Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 36:9 (NIV)
Hymn JBC # 26 We praise You, O God, our Redeemer
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC #510 When we walk with the Lord
Offering
Scripture Isaiah 2:1～5
Prayer
Sermon “Let us walk in the light of the Lord”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 330 Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Doxology JBC # 672
Benediction
Postlude
Welcome & Announcements
Today our service is dedicated to peace.
The last world war (World War Two) ended in August 1945 with Japan’s defeat, and for this reason our thoughts turn to peace particularly in August.
This year, 2025, marks the 80th year since the end of World War Two. However, even before then, since ancient times, there has always been war and conflict amongst mankind throughout history.
Even since the War there have been many conflicts and wars that have broken out throughout the world, and even now there are conflicts continuing in many regions.
This can make us want to give up on peace, wondering if peace can be achieved and if it’s even possible.
But today, looking at the words of the Bible that have been given to us, I would like us to turn out thoughts again to peace, and to consider together how the peace of God can be made a reality in our world, and in our immediate surroundings.
Today’s Bible passage is from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet in Old Testament times, and verse 1 in chapter 1 tells us that he was “Isaiah son of Amoz”.
Isaiah was a prophet who was active in the southern kingdom of Judah, during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (at that time Israel was divided into Israel to the north and Judah to the south).
This was in approximately the late 8th to early 7th centuries BC.
Prophets were people who bore the duty of receiving the word from God and sharing it with the people. There was not just one prophet, but many. Even during the same age, there were many who was chosen as prophets.
The word of God was not something that could be told through one single person.
God chose many people, and made it so that they used their various languages to spread the word of God in their different times and places.
Since I was appointed to work as the pastor here at Beppu International Baptist Church, I have taken on the responsibility where my main duty is to share the word of God through sermons.
There are many other people who have taken on the role of being pastors (within Japan and throughout the world), and there are many Christian churches.
Each church, each pastor, and each and every believer lives in the Word they have received and bears the duty of sharing the Word with others.
There is no one person, or one church, that is right and holds the truth.
If there are any pastors who say “Only what I say is the truth”, or any churches that say “Only what our church says is the truth”, please do not put your trust in those pastors or those churches.
So long as they are human, there is no way that any pastor or any church can be always and completely perfect.
No person or church can ever be perfect. No one can claim that “I alone am right”. Remembering this is essential on the path to peace.
Even so, we shouldn’t give up and think “I’m an imperfect human anyways, I don’t know anything about God”.
We may be imperfect, but our father God is perfect, and He has revealed Himself to us through His son, Jesus Christ.
And now, we don’t need to doubt in that we have received the Bible, the Word of the only true and perfect God.
There may be times when we misunderstand the word of God, and do not take its meaning correctly.
But, we can rest assured knowing that we have the God of Jesus Christ, who is perfect in righteousness and in absolute truth.
Through His Word, God has made it so that we can be in touch with God’s message and God’s truth.
Christ is always and forever with us, and we always have the words of the Bible that reveal Jesus to us.
In light of this, let us continue to listen together to God’s message, to the voice of God that is always available to us through the Bible.
In verse 2 of today’s passage, it says “In the last days”.
The words of today’s passage are about a vision seen by the prophet Isaiah. This was a vision that Isaiah saw of what would happen in the future, after his time.
The “last days” are a very important matter for Christianity. This is the time when God’s Kingdom is made complete.
In the Bible, in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 (at the very beginning of the Bible), it tells us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
God first created the heavens, and created everything that’s in our world.
There are people who think that “There was no beginning, there is no end, the world exists by chance, humans are born by chance, and all we do is live and die.”
But the Bible clearly tells us that in the beginning God created the world. And even more than that, that God created this world with purpose and intent.
God created the world and saw that it was good. And God also appointed mankind as rulers over the good earth He had created (Genesis 1:28).
Ruling does not mean that we make use of nature and plants and animals as we please for only our own benefit and enjoyment.
Rather, it means we have been entrusted by God with the duty of being caretakers of this good world, maintaining harmony and peace in this world God created.
In order to fulfill this duty, we need to always heed the will and voice of our Creator God. This is the only way we are able to fulfill the role God has given us.
Let us humbly listen to the words of the Bible, the words of our Creator God who created us with a purpose, and make this our way of life.
The day will come when this world that was started by God’s creation will come to an end, the last days.
What will happen during the last days? Let’s look again at verses 2 and 3 of today’s passage.
2 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
It says that “In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”
This means that all nations and many peoples will move towards the same landmark, the mountain of the Lord’s temple.
It is written that “On the mountain of the Lord, the Lord will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths”.
Perhaps the reason that our world is not at peace, or that peace has not been accomplished, is that nations and peoples are all heading in their own different directions.
Also, people claim that the path they are taking is right, that they are heading in the right direction, and judge one another, and I think this is why we have conflict surrounding us.
Are we able to come together and agree on what to do, and then walk that path together?
The path mentioned in Isaish’s vision, where it says, “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths”, this path is Jesus Christ.
When all nations and all people walk the one true path that is Jesus Christ, that is when we will see the world in true peace.
Why is this so? Because when we walk the true path that is Jesus Christ, that is when the following words of the prophecy in today’s passage will come to pass.
Let’s look at verse 4.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
It says that the Lord will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. It will not be us humans who judge, but God himself who is the Lord and true judge.
Because God is the One, who knows perfectly what is good and evil, and this means that our Lord God will settle the disputes between us.
The passage says that we will listen to the Word of the Lord earnestly, we will follow the teachings of the Lord, and when we interact with others, it will be like in the words of verse 4. Let’s read the second half of that verse together.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
The same materials (such as iron or wood) that can be made into weapons such as swords and spears to hurt others, these same materials can be turned into tools to harvest food for everyone to live together.
How is it that will be able to remake swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks?
To that end, we need remember what Jesus has already accomplished for us.
Christ took on the judgement (or punishment) that should have been ours, and went to the cross in our place.
In our place, our heavenly father God instead placed the judgement of the Cross on His only son Jesus Christ, who is perfectly without sin.
Jesus took all the hostility, hatred, jealousy, envy and contempt, everything that is in our hearts that is the cause of conflict between us as humans, He took all of that upon Himself on the cross.
In so doing, Jesus took upon Himself all evil, the very sinful nature we have as humans.
When we live in obedience to and heed Jesus’ words, when we remember what Jesus has done for us on the Cross, then we will surely be able to change our swords for plowshares, and our spears for pruning hooks.
This is because Jesus took everything on himself, the sinful nature of our hearts that oppose peace. This is the promise of the Bible.
Let’s look at the final words in today’s passage (the title of today’s message).
Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
“The descendants of Jacob” (in the Japanese it says the “house of Jacob”) mean all the people of Israel, and also refers to all Christians today.
Let us not hide away in the darkness of our own sin, in the darkness of separation from God, but let us walk in the light of Jesus Christ, in the light of His Word.
This path is not one where people hurt each other, but one where people understand each other and help each other as we live together. It is the path of peace where we work together to gather the food we need and live together, the path that leads to the Kingdom of God.
And this is not a dream-like fantasy of a far-off future that will only happen well into the future.
Rather, we can be sure that this is something that is already happening now that Jesus Christ has come into the world once already to bring us salvation.
To close, I would like to read Psalm 36 verse 9.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Let us continue to walk together in the light of Christ.
How is it that will be able to remake swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks?
To that end, we need remember what Jesus has already accomplished for us.
Christ took on the judgement (or punishment) that should have been ours, and went to the cross in our place.
In our place, our heavenly father God instead placed the judgement of the Cross on His only son Jesus Christ, who is perfectly without sin.
Jesus took all the hostility, hatred, jealousy, envy and contempt, everything that is in our hearts that is the cause of conflict between us as humans, He took all of that upon Himself on the cross.
In so doing, Jesus took upon Himself all evil, the very sinful nature we have as humans.
When we live in obedience to and heed Jesus’ words, when we remember what Jesus has done for us on the Cross, then we will surely be able to change our swords for plowshares, and our spears for pruning hooks.
This is because Jesus took everything on himself, the sinful nature of our hearts that oppose peace. This is the promise of the Bible.
Let’s look at the final words in today’s passage (the title of today’s message).
Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
“The descendants of Jacob” (in the Japanese it says the “house of Jacob”) mean all the people of Israel, and also refers to all Christians today.
Let us not hide away in the darkness of our own sin, in the darkness of separation from God, but let us walk in the light of Jesus Christ, in the light of His Word.
This path is not one where people hurt each other, but one where people understand each other and help each other as we live together. It is the path of peace where we work together to gather the food we need and live together, the path that leads to the Kingdom of God.
And this is not a dream-like fantasy of a far-off future that will only happen well into the future.
Rather, we can be sure that this is something that is already happening now that Jesus Christ has come into the world once already to bring us salvation.
To close, I would like to read Psalm 36 verse 9.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Let us continue to walk together in the light of Christ.
