[Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?]
“No hardship can separate us from the love of Christ” ~ the words of Paul who had experienced hardship and danger in every aspect of faith in believing Christ resonate even to us to this day as words of faith.
And even in whatever situation we are now, the words of the bible give us the strength to walk without losing our hope that is in God.
The encouragement in Christ through God’s Word is surely given to us. The comfort in Christ, fellowship in the Holy Spirit (fellowship of mutual believers), the heart of love and mercy in Christ is given to us from the moment we believed Jesus Christ.
And says, “if so…”, Paul continues in verse 2 and writes as follows.
“then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
Let me also read verses 3～4.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
[Be humble, and mutually think that the other person is excellent more than our self ] ～ I guess to practice this utterance is much difficult for us.
What then if that someone is like the one “whom you can’t regard him/her excellent than yourself”? Still this utterance is addressed to us as words of the bible.
Before we say, “this matter is so impossible”, we are exhorted to look up to Jesus Christ that is depicted in this passage. Is it written in here who Jesus Christ is?
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
It says, Christ was in very nature of God, yet did not consider equality with Him as God (not stick to the nature of God) but was made in human likeness. This is the essence of Christianity.
God himself had far-reaching demonstrated to us “humility” that no one can imitate, nor we human beings can never even think of.
Even now, that matter is as this, vividly handed down as God’s word of the bible and is addressed to us at present as a great challenge or rather, more than that, as a message of God’s great love. God says, “Humble yourself, and consider that the other party is more excellent than yourself”.
So, since God Himself far-reaching humbled Himself and lived, be imitators of Christ as well.
Look up to Jesus, respect and comfort each other especially among mutual believers, make every efforts as such ～ God so speaks to us from today’s passage.
Jesus lived obediently to the calling that was given from God to the end, undergone unjust trial and finally on the cross that lead to death. Therefore, (v.9) God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name.
The One who thoroughly humbled Himself was far-reaching given the highest place and the name that is above every name at the end. What a work of God it is!
Such a Man is Jesus Christ. We believe and worship Him as God, Lord. As in verse 11, we confess [Jesus Christ is Lord] and worship God the Father.
The resolution that only Jesus Christ as our Lord should be worshipped by us, and we follow Him is the Christian’s confession of faith.
The One who says [follow Me], who calls each one of us, who denied and thoroughly humbled Himself, look up to Him, and with that Man Christ as our example, let us spend this period of advent as we also aim for the unity of our faith and spirit.
Call to Worship 1 Chronicles 16:31
Lighting of the Advent candle ~ Prayer
Hymn JBC # 153 “Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming”
The Lord’s Prayer
Sign Language Hymn
Scripture Philippians 2:1~11
Prayer
Sermon “Make my joy complete”
https://youtu.be/rvzH2MEdrPA
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 526 My Jesus, I love Thee
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
In moments of pain or sorrow, I believe that everyone had also the experience of being supported or the feeling of depression is comforted by being told of gentle or encouraging words from someone.
And on the other hand, don’t we also have the experience that having told a word to someone has strengthened or consoled that person?
There is an encouraging effect in our words beyond our thoughts that strengthens a person. In the past, I have casually told a subordinate at my workplace [Don’t worry about it], since he seemed to be depressed.
As for me, if possible, I wished in my heart not just such a brief remark, but that I could take an action (deed) that can help him more in actuality.
However, I didn’t have the courage to such extent, and just by that short utterance was all I could do. Then, I remember that he (with a little smile) simply said [thank you].
After several months, when he was to change workplace, he told me [I was truly comforted by your brief remark at that time when you said 『Don’t worry about it』
Honestly, I have thought [I could just tell him an utterance of that degree when he was really depressed] but he was strengthened from my words more than I’ve known.
Now we are made to realize once again that our words (the more if they are faithful words as possible) surpass our thoughts, strengthen people and have comforting power.
As a pastor, I am given the privilege to give the message in the weekly worship service. Personally, I usually have the intended point “I have given emphasis (focused) particularly on this (these) point” in one message.
However, I often get feedback as [I was strengthened (encouraged or given an idea) from this point of today’s message] even on points where I myself did not intend to give much emphasis.
I am always made to think that the words of the bible, become a message in the worship service (while being supported through everyone’s prayer as well), and when that message receives the breath (power) of the Holy Spirit, it becomes an encouraging message that surpasses the thoughts of the messenger himself.
It is God’s grace and guidance that by far surpasses the thoughts or ability of the pastor that speaks the message. I ask everyone to always by all means pray that I may be able to speak such a message in the worship service.
Anyone of us needs encouragement as we live. As I have just mentioned, we are also encouraged and comforted by words from a person other than us.
However, we receive a more powerful, basic encouragement than comfort from other people, meaning “encouragement in the Lord God, Jesus Christ”.
Verse 1 of today’s scripture is written as follows.
“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion”,
As said, if there be any in you “encouragement in Christ”, “comfort of love”, “fellowship in the Spirit” ～heart of love or mercy～, Paul ( who wrote the letter to the Philippians) asks this matter to the recipients of the letter (Believers of church in Philippi).
And this question is also addressed to us at present as words of the bible.
And I would like us to confirm from these words today (today too) that “there certainly is encouragement in Christ”, “there surely is the comfort of Christ’s love” and that “there is to us the assurance of love and mercy in Christ”.
How is the “encouragement in Christ” given to us at present? Jesus does not live in visible form as a human being.
How can we at present receive the encouragement of Jesus? That is through God’s Word of the bible. His Word of the bible receives the breath (power) of the Holy Spirit and speaks even to us to this day as God’s message.
Thus, when we are depressed or in sorrow, when we are hopeless and the like, the word of the bible is given to us and becomes word to comfort us.
I believe that we have the experience when we are in real sorrow, we become hopeless by our own strength and when we are about to give up, the word of the bible penetrates our heart with a great comforting power.
This word of Jesus is well known that I have also quoted it several times in my past sermons. In John 16:33, Jesus said as follows.
[In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world]
In Romans 8:35, missionary Paul said as follows.
[Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?]
“No hardship can separate us from the love of Christ” ~ the words of Paul who had experienced hardship and danger in every aspect of faith in believing Christ resonate even to us to this day as words of faith.
And even in whatever situation we are now, the words of the bible give us the strength to walk without losing our hope that is in God.
The encouragement in Christ through God’s Word is surely given to us. The comfort in Christ, fellowship in the Holy Spirit (fellowship of mutual believers), the heart of love and mercy in Christ is given to us from the moment we believed Jesus Christ.
And says, “if so…”, Paul continues in verse 2 and writes as follows.
“then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
Let me also read verses 3～4.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
[Be humble, and mutually think that the other person is excellent more than our self ] ～ I guess to practice this utterance is much difficult for us.
What then if that someone is like the one “whom you can’t regard him/her excellent than yourself”? Still this utterance is addressed to us as words of the bible.
Before we say, “this matter is so impossible”, we are exhorted to look up to Jesus Christ that is depicted in this passage. Is it written in here who Jesus Christ is?
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
It says, Christ was in very nature of God, yet did not consider equality with Him as God (not stick to the nature of God) but was made in human likeness. This is the essence of Christianity.
God himself had far-reaching demonstrated to us “humility” that no one can imitate, nor we human beings can never even think of.
Even now, that matter is as this, vividly handed down as God’s word of the bible and is addressed to us at present as a great challenge or rather, more than that, as a message of God’s great love. God says, “Humble yourself, and consider that the other party is more excellent than yourself”.
So, since God Himself far-reaching humbled Himself and lived, be imitators of Christ as well.
Look up to Jesus, respect and comfort each other especially among mutual believers, make every efforts as such ～ God so speaks to us from today’s passage.
Jesus lived obediently to the calling that was given from God to the end, undergone unjust trial and finally on the cross that lead to death. Therefore, (v.9) God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name.
The One who thoroughly humbled Himself was far-reaching given the highest place and the name that is above every name at the end. What a work of God it is!
Such a Man is Jesus Christ. We believe and worship Him as God, Lord. As in verse 11, we confess [Jesus Christ is Lord] and worship God the Father.
The resolution that only Jesus Christ as our Lord should be worshipped by us, and we follow Him is the Christian’s confession of faith.
The One who says [follow Me], who calls each one of us, who denied and thoroughly humbled Himself, look up to Him, and with that Man Christ as our example, let us spend this period of advent as we also aim for the unity of our faith and spirit.
Saturday, December 3, 2022
December 4, 2022 2nd Advent Sunday Worship Service
Call to Worship Zechariah 14:9
Lighting of the Advent Candle~Prayer
Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 148 Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Special Piano Playing
Scripture Ephesians 4:1-6
Prayer
Sermon “Through the Bond of Peace”
https://youtu.be/tBDn1Ief350
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 437 The trusting heart to Jesus clings
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent. It is a joyous thing that we can worship together during the Advent season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The candle for the Second Sunday of Advent was lit at the beginning of the service. The second candle light represents "peace.”
The lighting of this candle reminds us once again that Christ came to our world as Prince of Peace.
The light of Christ shines in our hearts as a lamp of peace, and we are also reminded that each Christian who is illuminated by the light of Christ has been given a role as a lamp to light up this world in which we live.
Christ came to our world as a king who will bring us peace and as peace itself, and lived as a man (while remaining as God) with the Jewish people (as well as with people of other nations) some 2,000 years ago.
The record of Jesus' life as a human being is clearly recorded in the Gospels of the Bible and passed down to us today. When we see the life of Jesus through the Gospels, we can come to know and believe that the peace of God has indeed come to the world.
Where Christ goes, peace goes hand in hand. When we truly live in faithfulness to Christ, His peace is made tangible there.
However, there are many situations in the world today where peace is not present. Christ, who is peace itself, has already come to the world, but if there are places where there is no peace, then humans are the only ones responsible for this.
We hope that Christ-believing Christians and the Church, the assembly of Christians, will be the first to realize the peace of Christ among us by living faithfully to Jesus Christ, the Lord of Peace (and his teachings).
Today, let’s hear God's message together about the grace of Christ, our "peace," in Ephesians 4:1-6.
In the beginning of chapter 4 verse 1, it says “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you.”
"As a prisoner" indicates that Paul, the author, is writing this letter from prison. The letter to the Ephesians is said to have been written while Paul was in a Roman prison.
However, Paul wrote of his situation in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ, "I am a prisoner united with the Lord" (New Interconfessional Translation).
The English Bible (New International Version) translates this as "a prisoner for the Lord”. The literal translation of the Greek text is "a prisoner in the Lord.”
I believe that Paul used the words "a prisoner united with the Lord," "a prisoner for the Lord," or "a prisoner in the Lord" with a variety of meanings and intentions.
First, Paul is facing the painful reality that he is in prison for his faith. The reality is harsh and not one he is in willingly. But still Paul was confident that "we are united with the Lord.”
No matter what our circumstances are, the Lord is with us and we are united with Him. With this confidence, one can live with hope amid difficulties.
Even in a situation where our freedom is greatly restricted, we are united to the Lord and He is with us. The same faith as was given to Paul is also given to us through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we need not lose hope.
We need not be discouraged if we believe that the Lord God has placed us where we are in accordance with His great plan, even if our current situation is difficult and not going according to our own plans.
God will give us the strength, hope, and wisdom we need to live as believers, even during such difficulties.
Paul was the given a new medium of letters to write God's message and faith advice to his brothers and sisters in the church, even though he was in prison.
It was truly the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a gift of God that Paul was given the means to send the message of faith to his brothers and sisters in the faith outside of prison through letters.
I believe that by giving him the medium of letters, a way to convey his message, God gave the believer Paul the confidence that "no difficulty can completely hinder his work as an apostle of Christ.”
The letters written by Paul's hand remain with us as the Bible and the Word of God through the ages, conveying God's unchanging message to us.
Probably Paul himself could not have imagined that the letters he wrote under extraneous circumstances would be passed down as the Bible, the message of God, to future generations.
As such, we do not know how the works of believers will be used.
We can trust that whatever little we do for the Lord (however small it may seem to us), if it is in God's will, then it will be used greatly by God.
I remember an elderly woman in our church who once said, "I am too old to do much service in the church, but I can still write and send postcards to the church members from time to time.” And actually she was doing those things.
This is a wonderful and precious act of evangelism in God’s eyes.
No difficulty can separate us from the love of Christ and our service to Him. I thank God for such divine protection.
Today, on this second Sunday of Advent, let’s specially reflect on the words of verse 3, which is also the title of today's message.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
The Epistle to the Ephesians particularly speaks of "the bond of Christians" and ultimately "the uniting of all things in heavenly places under Christ.”
This is the purpose for which Christ came to the world as the Prince of Peace: for us to maintain unity "in the Spirit," that is, through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ.
Not one of us is the same. However, the Bible encourages us to be united in the peace of Christ and to make every effort to maintain that unity.
What we need to maintain unity, Christ’s peace and His grace, has already been given to us.
So, all that remains is for us to recognize the peace and grace of Christ, receive them with gratitude, and accept others through His peace, and the peace of Christ will be realized.
But this has not yet been realized in our world. In our world, all things are not as one, and even we in the same church cannot say that we are "as one.”
But that does not mean we need to be disappointed or give up. If we look only at ourselves, we will only be disappointed in our own state and in the state of others. (No one is perfect, of course.)
But the Bible promises to us that if we follow Christ, if we believe in and follow Him as the one true Lord, through the bond of His peace you can be united, and His peace will be realized in this world.
So let us trust in the words of the Bible and strive to maintain our unity in Christ by facing and embracing others through the peace and grace given to us by Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, has come into the world to unite us and to live with us as a human.
Looking up only to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of Peace, let us live out our faith as we seek fellowship and unity in our faith.
Call to Worship Zechariah 14:9
Lighting of the Advent Candle~Prayer
Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 148 Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Special Piano Playing
Scripture Ephesians 4:1-6
Prayer
Sermon “Through the Bond of Peace”
https://youtu.be/tBDn1Ief350
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 437 The trusting heart to Jesus clings
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent. It is a joyous thing that we can worship together during the Advent season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The candle for the Second Sunday of Advent was lit at the beginning of the service. The second candle light represents "peace.”
The lighting of this candle reminds us once again that Christ came to our world as Prince of Peace.
The light of Christ shines in our hearts as a lamp of peace, and we are also reminded that each Christian who is illuminated by the light of Christ has been given a role as a lamp to light up this world in which we live.
Christ came to our world as a king who will bring us peace and as peace itself, and lived as a man (while remaining as God) with the Jewish people (as well as with people of other nations) some 2,000 years ago.
The record of Jesus' life as a human being is clearly recorded in the Gospels of the Bible and passed down to us today. When we see the life of Jesus through the Gospels, we can come to know and believe that the peace of God has indeed come to the world.
Where Christ goes, peace goes hand in hand. When we truly live in faithfulness to Christ, His peace is made tangible there.
However, there are many situations in the world today where peace is not present. Christ, who is peace itself, has already come to the world, but if there are places where there is no peace, then humans are the only ones responsible for this.
We hope that Christ-believing Christians and the Church, the assembly of Christians, will be the first to realize the peace of Christ among us by living faithfully to Jesus Christ, the Lord of Peace (and his teachings).
Today, let’s hear God's message together about the grace of Christ, our "peace," in Ephesians 4:1-6.
In the beginning of chapter 4 verse 1, it says “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you.”
"As a prisoner" indicates that Paul, the author, is writing this letter from prison. The letter to the Ephesians is said to have been written while Paul was in a Roman prison.
However, Paul wrote of his situation in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ, "I am a prisoner united with the Lord" (New Interconfessional Translation).
The English Bible (New International Version) translates this as "a prisoner for the Lord”. The literal translation of the Greek text is "a prisoner in the Lord.”
I believe that Paul used the words "a prisoner united with the Lord," "a prisoner for the Lord," or "a prisoner in the Lord" with a variety of meanings and intentions.
First, Paul is facing the painful reality that he is in prison for his faith. The reality is harsh and not one he is in willingly. But still Paul was confident that "we are united with the Lord.”
No matter what our circumstances are, the Lord is with us and we are united with Him. With this confidence, one can live with hope amid difficulties.
Even in a situation where our freedom is greatly restricted, we are united to the Lord and He is with us. The same faith as was given to Paul is also given to us through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we need not lose hope.
We need not be discouraged if we believe that the Lord God has placed us where we are in accordance with His great plan, even if our current situation is difficult and not going according to our own plans.
God will give us the strength, hope, and wisdom we need to live as believers, even during such difficulties.
Paul was the given a new medium of letters to write God's message and faith advice to his brothers and sisters in the church, even though he was in prison.
It was truly the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a gift of God that Paul was given the means to send the message of faith to his brothers and sisters in the faith outside of prison through letters.
I believe that by giving him the medium of letters, a way to convey his message, God gave the believer Paul the confidence that "no difficulty can completely hinder his work as an apostle of Christ.”
The letters written by Paul's hand remain with us as the Bible and the Word of God through the ages, conveying God's unchanging message to us.
Probably Paul himself could not have imagined that the letters he wrote under extraneous circumstances would be passed down as the Bible, the message of God, to future generations.
As such, we do not know how the works of believers will be used.
We can trust that whatever little we do for the Lord (however small it may seem to us), if it is in God's will, then it will be used greatly by God.
I remember an elderly woman in our church who once said, "I am too old to do much service in the church, but I can still write and send postcards to the church members from time to time.” And actually she was doing those things.
This is a wonderful and precious act of evangelism in God’s eyes.
No difficulty can separate us from the love of Christ and our service to Him. I thank God for such divine protection.
Today, on this second Sunday of Advent, let’s specially reflect on the words of verse 3, which is also the title of today's message.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
The Epistle to the Ephesians particularly speaks of "the bond of Christians" and ultimately "the uniting of all things in heavenly places under Christ.”
This is the purpose for which Christ came to the world as the Prince of Peace: for us to maintain unity "in the Spirit," that is, through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ.
Not one of us is the same. However, the Bible encourages us to be united in the peace of Christ and to make every effort to maintain that unity.
What we need to maintain unity, Christ’s peace and His grace, has already been given to us.
So, all that remains is for us to recognize the peace and grace of Christ, receive them with gratitude, and accept others through His peace, and the peace of Christ will be realized.
But this has not yet been realized in our world. In our world, all things are not as one, and even we in the same church cannot say that we are "as one.”
But that does not mean we need to be disappointed or give up. If we look only at ourselves, we will only be disappointed in our own state and in the state of others. (No one is perfect, of course.)
But the Bible promises to us that if we follow Christ, if we believe in and follow Him as the one true Lord, through the bond of His peace you can be united, and His peace will be realized in this world.
So let us trust in the words of the Bible and strive to maintain our unity in Christ by facing and embracing others through the peace and grace given to us by Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, has come into the world to unite us and to live with us as a human.
Looking up only to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of Peace, let us live out our faith as we seek fellowship and unity in our faith.
Saturday, November 26, 2022
November 27, 2022 Sunday Worship Service (1st Advent/World Baptist Prayer Week)
Call to Worship Isaiah 60:1
Lighting of the Advent Candle ~ Prayer
Hymn JBC # 19 Love divine, all loves excelling
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Prayer for the World Baptist Prayer Week
Scripture Revelation 21:22~27
Prayer
Sermon “The glory and honor of the nations”
https://youtu.be/J_ke5vV2lVs
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 563 Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Today, the Christian Church begins the period of “Advent” (the season of waiting and preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ). Advent is the roughly four week period before Christmas.
Through “Advent,” we hope to renew our thoughts of faith and joy in preparation for Christmas, a time to commemorate and give thanks for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, into the human world.
Jesus Christ was born into our world as our Savior—thinking about this event of immeasurable grace, we look forward to Christmas with anticipation and gratitude—it is our hope that we will spend the Advent season in such a way.
At the beginning of today's service, the first Advent candle was lit. For the next four weeks of Advent, we will light the candles one by one during the worship service.
The meaning of the first candlelight is “hope.” The birth of Jesus Christ gave us hope. It is a hope that will never disappear. It is a hope that will never change.
It is a hope given by the eternal God, so it will never disappear. And hope from God never changes.
The hope that we humans imagine or create for ourselves, once achieved, may cease to be a hope, or it may change at any time, depending on our thoughts, feelings, or changing circumstances.
But the hope that God gives us through Jesus Christ is an eternal and unchanging hope. It is a hope that will not disappear at any time.
We know from today's Bible verses that eternal, unchanging, and unending hope is given to us through Jesus Christ.
Today's passage is from Revelation chapter 21, verses 22-27. The content of Revelation is a message given to John by God through visions and dreams. The message is said to have been given at a time during intense persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire.
Today's passage describes a vision of the “New Jerusalem” that John saw. At this time, Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, had been destroyed by the Roman Empire in a war called the Jewish War (that occurred in the period after Jesus' death).
In that war, the Temple in Jerusalem was also destroyed. The Temple in Jerusalem was a source of great pride for the Jewish people.
Even in the Gospels, there is a passage where one of Jesus' disciples tells Jesus, looking at the temple, “Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.”
One can imagine how proud they were of the Temple from that scene.
We are currently reading the Old Testament book of Ezra in our Wednesday Bible study and prayer meeting. The book of Ezra tells the story of the rebuilding of the Temple, which was first built by King Solomon and later destroyed by Babylon.
Hundreds of years later, the Temple was restored and expanded by Herod the Great in Jesus' time. However, as I mentioned earlier, the Second Temple was also destroyed during the Jewish- War.
The vision that John sees in today's passage is the Jerusalem of future hope that will soon appear. So, he must have been expecting to see the most magnificent temple to ever be re-built.
But in verse 22, the first of today's verses, it says, “I did not see a temple in the city”.
The reason for this is written right after.
because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
A temple is a symbol of visible hope. And what is visible can deceive our hearts. Our hearts can be stolen by what we see.
The Israelites may have thought as they looked at the Temple, “It's amazing that such a wonderful temple has been given to our nation,” or they may have thought, “It's amazing that our own people built such a great temple.”
However, the Bible says that such tangible and visually spectacular objects and buildings (things that are man-made) are not real hope for us.
If we are not careful, we can think of things like visible temples and man-made objects themselves, as if they are the basis of hope.
Hope in Jesus Christ is different from visible hopes, hopes that are based on man's own thoughts and abilities.
Our true hope is in our God Almighty, who can do anything. Our true hope is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave Himself as an offering to atone for our sins so that they could be forgiven.
The vision presented to John at that time was that “people must not place their hope in the temple or worship the temple,” that “man needs to place his hope in Jesus Christ, the true God, and worship Him alone.”
A temple built by human hands is nothing—in fact, this was clearly admitted by King Solomon too who built the First Temple during the time of the Old Testament.
When the temple was completed, Solomon prayed, saying. “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).
When we stand before the Mighty God, we realize that we ourselves and the things we make with our own hands are truly nothing before God.
But somehow, we forget that, and we become proud of the things we make by our own hands, our own abilities, and so on.
God Himself does not dwell in temples built by man. Temples built by human hands, or churches as they are now called, are not objects of worship, nor are any human beings. We should worship only the Lord God, the God of Jesus Christ.
Let us always remember to worship only the Lord God, the God of Jesus Christ, and never worship or adore anything (or anyone) else.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. And at the same time, today is the first day of the World Baptist Week of Prayer.
We give our prayers and offerings in remembrance of the national and international missionary work promoted by the Baptist Church congregations.
We also offer our prayers and offerings in special remembrance of those who are working to spread the gospel at home and abroad, as well as in remembrance of missionaries and volunteers overseas.
Once, when evangelist and pastor Billy Graham was asked, "Who do you think is the greatest Christian in the world today?”, it is said that Rev.Graham paused for a moment before replying, and he said the following.
“We probably don't even know them, because they live in the jungles of Africa or in places where anyone notice them. We probably won't even hear their names.”
We wish to offer our prayers, thanksgiving, and offerings for the missionaries and other workers we know, and also remembering that there are many workers for the Gospel that we do not know.
At this time of the World Baptist Week of Prayer, we would also like to remember once again that our missionary work begins with our immediate surroundings.
As Beppu International Baptist Church, a church established by God in this place here in Beppu, let us remember our neighbors who live around our church and sincerely hope and pray that the gospel of Christ will spread in this area.
Let us also remember with gratitude and thanksgiving that our church is filled with people from all walks of life and from many different places in Japan and abroad.
It is such an amazing grace that the vision of today's passage seems to be being realized in our church.
Let’s read verses 24-26.
24 The nations will walk by [the city’s] light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
The “nations” are the domestic and international people who gather in our church, and the “city” can be compared to our church.
The peoples of the nations, each one of us, will gather from different places to worship God with “our splendor” and “glory and honor.”
By “glory and honor,” I think it means all the goodness, grace, and happiness that God has given us.
Today's vision speaks of a new Jerusalem, a city where all people will gather to worship God with the pure desire to give all glory to the Lord God.
That new city of Jerusalem will be realized first from each Christian church that worships Jesus Christ— I think we can also hope for this.
We are about to celebrate Christmas again this year as we commemorate and give thanks for the event in which God became man and was born as our Savior, Jesus Christ. The grace of Christ is always with us.
Let us spend this Advent season full of joy and offer our heartfelt thanks to Jesus Christ, the Lord God, who invites us into His grace.
Call to Worship Isaiah 60:1
Lighting of the Advent Candle ~ Prayer
Hymn JBC # 19 Love divine, all loves excelling
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Prayer for the World Baptist Prayer Week
Scripture Revelation 21:22~27
Prayer
Sermon “The glory and honor of the nations”
https://youtu.be/J_ke5vV2lVs
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 563 Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Today, the Christian Church begins the period of “Advent” (the season of waiting and preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ). Advent is the roughly four week period before Christmas.
Through “Advent,” we hope to renew our thoughts of faith and joy in preparation for Christmas, a time to commemorate and give thanks for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, into the human world.
Jesus Christ was born into our world as our Savior—thinking about this event of immeasurable grace, we look forward to Christmas with anticipation and gratitude—it is our hope that we will spend the Advent season in such a way.
At the beginning of today's service, the first Advent candle was lit. For the next four weeks of Advent, we will light the candles one by one during the worship service.
The meaning of the first candlelight is “hope.” The birth of Jesus Christ gave us hope. It is a hope that will never disappear. It is a hope that will never change.
It is a hope given by the eternal God, so it will never disappear. And hope from God never changes.
The hope that we humans imagine or create for ourselves, once achieved, may cease to be a hope, or it may change at any time, depending on our thoughts, feelings, or changing circumstances.
But the hope that God gives us through Jesus Christ is an eternal and unchanging hope. It is a hope that will not disappear at any time.
We know from today's Bible verses that eternal, unchanging, and unending hope is given to us through Jesus Christ.
Today's passage is from Revelation chapter 21, verses 22-27. The content of Revelation is a message given to John by God through visions and dreams. The message is said to have been given at a time during intense persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire.
Today's passage describes a vision of the “New Jerusalem” that John saw. At this time, Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, had been destroyed by the Roman Empire in a war called the Jewish War (that occurred in the period after Jesus' death).
In that war, the Temple in Jerusalem was also destroyed. The Temple in Jerusalem was a source of great pride for the Jewish people.
Even in the Gospels, there is a passage where one of Jesus' disciples tells Jesus, looking at the temple, “Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.”
One can imagine how proud they were of the Temple from that scene.
We are currently reading the Old Testament book of Ezra in our Wednesday Bible study and prayer meeting. The book of Ezra tells the story of the rebuilding of the Temple, which was first built by King Solomon and later destroyed by Babylon.
Hundreds of years later, the Temple was restored and expanded by Herod the Great in Jesus' time. However, as I mentioned earlier, the Second Temple was also destroyed during the Jewish- War.
The vision that John sees in today's passage is the Jerusalem of future hope that will soon appear. So, he must have been expecting to see the most magnificent temple to ever be re-built.
But in verse 22, the first of today's verses, it says, “I did not see a temple in the city”.
The reason for this is written right after.
because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
A temple is a symbol of visible hope. And what is visible can deceive our hearts. Our hearts can be stolen by what we see.
The Israelites may have thought as they looked at the Temple, “It's amazing that such a wonderful temple has been given to our nation,” or they may have thought, “It's amazing that our own people built such a great temple.”
However, the Bible says that such tangible and visually spectacular objects and buildings (things that are man-made) are not real hope for us.
If we are not careful, we can think of things like visible temples and man-made objects themselves, as if they are the basis of hope.
Hope in Jesus Christ is different from visible hopes, hopes that are based on man's own thoughts and abilities.
Our true hope is in our God Almighty, who can do anything. Our true hope is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave Himself as an offering to atone for our sins so that they could be forgiven.
The vision presented to John at that time was that “people must not place their hope in the temple or worship the temple,” that “man needs to place his hope in Jesus Christ, the true God, and worship Him alone.”
A temple built by human hands is nothing—in fact, this was clearly admitted by King Solomon too who built the First Temple during the time of the Old Testament.
When the temple was completed, Solomon prayed, saying. “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).
When we stand before the Mighty God, we realize that we ourselves and the things we make with our own hands are truly nothing before God.
But somehow, we forget that, and we become proud of the things we make by our own hands, our own abilities, and so on.
God Himself does not dwell in temples built by man. Temples built by human hands, or churches as they are now called, are not objects of worship, nor are any human beings. We should worship only the Lord God, the God of Jesus Christ.
Let us always remember to worship only the Lord God, the God of Jesus Christ, and never worship or adore anything (or anyone) else.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. And at the same time, today is the first day of the World Baptist Week of Prayer.
We give our prayers and offerings in remembrance of the national and international missionary work promoted by the Baptist Church congregations.
We also offer our prayers and offerings in special remembrance of those who are working to spread the gospel at home and abroad, as well as in remembrance of missionaries and volunteers overseas.
Once, when evangelist and pastor Billy Graham was asked, "Who do you think is the greatest Christian in the world today?”, it is said that Rev.Graham paused for a moment before replying, and he said the following.
“We probably don't even know them, because they live in the jungles of Africa or in places where anyone notice them. We probably won't even hear their names.”
We wish to offer our prayers, thanksgiving, and offerings for the missionaries and other workers we know, and also remembering that there are many workers for the Gospel that we do not know.
At this time of the World Baptist Week of Prayer, we would also like to remember once again that our missionary work begins with our immediate surroundings.
As Beppu International Baptist Church, a church established by God in this place here in Beppu, let us remember our neighbors who live around our church and sincerely hope and pray that the gospel of Christ will spread in this area.
Let us also remember with gratitude and thanksgiving that our church is filled with people from all walks of life and from many different places in Japan and abroad.
It is such an amazing grace that the vision of today's passage seems to be being realized in our church.
Let’s read verses 24-26.
24 The nations will walk by [the city’s] light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
The “nations” are the domestic and international people who gather in our church, and the “city” can be compared to our church.
The peoples of the nations, each one of us, will gather from different places to worship God with “our splendor” and “glory and honor.”
By “glory and honor,” I think it means all the goodness, grace, and happiness that God has given us.
Today's vision speaks of a new Jerusalem, a city where all people will gather to worship God with the pure desire to give all glory to the Lord God.
That new city of Jerusalem will be realized first from each Christian church that worships Jesus Christ— I think we can also hope for this.
We are about to celebrate Christmas again this year as we commemorate and give thanks for the event in which God became man and was born as our Savior, Jesus Christ. The grace of Christ is always with us.
Let us spend this Advent season full of joy and offer our heartfelt thanks to Jesus Christ, the Lord God, who invites us into His grace.
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