tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674317770857700552024-03-18T18:47:54.488+09:00Beppu International Baptist Church別府国際バプテスト教会bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-54825714330877501402024-03-16T18:52:00.001+09:002024-03-16T18:52:37.207+09:00Sunday Worship Service March 17, 2024 <br /><br />Call to Worship Hosea 6:6 <br />Hymn JBC # 232 On the cross of Calvary <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 227 Up Calv’ry’s mountain <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 6:1~11 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “What is unlawful on the Sabbath” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 230 On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross <br />Doxology JBC # 674 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br />In today's Bible passage, Jesus and his disciples go through a grain (wheat) field on the Sabbath (Jewish Sabbath: Saturday). <br /> There the disciples, probably hungry, picked ears of wheat, rubbed them with their hands, and ate them. (Perhaps Jesus ate them too.) <br /> The wheat field surely belonged to someone else. However, Jesus' disciples plucked the ears of wheat, rubbed them, and ate them. <br /> It was permitted by the Biblical law. The Old Testament book of ‘Deuteronomy’, chapter 23, verses 25~26 (24~25 NIV), states the following. <br /><br />24 If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels (*edible parts) with your hands, but you must not put a sickle (*a farming tool to cut the grain effectively) to their standing grain. <br /><br />This is the commandment that when one is truly hungry, he may take the produce of another's (neighbor's) field and eat it. This is God's commandment that the owner of the field must also be willing to help his hungry neighbor. <br /> However, that commandment in Deuteronomy forbids taking the crop beyond truly satisfying the hunger, saying, "You shall not put it in a basket (to store it) " and "You shall not use a sickle (to cut it more than needed quantity)”. <br /> The commandment reminds us that we are all guilty of covetousness (greedy, excessive desire), of wanting more than we need, and that we are all capable of the sin of "coveting" more than we need. <br /><br /> Having said that, God has decreed that none of us should be short of the food we really need, the food we need to live, and that it is the duty of the community to strive to prevent that from happening. <br /> However, there were some people who saw Jesus' disciples passing through the wheat field and taking wheat and eating it. And they condemned the disciples and questioned them. <br /> The Pharisees, who were strictly interpreting the biblical law, asked Jesus' disciples, who were taking wheat and eating it, "Why do you do what you should not do on the Sabbath?" <br /> That day was the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a commandment established by God and strictly enjoined (ordered) by Him to be kept by the Israelites from generation to generation. <br /><br /> In the Old Testament book of ‘Exodus’, God tells Moses the words of the Ten Commandments. In the Ten Commandments, the law about the Sabbath is recorded as follows. <br />(Exodus 20:8~11) <br />8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. <br /><br /> Among the Ten Commandments, the commandment concerning the Sabbath is relatively large in quantity and detailed as so described. <br /> Those called the Pharisees and the teachers of the laws, in order to strictly observe the commandment, defined what (what kind of action) constituted "labor". <br /> It is said the rules also included a "distance allowed to be walked in a day”. It is said that the distance was about one kilometer, and any distance beyond that was considered "labor”. <br />The act of plucking the ears of wheat and rubbing them to extract the berries was also considered a labor as "harvesting work". <br /><br /> The Pharisees asked, " Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" <br /> They said, "You are violating the law by not keeping the Sabbath!" and thus they accused Jesus and His disciples. <br /> What is happening here? What is happening here, it seems to me, is a lack of empathy for the other person. <br /> Jesus' disciples should have been familiar with the Sabbath commandment. Jesus had already taught the Word of God to many, and his reputation as a teacher (and healer of the sick) was widely known. <br /><br /> There is no way that Jesus and his disciples could have been unaware of the important Sabbath commandment and the interpretation of its application. Jesus and his disciples must have known that the normal "harvest" was a labor which the Sabbath forbids. <br /> If so, the fact that Jesus' disciples still took the wheat and ate it there means that they were so seriously hungry. <br /> The Pharisees needed to see Jesus' disciples and their hunger and feel compassion (empathy) for them before they accused them asking "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" <br /> I often judge people based on their appearance, on the surface, and often judge them in my mind. <br /><br />Not trying to understand the person's situation, but instead I just dismiss him or her as "they are different from me" only on the surface. <br />Letter to the Hebrews Ch.13 verse 3 says as follows. <br />Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. <br /> We would never know what it is like to be “in prison” or "mistreated" unless we also have truly experienced such a thing. <br /> Still, we should be able to use our imagination to wonder what would happen to people if they were placed in such an environment. <br /> It is my hope that by exercising our imagination with compassion, we will not make sin that is to judge other people so easily. <br /><br /> I hope and pray that we will not judge a person only by surface, and that we will try to put ourselves in his or her shoes as much as possible, without losing the heart (that God has given to us) of caring for others. <br /> Jesus responds to the Pharisees' question by referring to an event concerning David as depicted in the Old Testament book of ‘Samuel’ 21. <br /> David had been chosen by the prophet Samuel to be the next king after Saul. However, David was envied by Saul and even had his life threatened by Saul, so David fled. <br /> Then David goes to a priest named Ahimelech and asks Ahimelech to give him food. <br />There was only consecrated (specially portioned) bread. Consecrated bread was something that only the priests were allowed to eat. <br />However, David even lied that he had been sent by the king and he obtained the bread, which in principle only the priests were allowed to eat. <br /><br /> The Bible does not encourage lying. But David was in a life-or-death situation, and the rule that only priests are allowed to eat consecrated bread loses its validity before the life of one man, David. <br /> Today's story from verse 6 also concerns what is and is not allowed on the Sabbath. Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. There was one man whose right hand was shriveled, meaning his right hand was paralyzed from some cause. <br /><br /> The person's right hand paralyzed was not a condition where his life was in danger if it were not treated right away. Therefore, healing the person on the Sabbath was considered a non-emergency medical procedure, a kind of "labor. <br /> There, the teachers of the laws and Pharisees were waiting intently to see if Jesus would heal the man with the shriveled right hand. <br /> If Jesus healed the man, they were going to accuse him, saying, "You are performing a labor of a non-urgent act of healing on the Sabbath, a violation of the law!" and they would accuse him. <br /> Indeed, on the face of it, the person's symptoms may not have been life-threatening if not fixed now. <br /> But what were the thoughts of the person whose right hand was shriveled, and how was he feeling at that time? How much suffering had he had to go through before that moment? <br /> Jesus still urges us through the Bible to try to imagine those things and try to sympathize with them. <br /><br /> Jesus saw the man's suffering and thought that the man had to be healed right away at that time, and so Jesus, the Son of God, healed him there. <br />Let’s confirm the words of Jesus in verses 5 and 9. <br />“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” <br />“I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” <br /><br /> “What is lawful or unlawful on the Sabbath?"~ when the only thing that matter is whether or not religious rules are observed, the original grace and joy of the Sabbath will be lost from it <br />Today's passage’s theme is about "commandments" or “religious rules”, and what is it to keep those. <br />The common image people have of religion may be "a life bound by various rules”. <br /> “You have to go to worship services every week”, “you have to give offering”, “you have to read the Bible”, etc., etc., etc. <br /> However, the believer who is connected to Jesus Christ can live a life of freedom based on the joy of being made a child of God through Christ, rather than a life of "I have to this or that". <br /><br /> We can say that a believer in Christ is one who can live in free in anything. Let us remember again how fortunate we are as believers who have received freedom in Christ and can live in it. <br /> Both the Sabbath and God's other various blessings are for us to obtain through them God's love, mercy, and salvation of life. <br /> We desire to live out our faith in the grace of Sabbath we receive from God, and we desire to live and enjoy the grace of the true Sabbath from God.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-69423090455559728632024-03-09T14:20:00.001+09:002024-03-09T14:20:49.655+09:00Sunday Worship Service March 10, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship 1 Thessalonians 5:9 <br />Hymn JBC # 232 On the cross of Calvary <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 105 There is sunshine in my soul today <br />Offering <br />Scripture Exodus 4:18~31 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Moses returns to Egypt” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 255 Face to face with Christ, my Saviour <br />Doxology JBC # 674 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br /><br />God appeared to Moses and commanded him to lead his fellow Israelites out of Egypt where they were suffering in slavery. <br />At that time, Moses was living as a shepherd in a region called Midian. For about 40 years, Moses lived as a shepherd in the Midian region and was now 80 years old. <br />Moses hesitated to obey God’s commands several times, but God provided him with various signs (miracles) so that the Israelites and Egyptians would believe him. <br />And Moses finally accepted what God said and decided to go to Egypt and serve in God’s plan to rescue the Israelites. <br />The first thing Moses did after making this decision is recorded in today’s Bible passage (Exodus 4:18 – 31). <br /><br />Moses first told Jethro, his father-in-law (Moses’ wife’s father), “Please let me return to Egypt.” <br />Before Moses left Midian to go to Egypt, he disclosed this to his father-in-law and asked for his understanding and permission. <br />Moses and Jhetro first met as follows. When Moses first fled Egypt and arrived in the region of Midian, he was sitting by a well. Seven daughters of a priest of Midian had gone there to get water for the flock. (Exodus Ch.2) <br />The male shepherds there tried to chase the women away, but Moses rescued them. <br /><br />The daughters’ father was Jethro, a priest in the region of Midian. (For some reason his name is originally written as Reuel in Exodus 2:18. He may also have been called Reuel.) <br />Moses decided to stay with Jethro, so Jethro gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. <br />When Moses was told by God, “Go back to Egypt and rescue the people of Israel,” Moses was worried that his fellow Israelites would not believe him. <br />Likewise, he was hesitant because he thought the Egyptians would also not believe him. <br />However, up until today’s passage, there is nothing written about Moses worrying about what his father-in-law Jethro would say about his return to Egypt. <br />Despite that, today’s passage shows a hesitant Moses who must explain his decision to “return to Egypt” to his father-in-law, Jethro first, and ask for his permission and understanding. <br />For Moses, his father-in-law, Jethro, may have become a very important person, perhaps as much as his own father. <br /><br />Moses must have felt indebted to Jethro for taking care of him and taking him in as he fled from Egypt. <br />God commanded Moses. God showed him miraculous signs, and he was convinced that it was God’s will for him to be sent to Egypt. <br />Even so, Moses probably hoped to convey this to his father-in-law Jethro first, gain his understanding, and have Jethro send him off. <br />Moses didn't think, “Since God told me and I decided so, it doesn’t matter what my father-in-law has to say.” <br />I think it’s fair to say that even though they weren’t blood-related, there was a strong bond between Moses and Jethro. <br />In the church, church members and Christians call each other as “brothers and sisters.” It expresses the belief that all believers in the same God, Jesus Christ, are children of God and that we are God’s family united by the same faith. <br /><br />The fact that we are now a family of faith in the same church is a wondrous thing led by God, just like the encounter between Moses and his father-in-law Jethro. <br />I hope that those of us who have met in this way and who have become members of God’s family will be able to deepen our relationship as much as possible, where we can share our faith and encourage each other. <br />Jethro responded to Moses, as Moses had told him “let me go to Egypt”, with just one thing, “Go, and I wish you well.” Although it is just one sentence, it seems to be a statement that clearly expresses Jethro’s heartfelt desire for peace and safety for his son-in-law. <br />Behind the words, “Go, and I wish you well,” we can imagine Jethro thinking of the path Moses is about to take and praying. <br />We too, through our connection as believers in Christ, can think of each other and pray for one another to spend our days in peace and reassurance. <br /><br />Moses was sent out by Jethro, and as recorded in verse 19, the Lord told him, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” <br /><br />Then Moses puts his wife and sons on a donkey and headed to Egypt. <br />Following that, verses 24 - 26 depict a very strange occurrence. God tries to kill Moses who is on his way to Egypt with his wife and children. <br />Why did God suddenly try to kill Moses, who was following God’s orders by going to Egypt? We do not know the reason. <br />One interpretation is that the reason was that Moses had not circumcised his son, a sign of an Israelite— one of God’s people. <br /><br />In the Book of Genesis, the Lord God calls to Abraham, and Abraham leaves his birthplace and journeys to the promised land shown to him by God. <br />In Genesis 17, God told Abraham, “You will be the father of many nations,” and commanded Abraham and his descendants to keep the Lord’s covenant (commandments). <br />One of these commandments was circumcision, which was performed on the male children of Israel. This was a sign that distinguished God’s people of Israel from others. <br />Moses lived in the region of Midian for a long time (and because he was raised in the royal palace of Egypt from infancy to adulthood), and perhaps he didn’t fully understand the importance of the covenant with the Lord God, which was important to the people of Israel. <br /><br />God (although the severity of killing Moses is beyond our understanding) may have wanted to remind Moses that he himself is a member of the people of Israel and a son of God, and therefore his son is also in the covenant with God and living in His grace. <br />It was no other than his wife Zipporah who saved Moses’ life then. When Zipporah cut off her son’s foreskin and circumcised him, the Lord released Moses. <br />Moses’ wife played a role in saving his life. If it wasn’t for Zipporah, Moses might have died there, and we are once again reminded of the importance of the role played by Zipporah, a woman. <br />Zipporah was Moses’ wife and a woman. As a woman in the culture and customs of the time, she was in a position that was considered weak. <br />However, the Bible tells us of this important event in which Zipporah’s quick judgment and action saved the life of Moses, who later did the great work of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. <br /><br />Compared to Moses, his wife Zipporah’s role was never small, unimportant, nor supporting character. <br />One of the famous parables that Jesus told is the story of the lost sheep. <br />The story goes that if a person had 100 sheep and one of them went missing, he should leave the 99 sheep on the mountain and search for the missing one until it is found. <br />That person in the parable is God. God would never think that “1 out of 100 animals is unimportant.” <br />Such is our God. Through faith, we can believe that each of us and the roles we play are equally precious and important before God. <br />Each of us is irreplaceable before God. I hope we can remember that within our current church congregation, everyone has been entrusted by God with an equally important role (even if it doesn’t seem that way to others). <br /><br />After his life was saved by Zipporah, Moses was led by God to meet his brother Aaron in the wilderness (at the mountain of God). <br />God had already told Moses, “I will send your brother Aaron to you to speak in your stead because you are not good with words. Speak to him (Aaron) and put into his mouth the words that you need to say.” (Exodus 4:15) <br />And as it happened, Moses was able to meet Aaron. Moses gradually learned through his own experiences and with the help of others, including his family, that God’s words are powerful and that they are true and reliable. <br /><br />Moses goes with Aaron and gathers all the elders of the Israelites. And, as God had told him, Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had said to Moses, who in turn showed them the signs (miracles). <br />From that we see in verse 31 “and they believed.” The word of God was delivered to the people of Israel, and they believed it. <br />We have read the story of Exodus so far and know how many events took place before the word of God spoken to Moses was finally delivered to the people of Israel by the mouth of Aaron. <br />At first, Moses was afraid and hesitant, not believing that he could take on the role of preaching God’s word to the people. <br />But in the end, a patient and merciful God gave Moses the courage to believe in His word, believe in the help of others that God was giving him, and take the first step to complete his difficult mission. <br /><br />God’s word is so powerful, and God’s word is indeed true. God’s word gives us strength, courage, and hope to carry us through each day. <br />We have been given such an abundance of God’s word. We have also been given helpers of faith and the family of God. <br />Therefore, let us walk in faith every day, trusting in the strength and richness of God’s word, without getting caught up in our own weaknesses and doubts.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-16741126840452452102024-03-03T06:46:00.001+09:002024-03-03T06:46:08.400+09:00Sunday Worship Service March 3, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Ezekiel 11:19 <br />Hymn JBC # 232 On the cross of Calvary <br />Prayer Time <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 134 Sing them over again to me <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 5:33~39 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “New wine into new wineskins” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC #656 Give of your best to the Master <br />Doxology JBC # 674 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br />In today's Bible passage, people ask Jesus a question: <br />“John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” <br />John here refers to "John the Baptist." The man known as John the Baptist was the one who baptized Jesus. John's disciples and the Pharisees frequently fasted and prayed. <br />However, those who asked this question had the impression that Jesus' disciples, although they believe in the same God, did not seem to fast much, but rather were always eating and drinking. <br />The passage before today's passage tells the story of a tax collector named Levi, who was sitting at his tax booth when Jesus called out to him, “Follow me”, and he became Jesus’ disciple. <br /><br />Levi immediately followed Jesus, and he threw a great banquet for Jesus at his house. Levi was very happy that Jesus called him and that he became his disciple. <br />Many other tax collectors and other people were also invited to the banquet. <br />During that time, tax collectors were regarded as people who cooperated with the Roman Empire, who ruled the Jewish people, and therefore they were shunned and hated by their fellow Jews because they were regarded as traitors. Tax collectors were seen even as “sinners”. <br />The Pharisees and teachers of the law, who strictly interpreted the commandments of the scripture (in their own way) and tried to live their lives in accordance to the law, saw Jesus eating with people who were regarded as “sinners” and asked the following question: <br /><br /> “Why do you (Jesus and his disciples) eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30) <br /><br /> Those who were called Pharisees and teachers of the law had decided not to eat with tax collectors or sinners, or to associate with them at all. So, for them the act of eating with sinners is unthinkable. <br />Therefore, they expressed their doubts by asking, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? (Even though it is not right to do so)?” <br /><br />Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” <br />By saying this, Jesus was trying to teach the Pharisees and the teachers of law who thought they are righteous, that “all people, including you, are sinners and in need of God's healing and forgiveness”. <br /><br /> In today's passage, Jesus and his disciples were eating together with tax collectors and sinners, and they don't seem to be fasting much so people may have thought in their hearts that Jesus and his disciples were inferior in terms of religious belief. <br />In reality, Jesus and his disciples were also fasting. Since the times of the Old Testament, people who believe in God have fasted to express their feelings of sadness, suffering, and also repentance. <br />There are passages in the Gospels where it is recorded that Jesus himself fasted. It happened when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry of evangelism. <br /><br />In Luke 4:1-2 (also written in Matthew 4) it says: <br />1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. <br /><br />Jesus fasted for 40 days, resolutely putting himself in a very severe situation, and trying to resist the temptations of the devil with the words of God (the power of God). <br />Jesus also did not forbid his disciples to fast. <br />However, Jesus gave the following warnings to his disciples regarding fasting. <br />16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. <br /><br /> The original purpose of fasting should have been to express suffering, sadness, and repentance by abstaining from food and becoming hungry, and through hunger receiving more spiritual power from God and increasing one's trust in God. <br />However, as Jesus points out here, fasting was deviating from such spiritual purposes to a "performance to impress others that you are virtuous and religious." <br />When Jesus said "hypocrites," he did not refer to only a few certain people at the time Jesus lived, but actually any of us today can become such hypocrites. That’s why we must be careful and keep this in mind. <br />I hope we can learn from today's passage that we can become like these hypocrites: using even our own faith to fulfill our desires to be proud of ourselves and to be recognized by others. <br /><br />Fasting and prayer (Jesus also tells us in another passage not to pray in public like hypocrites with too many words) are actions that deepen our relationship with God; they are not ways to show people how religious we are. <br />Jesus taught his disciples the right attitude towards fasting and prayer. Therefore, Jesus never forbade fasting itself. <br />But Jesus' disciples didn't seem to be fasting as often as John's disciples and the Pharisees, so people asked, “Why don't your disciples fast instead of eating and drinking?” <br /><br />Jesus answered as follows. It’s from verse 34-35. <br />34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” <br /><br />Jesus answers with a parable. The bridegroom is Jesus himself. <br />There, Jesus asked the people whether they truly have the joy of knowing that the Savior Jesus Christ, God, was with them. <br />That means when putting first the joy of knowing that there is God who forgives our sins and lives with us (eats with us), we would never be able to fast and would rather have a grand banquet. <br />In other words, Jesus was asking those who question the faith of others by saying, “Why don't you fast?” this question: Jesus asked them “Do you really have the joy of faith?” <br /><br />That question is indeed directed to each of us today. Sometimes it is meaningful to fast and receive spiritual nourishment from God. <br />However, we must ask ourselves the following question: Do I really have the joy of knowing that “God is with me”, “I am so loved by God that Jesus Christ died for me” as the foundation of our faith? Each of us must take this seriously once again. <br />Let us once again remember the ultimate joy we have in Christ, in God’s calling, and offer our heartfelt gratitude and joy to God. <br />However, "the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away" - that is, the time will come when the Lord Jesus will bear our sins and die on the cross in our place. <br /><br />At that time, Jesus said that His disciples would also do fasting as a form of sincere repentance. <br />We are currently in the season of Lent. As we remember the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the way to the cross (regardless of whether we actually fast or not), let’s observe the season of Lent with gratitude and repentance (turning our hearts toward God). <br /> Starting in verse 36, Jesus tells a parable about wine and wineskins: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one.” <br />New cloth will shrink when washed. So, if we patch old cloth with a part cut from new cloth, the new cloth will also be wasted, and when we wash them, the new cloth will tear the old cloth, ruining the old cloth as well. <br /><br />Jesus also gives the example of how the force of fermentation of new wine tears the old wineskins apart. (For those of us who don't have the habit of putting wine in a wineskin, this parable may be difficult to understand) <br />The meaning of this illustration is that Jesus is the one who brings a completely new life and way of life to people, and those who believe in Jesus Christ cannot remain the same as they were before they met Jesus. <br />This means that you cannot receive the life of Christ while maintaining your old lifestyle. <br />When you accept Jesus Christ into your life, you are no longer the center of yourself. <br /><br />If we are the center of ourselves, we will always try to find our worth by boasting to others about our own righteousness and abilities. <br />Therefore, even acts of faith such as prayer and fasting will become a means of boasting and showing off to others. <br />However, once we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and truly make Him the center of our lives, we no longer have any reason to be proud of ourselves. Because there’s no need to do that anymore. <br />Since Christ is the one to be worshiped, believers in Christ will not find self-value (value of their existence) by boasting their own deeds or abilities. <br />When this happens, prayer, fasting, and the worship we offer will become acts of heartfelt joy and gratitude. That joy will become the light of faith, and will surely illuminate those around us. <br />If we are rejoicing in our new life in Christ, then the worship we offer should also be one filled with gratitude and joy. And people will naturally be drawn to such worship. <br />By encountering Jesus Christ, believing in Him, and allowing Him to live in our hearts, we can no longer remain in our old selves. <br />Rather, the "old wineskin" of our old "self" was broken through the Lord Jesus Christ. <br />Let us live a life centered on Christ and walk the path of a new life led by Christ.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-31629431925904525322024-02-24T11:16:00.001+09:002024-02-24T11:16:37.765+09:00Sunday Worship Service February 25, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Zephaniah 3:17 <br />Hymn JBC # 26 We praise You, O God, our Redeemer <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />The Lord’s Supper <br />Offering <br />Scripture 2 Corinthians 1:23~2:11 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “You would all share my joy” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 437 The trusting heart to Jesus clings <br />Doxology JBC # 673 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br /><br /> Let us hear God's message together today from a passage in the New Testament from the ‘Second Epistle to the Corinthians’. <br />The letter written by the evangelist Paul to the congregation of the church in the Greek city of Corinth is still with us today as part of the Bible, the book of faith for Christians. <br />Many letters written by Paul, and others too, are included in the New Testament. Why were those letters, which at first glance appear to have very personal matters, preserved in the Bible? <br />Why were the letters written by Paul and others actually preserved in the Bible as "God’s letters," so to speak, from God to many people? <br /><br />The Bible, besides today’s passages too, was actually written by many other people (believers in God). <br />Some of them (or most of them) may not have imagined that their writings would later remain as "the Bible," as the book of the Christian faith. <br />But God intended for His Word to be recorded as the Bible through the hands of the faithful people. <br />At times, the records or letters could be very personal or human in nature, such as in today's passage. <br />It shows that God was at work (intervening) in the midst of the real lives of the believers of that time, in the midst of the problems, troubles, and sufferings they actually faced. <br />How God was involved with them in the midst of their lives, how God was involved with each individual's life, is actually handed down to us today in the form of the "Bible," a document written by human beings. <br /><br />The Corinthian church had many problems. God did not say, "Those problems are none of my business; let the people solve them among themselves." <br />Our God, as communicated in the Bible, is with us in the midst of our lives. God is with us in the various problems, worries, and sufferings we face. <br />Therefore, we should not think, "God is so high and mighty that He is not interested in my little problems," but rather, we should be honest and can say anything before God about everything. <br /><br />As Christians, we can pray that "May the Lord God guide me in all my life, and may His glory be seen in the way I live and in the place in which I live." <br />Today's passage reveals that there were some problems and tensions between Paul and the congregation of the Corinthian church. <br /> As a background of today's passage, Paul had hoped to visit the Corinthian church, but for some reason he had postponed his visit. <br /> We do not know the details, but today's passage reveals some of the reasons for Paul's postponement of his visit to the Corinthian church. <br /><br /> In verse 1:23, it is written as the following: <br />23 I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. <br /><br /> Paul claims "I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it" that he is postponing his return to Corinth not for his own sake, but for the sake of the Corinthian church.<br /> He says, "I will not to go to Corinth now, because I think of you and love you." <br /> Paul seems to be making a very bold statement when he says, "I call God as my witness." <br /> But it seems to me that this is not so much "God will prove me right," but rather a humble attitude before God, saying, "If I am wrong, let God correct my mistake." <br /> In verse 24 it is written as the following: <br />24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. <br /><br /> The Corinthian Church was established by Paul's evangelism. Paul can be called the founder of the Corinthian church, but he says even he never controls the faith of each member of the church. <br /> It means that Paul, who was the founder and leader of the church too, was not different from each member of the church in terms of the position before God, and they were equal. <br /> That is why he says, "we work with you for your joy." <br /><br />And when Paul says "it is by faith you stand firm", he acknowledges the faith of each member of the Corinthian church who stands in faith in Christ.<br /> I hope that we in the church today will not be in a relationship where we try to control each other's faith (imposing our own faith and beliefs on others), but rather cooperate and serve each other for the joy of one another. <br /> And I also desire for us to recognize the faith of others who "stand firm in the faith of Christ" and to respect one another. <br /> When Jesus healed people of their illnesses, He often said, "Your faith has saved you." <br /> For example, in Mark 5, Jesus healed a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. <br /><br /> In the crowd, the woman quietly came up behind Jesus and touched his clothes. The woman firmly believed that if she touched even his clothes, she would be healed. <br /> The woman was immediately healed. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you." <br /> It was Jesus who healed her. Jesus could have said, "I healed you. I saved you." But instead Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you." By saying that He recognized faith on the part of the human being, the desire to seek God. <br /> Jesus taught us (and Paul's words in today's passage too) that we are to recognize each other's faith, and that brothers and sisters who stand by faith should respect each other. <br /><br /> It is a little bit long, but let us read verse 2:1-4. <br />1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? <br />3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. <br />4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. <br /><br /> We can only speculate on the details, but it seems that Paul wrote and sent another letter to the Corinthian church than the ones preserved in the Bible. <br /> In verse 4, we read that Paul wrote that letter "with many tears". This was because he wanted the Corinthians to know the deep love that Paul had for them. <br /> Paul may have wished that he could go to Corinth right now to talk directly with the Corinthians and resolve misunderstandings and other problems. <br /> But God had given him the feeling that "now is not the time to go”. <br /> We, too, may not always be able to do what we wish. Perhaps this is because God is urging us to be patient, saying, "Now is not the time." <br /> Rather than our own thoughts and desires, we should seek the best time and way to do whatever we do through prayer and the Word of God, and through prayer and conversation among brothers and sisters of the same church. <br /> Chapter 2 verses 5 through 11, writes about a person who has committed some offense in the Corinthian church. <br /><br /> According to verse 6, the person had already been punished in some way. Paul, in verses 7-8, said the following: <br />"7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him." <br /><br /> When someone was hurt by someone or when they are victimized by someone else, I do not think that even Christians or churches can simply say to that person, "Let's forgive others of their sins." <br /> No one can force a hurt person to heal his/her feelings and take a step toward forgiveness. <br /> So how are we to think about "forgiveness" and "forgiving others" in today's passage and in many other places too in the Bible? <br /> In today's passage, "you ought to forgive and comfort him" in verse 7 is addressed to the church, saying "you" in plural. It means that “Forgive and comfort him" is an exhortation to the whole church. <br /> As a church, as a gathering of those whose sins have been forgiven by Christ and as a member of the church, are entrusted by God to do this act of forgiveness as well. <br /> I do not think there is a simple answer in the Bible that tells us how to forgive. <br />But let us first remember that we have received great forgiveness from God through the cross of Jesus Christ, through which our sins are forgiven. <br />Then, can we pass on to others the forgiveness we have received from Christ? <br />There seems to be a great suggestion (hint) about our forgiveness in the words of today's verse 10. Let me read verse 10 for everyone. <br /><br />10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, <br /><br /> Here Paul says, "I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake." <br /> I believe this means "Christ has forgiven" and "Christ, through me, has forgiven." <br /> Love and forgiveness have been given to us abundantly through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Having been given Christ's love and forgiveness, we, as His church, are entrusted by God to share that love and forgiveness with others. <br /> The source of both love and forgiveness is Jesus Christ. The joy of being loved and forgiven by Christ is shared throughout the church. <br />As we share in Christ's love and forgiveness, we hope that His love and forgiveness will spread to others through us, and we will live our life of faith step by step.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-24927230081309602882024-02-17T15:14:00.001+09:002024-02-17T15:14:33.479+09:00Sunday Worship Service February 18, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Leviticus 19:2 <br />Hymn JBC # 120 Praise to the Lord Almighty <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Testimony <br />Scripture Luke 5:27~32 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Call sinners to repentance” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 321 Years I spent in vanity and pride <br />Doxology JBC # 673 <br />Postlude <br /><br /><br />Today’s passage starts with, “After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him.” <br />At the beginning of Luke 5, we read that Simon (Peter), who was fishing as his job, and James and John, Simon's friends (or co-workers), were called by Jesus, and they "left everything and followed Jesus" (Luke 5:11). <br />In today’s passage too, we see another person (a tax collector named Levi) whom Jesus tells to “follow me.” Levi left everything and followed Jesus as same as Simon and others. <br />Let’s listen to the message of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, from today’s passage. <br /><br />Jesus saw Levi the tax collector sitting in the tax booth. How did Jesus view (see) this man at this time? <br />The same event as today’s passage is also recorded in Matthew 9. In Matthew the tax collector is referred to by the name Matthew, the very same name of the person who wrote the gospel of Matthew. <br />Whether or his name was actually Levi, Matthew, or even if there are two names recorded but he was actually the same person is unclear. <br />This is because not enough information is given in the Bible for us to know for sure. <br />However, we do know about how people who were called tax collectors at the time were. <br />The glossary of the Japanese translation of bible that we use at our church (The New Interconfessional translation) describes the following about tax collectors. <br /><br />Tax collectors: A position entrusted by Roman government or feudal lords (for example Herod Antipas in Galilee) to collect taxes. <br />Not only did these people work for their foreign, Gentile rulers, but these tax collectors would also often demand more than the designated tax amount for their own personal gain. As such, the tax collectors were hated by the Jews and they were regarded as "sinners" as well." <br /><br />With this information in mind, we can imagine that Levi, or Matthew, was likely this type of person. Tax collectors were viewed by the Jews as traitors who served their foreign rulers. <br />We can also imagine that Levi may have lined his own pockets by taking more than the designated tax amounts from his fellow Jews. <br />However, was Levi really that type of tax collector? Since we have information that states that tax collectors of the time were this type of person, it’s natural to think that he was that way as well. <br />However, we do not actually have any proper information about what type of person Levi was. It may be that while many other tax collectors were profiting from unjust gains, Levi may have been collecting only the designated amount. <br /><br />What I am trying to tell you is that we often only have a very superficial (one-sided) view of a person when we think about and evaluate what kind of person he or she is. <br />We often have the tendency to judge people easily based off of what people generally think, or do to things we may have heard, or even due to one or two events or mere impressions. <br />However, people are complicated. One person has various different sides to them. I think we understand how jumping to overly quick conclusions about what type of person someone is can be connected to divisions among us. <br />We, with our limited abilities (and our prejudices), are often unable to see people as they are and judge them correctly or accept them. <br /><br />However, God is not like this. In today’s passage, our God’s son Jesus Christ “sees” Levi sitting in the tax booth. It means that God Jesus Christ had a good look at this Levi and knew all about what type of person he was. <br /><br /> God knows everything about us. Unlike us, He knows even the inner workings of our hearts. <br />In 1 Samuel Cht.16 in the Old Testament, King Saul disobeys God, and was removed as king. The prophet Samuel then searches for the next king. <br />The Lord God leads Samuel to invite a person named Jesse and to choose the next king from his sons. <br />Samuel first tries to judge Jesse’s sons by their physical appearance, thinking the strong looking ones would make a good king. <br /><br />However, the Lord told Samuel the following: <br /> “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” <br />Jesus looked at Levi with this same godly perspective. Even now, Jesus looks at us not in the way that people look at things, but in God’s way of looking at things. <br />Therefore, we can rest at ease. No matter what our situations, no matter what people may think of us (even if we are misunderstood or overestimated), God understands us accurately. <br />From Jesus’ perspective, what must Levi have looked like? What type of tax collector was Levi actually? Like I mentioned before, we have no way of knowing for sure. He may very well have been an honest and diligent tax collector. <br /><br />However, the opposite could also be true. He could have been a much worse and more corrupt tax collector than all of the others. <br />What did Jesus say to Levi? Jesus calls to Levi and says “Follow me.” <br />Jesus calls to Levi and says “Follow me. Follow me and become my disciple.” <br />This was not because Levi was a good person (or a diligent tax collector). Nor was it because Levi was a bad person (a corrupt tax collector). <br />Regardless of what type of person Levi was, Jesus told him to “Follow me.” Regardless of how Levi was, he was the object of God’s love whom Jesus must call to follow him. <br /><br />In other words, regardless of who we are, we are all invited (called) to follow Jesus Christ. All of us are called to accept God’s love and live obeying God. <br />In this way we are all as Levi or Matthew. Jesus still now and always calls all of us to follow Him. <br />If we heard Jesus calling us, then we should obey and follow Him. <br />Levi left everything to follow Jesus when he was called. <br />He was so joyful. He was so joyful that he invited Jesus to his home and held a great banquet, inviting other tax collectors and many other people. <br />Things that bring us happiness and joy ought to be shared. We want to share our happiness and joy. This feeling is also a gift given to us by God. <br /><br />But, there were also those who did not take joy in this situation. While the tax collectors were celebrating with Jesus and His disciples at the banquet, there were others who were displeased and complained about it. <br />They were the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They were rigid in their interpretation of scripture and strict in living righteously according to the law (however, as I mentioned earlier, we need to be careful of making overgeneralizations even here too). <br />Here we see the Pharisees and teachers of the law making an effort to live righteously. In order to do so, they decided it was wrong to mingle with tax collectors and other sinners. <br /><br />They said the following to Jesus’ disciples: <br /> “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” <br /><br />This is how Jesus responds to them (5:31-32) <br />“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” <br />How did the Pharisees and teachers of the law receive Jesus’ words? <br />They may have not understood what He meant. We (Christians) may also not understand the full weight of Jesus’ words. <br />Even though we have lived selfish lives of sin separate from God, He forgives us and shares a meal with us (sharing a meal showed a desire for companionship and living life together). Jesus Christ is with us. <br />People who live righteously before God do not need Jesus Christ’s salvation. However, does such a person even exist? <br />The understanding that not a single person is righteous before God is the basis of the Christian faith from the Bible. <br />We must listen to Jesus calling us to follow Him and obey. <br />When we live obeying that Christ’s calling, we receive true joy and peace in living together with God. <br /><br /> After meeting the resurrected Christ after he was crucified and rose again, Paul was changed into an evangelist of Christ’s gospel and said the following: <br />Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15) <br />“sinners-of whom I am the worst” ~ I believe it is fair to say that this confession is one of the great attainments of our faith as Christians. <br />“sinners-of whom I am the worst” ~ These are not words born of a comparison between oneself and others, but words that a believer can only confess in that way when we look single-mindedly to Christ and truly understand His love and forgiveness. <br />Let us daily follow Jesus' call to "follow me”. Let us rejoice from our heart in the grace of Jesus who eats with us and lives with us.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-40654424780170921702024-02-10T14:05:00.001+09:002024-02-10T14:05:25.379+09:00Sunday Worship Service February 11, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship 2 Corinthians 12:9 <br />Hymn JBC # 215 Go to dark Gethsemane <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Testimony for membership transfer <br />Scripture Exodus 4:1~17 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Sign that God provides” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 297 I hear the Saviour say <br />Doxology JBC # 673 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br /><br />Today, we will listen together to God’s message from the Old Testament’s [book of Exodus]. <br />The Lord God chose the man Moses as the leader to lead out the Israelites from Egypt where they spent a life of slavery. <br />In today’s scripture, Moses answers God [What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say “The Lord did not appear to you”]? <br />“They” refers to the Egyptians primarily Pharaoh the king of Egypt. Prior to this, God told Moses [Go to the king of Egypt and tell him that you will lead the Israelites and leave Egypt] <br /><br />God personally revealed Himself, talked to Moses, promised [I will be with you], even encouraged him and yet Moses hesitated. <br /> What is Moses so afraid of? Surely, the king of Egypt is (an absolute) a big authority. <br />To stand before someone so powerful, much more to ask that king [please let the Israelites flee from Egypt] must have needed a great courage. <br /><br />However, God was with Moses. If Moses could have paid attention to God’s magnificence and power, he shouldn’t have feared, hesitated and refused God’s command to this extent. Nevertheless, what was Moses so afraid of? <br />It seems that one of the things that Moses was afraid of was the matter of “change”. If we think of it, Moses had lived as a shepherd for 40 years until then. <br />Moses didn’t want to live such life. By wondrous fate, Moses, born into a Hebrew family was taken in by the princess of Egypt and brought up in Egypt’s king’s palace. <br /><br />However, when Moses was 40 years of age, wanting to help an Israelite who was his countryman, killed an Egyptian that oppressed that man. <br />For that reason, Moses whose life was sought after by the Egyptian king, fled from Egypt, got married in the land of Midian, had children and there, lived the life as a shepherd. <br />Detailed matter on what sort of life did Moses have for 40 years in the land of Midian is not written in the bible. <br />If we try to imagine the 40 years that Moses lived in the land of Midian as a shepherd (also as a husband and father), there must have been some hard times but certainly there must have been many happy moments as well. <br /><br />In my opinion, we can also imagine that to Moses, his life as a shepherd in the land of Midian was settled and happy. <br /> God’s command to Moses was a demand to give up entirely the life that he (Moses) got used to. It was one that required a great “change” to Moses’ way of life itself. <br />As expected, we feel secured if we remain in a condition that is settled and got accustomed to. In various meanings, it requires energy to “change”. <br />However, if God commands and guides us, it is my prayer that we can accept “change” fearlessly more than the settled one that we got used to. <br />And it seems that there was also another factor that made Moses so afraid of change besides turning his back from the life that he became accustomed to. <br /><br />It is his age. Moses was brought up in Egypt’s king’s palace, at the age of 40 fled Egypt, went to the land of Midian and there spent his life for 40 years as a shepherd. <br />That means, in today’s scripture, when God revealed Himself to Moses and commanded him [Go to the king of Egypt and tell him that you will lead the Israelites and flee Egypt], Moses was 80 years old. <br />To my idea, it’s no wonder if Moses would think [At this age, it’s impossible for me to be the leader of such numerous Israelites, go to the king of Egypt and persuade him.] <br />However, if God uses us even at old age, it’s strength rather than weakness. <br /><br />In today’s scripture, God asks hesitating Moses [What is that in your hand?] What Moses had in his hand was a rod (walking stick). <br />The fact that Moses held a stick demonstrates that he was of old age, and I think it’s also a symbol. <br />God commanded Moses to cast that stick on the ground. Then the stick became a serpent, Moses wondered and fled from it. <br />God said to Moses, “Put out your hand and take the serpent (changed from stick) by the tail”, and as Moses did so, the serpent turned back to stick as it was. <br /><br />God said (v. 5) [If you do this, they will believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has appeared to you.] <br />It says that a stick turns to serpent by God’s power which serves as a sign and becomes apparent that “God has used Moses”. <br />At this point, I think the first “sign” that God initially showed Moses, by using the stick that was in his hand has a profound meaning. <br />Even the stick, which is a sign of old age, that is, even the aged Moses will be greatly used if used by God. <br />In my opinion, being old to Moses was one reason to hesitate in obeying God’s command, however, it is well to bring before God as is even the weak point that we consider. <br /><br />It is my prayer that we walk a life of faith believing that if we bring even our weaknesses before God, He will greatly use them far beyond our thoughts. <br /> After that, God also showed a sign letting Moses to put his hand into his bosom and that hand became leprous, and when he put back his hand into his bosom, his hand was restored. <br />Again, in verse 9, in case the Egyptians won’t believe even with those two signs, God moreover provided a sign that the water of Nile River will turn into blood. <br />God provides all things that we need. Let us walk the life of faith trusting God who gives or provides the things that we need when it’s necessary. <br /><br /> And yet, however, although the Lord God had provided so many signs, Moses couldn’t obey and refuses God’s calling. <br />Let me read the words of Moses in verse 10. <br /><br />10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” <br /><br />Moses said [Basically, I am not good at speaking. I’m not good at talking. You command me to go and talk to the king of Egypt, but still, I’m not a good talker.] <br /> In my opinion, here is demonstrated our figure that set the limits of our own abilities by ourselves, saying “I can’t do this”, and underestimate ourselves whom God plans to use. <br />Hence, the Lord said to Moses as follows. <br /><br />11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” <br />We can do things more than we think through the Lord’s help and guidance. <br />The Lord himself promises here that He will teach us what we must speak, what to do or should say. <br />I think the real reason why Moses hesitated so much to obey God’s command was because he couldn’t believe in himself. <br /><br />Thinking that he wasn’t that young anymore, that he didn’t have the ability, etc., Moses couldn’t believe in himself. <br />The important thing here is that we don’t remain in a condition where “we can’t believe in our self” but to believe God more than our own. To believe God who uses us is important more than our self. <br /><br />If we just believe ourselves or our own ability, and try to believe only our own, there eventually is just limit and despair. <br />However, when we rely on and acknowledge the magnificence of God who uses us and not looking at ourselves, great thing far beyond our imagination becomes possible (through God’s power). <br /><br />Jesus says as follows. John 14:12. <br /> 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. <br /><br />When we believe the Lord God, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can do magnificent work as Jesus did. <br /> We can walk the life of faith by believing and relying on God who gives us such strength. <br /><br />In fact, in today’s passage, Moses still opposed God and said [Pardon your servant Lord. Please send someone else.] (verse 13) <br />It is written in verse 14 that even God was angry at this. However, God is of everlasting love. <br />Even as He was angry, God told Moses [I will send to you Aaron your brother who speaks well, for you who is not good at talking]. <br />God promised that He will send Aaron, Moses’ brother as his speaking partner in place of him. <br /><br />Just as Moses will be to him as God, he shall entrust God’s word to Aaron, and Aaron who is entrusted that word shall tell the people, they were introduced to each other by God as brothers of faith to help one another. <br />Even us don’t walk the path of faith alone. We never do even evangelism by oneself. <br />As each one make the most of each other’s spiritual gift given from God, while we respect, support and complement each other, let us walk the life of faith and do evangelism as well to spread the kingdom of God. <br /><br />The church is a gathering of such brothers/ sisters of faith, a family of faith. Just as God had introduced Aaron to Moses, similarly, church’s brothers and sisters are given as family of faith that should help one another. <br />As one of this family of faith provided by God, let us respect one another and walk together the life of faith even from now on. bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-80677122086174687482024-02-03T18:19:00.001+09:002024-02-03T18:19:28.429+09:00Sunday Worship Service February 4, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Psalm 32:5 <br />Hymn JBC 94 We are called to be God’s people <br />Prayer Time <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 5:17~26 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Jesus saw their faith” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 296 I saw the cross of Jesus <br />Doxology JBC # 673 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br /><br />The Bible features many kinds of people. People really are all so different in many ways. <br />There are many of these people written about in the Bible, people who are all different and who, through all sorts of circumstances, receive God’s grace and are changed. <br />Some people come before God and repent of their sins. Some people are moved by meeting with the true God, and receive faith anew. <br />However there are also some people who, rather than believing in God, refuse to break out of their shell. <br />In today’s passage (Luke 5:17~26), we see many different people. Firstly, we see Jesus, teaching people about the Kingdom of God through the Bible. <br /><br />It is written that the Pharisees and teachers of the law were seated there, where Jesus was. <br />The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were well versed in the Scriptures of the time (the Old Testament), learning, studying and strictly following the precepts written in the scriptures. <br />While Jesus was there teaching about the Kingdom of God, he also healed people of their sickness. However, although this passage does not say how many of these sick people were there, we can assume that there were many there suffering afflictions. <br />Then there was a paralyzed man lying on the floor, and the people who had carried that man to where Jesus was. (In chapter 2 of the gospel of Mark, where it talks about the same story, it says “four people” carried the paralyzed man to where Jesus was) <br /><br />Paralysis is a condition that is the after-effect of an illness such as a stroke, where feeling is lost in the body and it can’t be moved. <br />The people who brought the paralyzed man, most likely his friends or family, were desperate to bring him to Jesus. <br />They tried to bring him into the building where Jesus was but it was too crowded to bring him in, so they climbed up to the roof and removed the roof tiles. <br />Then they lowered the sick man down to the floor, in front of Jesus in the middle of the crowd. I think there must be people who are familiar with this Bible story, who have read this passage many times. <br />The actions of these people who brought the paralyzed man are truly astonishing. No matter how desperate they were to carry this man to where Jesus was, climbing up to the roof and removing the roof tiles is extreme. <br /><br />If our church was too full for someone to enter in the usual way, so they climbed to the roof and broke through the ceiling to come in, what would we do? <br />Perhaps we would do our best to try to stop them before it came to that. <br />When Jesus saw those people, what did Jesus think (or what did he say)? In verse 20 it is written “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”” <br />These people behaved in way that we could not imagine doing. Even so, from Jesus’ point of view, these people’s actions were seen as “faithful”. <br /><br />That is, they were convinced that these people had that only Jesus could heal the root cause of his illness, and that they must bring the paralyzed man to meet Jesus now. <br />If that wasn’t the case, they would have thought “There are too many people, we can’t do this today, let’s try again another time”. <br />But, for whatever reason, the thought that “Now is the time, if we let this chance go there may never be another chance for him to be saved” must have come to them from God. <br />I think even these people must have hesitated at climbing the roof and removing the tiles. However, tiles can be put back after they’ve been removed. The part that’s broken can be repaired later. <br /><br />If people get angry at you, you can apologize to them profusely. However, the instinct that now was the time to meet Jesus, hear his teaching and receive healing and salvation, surely that instinct was given to them. <br />There may be times when we too feel the call that “Now is the time”, lead by the Holy Spirit. <br />“Now is the time to have faith in God”, “Now is the time to make this decision”, “Now is the time to tell them about God”, or “Now is the time to invite them to church”, etc. <br /><br />If you feel callings like this, shouldn’t we have faith in God and, by his power, obey these callings and make them a reality? <br />Jesus saw these peoples’ faith and said “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” <br /><br />These words from Jesus should surprise us. There were others (perhaps doctors) who had the gift of healing, others who were healing people of illness. <br />There was no issue (problem) at the time for Jesus to be healing people of their illnesses. That was considered to be an ability that ordinary people could have. <br />However, the forgiveness of sins was something that only God could do. The legal scholars and Pharisees were right to think “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”, as is written in verse 21. <br /><br />Grammatically, the phrase “your sins are forgiven” is in the passive voice. People’s sins must be forgiven by someone else. <br />And, just as the legal scholars and Pharisees were saying, it is God is the one who can forgive sins. <br />At the beginning of this sermon, I said “the Bible features many kinds of people”. There are the people who, wanting to bring the paralyzed man to meet Jesus, believing that He had a special power, brought the paralyzed man to where Jesus was. <br /><br /> There are also the legal scholars and Pharisees who, when they heard Jesus say “your sins are forgiven”, said “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (and possibly became angry). <br />They certainly thought that in their hearts, as is written in today’s passage. Since Jesus was the Son of God, he understood what they were thinking in their hearts. <br /><br />Then Jesus said the following. <br /> “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” <br /><br /> If Jesus only said “Get up and walk”, and the paralyzed man was healed and got up and walked and that was the end of the story, what would happen then? <br />Perhaps people would have been happy that the paralyzed man was able to walk, gone around praising Jesus telling people of his amazing gift for healing, and no one would have been upset. <br />However, by saying “your sins are forgiven”, something that only God could say, it was inevitable that he would be criticized by the Pharisees and legal scholars in particular. <br />Even so, Jesus said to the paralyzed man from the beginning “your sins are forgiven”. <br /><br />The reason for that is that the “forgiveness of sins” is the most important part, and is something that all of us need. <br />The forgiveness of sins is where those who’ve turned away from God to live lives their own way are forgiven for turning their back on God, and welcomed back into relationship with God. <br />If one doesn’t have such peace with God, even if the disease is cured and the body seems healthy, the sin remains as a deep rooted problem of the soul. <br /><br />Continuing this way means there will always be an unease, all the time, wherever you are, living without peace in your soul ~ this is the message Jesus was trying to convey. <br />However accepting the One who has the authority to forgive sins, that is, believing in Jesus Christ and living in Him, you can receive the true peace that is the forgiveness of sins. <br /><br />Isn’t this message, which Jesus was desperate to convey even if he would be heavily criticized and end up losing his life because of it, one that we should receive again today and believe? <br />After Jesus said this, He said to the paralyzed man “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” <br />So that the people there (particularly the Pharisees and legal scholars) would understand that the One who had authority to forgive sins was wielding that authority, He commanded the man to “get up”. <br />When He did this the man stood up before everyone, took up the mat he had been lying on, and went home praising God. <br />The man must have been happy that he was now able to walk. Even so, he went home “praising God”. <br />When people who have seen the works of God rejoice at God’s blessings, they come to praise God in this way. They give thanks to God, and sing God’s praises. <br /><br />Something I earnestly pray for as a pastor is that when everyone gathered here in Church goes home after worship, that they go home praising God. <br />I pray from the bottom of my heart that you receive the blessings of the Word abundantly through worship, and that you go into the new week praising God. <br />If we read the last verse in today’s passage, verse 26, the people there were all astonished, and began to praise God. <br />Faith in God was awoken in many people. Seeing the works of God’s grace, seeing the paralyzed man receive forgiveness of his sins and then stand up and go home praising God, many others came to believe in God and praised Him. <br />I think that even the people called Pharisees and legal scholars, who said “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy?”, saw these works of God through Jesus, believed in the Lord, and became people who praised God. <br /><br /> That part is not clearly written, however it does say that “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.”, so it should mean that the Pharisees and legal scholars too (or at least some amongst them) became people who praised God. <br />Receiving the Word of God, seeing the works of God and rejoicing, aren’t these things that we share amongst ourselves too? Aren’t the works of God changing us as well? We pray that this is the case. <br />Believing the words of Jesus when he declares “Your sins are forgiven”, when you follow the Word, that is when we receive the utmost joy through the grace of God.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-89964779035430971982024-01-27T18:03:00.002+09:002024-01-27T18:03:16.353+09:00Sunday Worship Service Jan.28, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Isaiah 25:1 <br />Hymn JBC # 80 Father, we love You <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />The Lord’s Supper <br />Offering <br />Scripture 2 Corinthians 1:12~22 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “God is faithful” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 495 Thy way, not mine, O Lord <br />Doxology JBC # 672 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br />Today's Bible passage is from the New Testament, in Chapter 1 of “The Second Epistle to the Corinthians”. It is a letter written by the Christian evangelist named Paul to the congregation of the church in the Greek city of Corinth. <br />The Corinthian church was established by Paul's mission. Paul's first trip to Corinth is described in the book of ‘Acts’ (Acts 18). <br />Chapter 17 of the Acts describes Paul's trip to Athens, Greece, before he went to Corinth. There, Paul tried to earnestly preach to the Athenian philosophers that Jesus Christ is the Lord. <br /><br />The Athenian philosophers, who at first listened to Paul with great interest, sneered at him and left when his talk turned to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, saying, "We want to hear you again on this subject.” (Acts 17:32). <br />The Athenian philosophers did not take seriously the important part of what Paul said (the resurrection of Christ). <br />However, it is written that even in Athens, some people believed what Paul said. There are those who hear the same gospel but believe it and those who do not. It is strange that even after hearing the same story, some people believe and others don’t. <br />In some cases, people do not believe at the time they hear the gospel, but they believe after a long time, much later. I guess it means that there is a time prepared by God for people to believe in and accept the Lord Jesus Christ. <br />Therefore, even if the results of evangelism do not appear immediately, even if we preach the gospel to our family, friends, and acquaintances and they do not believe us, even if we invite them to church and they do not come, we should believe that there is a time God has prepared and leave the results of our evangelism to God. <br /><br /> If we believe the gospel and preach it with the love of Jesus Christ, our work will never be in vain before God. <br />We wish to thank God for the blessing of being able to live the gospel and serve in the ministry of preaching the gospel. <br />After Athens, Paul went to Corinth. In Corinth, Paul faced great difficulties, such as being severly opposed by the Jews there. <br />However, as is written in Acts 18, many people in Corinth believed in Christ and were baptized after hearing Paul's words. <br />Even though many believed and became believers, at this time there was not yet a single large meeting place (church building) in Corinth (and probably in the other cities Paul visited, too). <br />People found places where they could gather, such as their own homes or auditoriums, and worshiped together. <br /><br /> The gospel of Jesus Christ brought people together, and gatherings to worship God together sprang up all over the place in that way. <br />I imagine that without church buildings as we have today, there would have been many hardships when people gathered to worship, which we do not understand today. <br />Now we have been given a nice church building. We are thankful that God has given us this wonderful church as a gift for worship and meetings. <br />We hope to be aware of our responsibility to continue to carefully maintain and care for this church building (and for the work of evangelism). <br />The first thing written in today's passage is that Paul's actions as an evangelist were "with integrity and godly sincerity…We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.” <br />Paul's conscience testifies and it is also his pride that he had conducted himself “with integrity and godly sincerity…relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace”. <br /><br />These words show us that through faith in Christ, we can have "pride”. <br />That pride is not a pride based on oneself. The pride that a Christian can take is a pride based on God's truth and God's grace, which transcends human thoughts and wisdom, human efforts and actions. <br />It may sound here as if Paul is boasting about their own actions (Paul and his companions who assisted him in the work of evangelism), but this is not the case. <br />The source of his pride is only the Lord God who saved him through Christ and reborn him into new life. <br /><br />If we, too, believe in Christ, and if we have been born again and received new life through Him, we will always boast in the Lord God and not in ourselves. <br />And we will always be able to act on the grace He gives us. By His grace we are kept alive, and by His grace we have the strength not to be afraid of anything. <br />The church in Corinth had many problems. There were disputes among the members of the congregation, and there were also many disagreements about how to live as Christians in practice. <br />As Paul dealt with each of these issues, he continued to talk about the importance of believers being united in Christ. <br />Whenever people gather, problems are bound to occur. It is the same in the church. However, problems are not the problem. The problem is how we deal with problems when they occur. <br />If a problem arises in the church, the important thing is whether we can work toward solving the problem, not with human thoughts or human wisdom, but with integrity and godly sincerity shown through the Bible, and with gratitude for God's grace. <br /><br /> Even if a certain problem cannot be solved immediately, even if it takes time, the grace and gospel of Jesus Christ will always be with us as always, so let us live our life of faith together, always receiving Christ's grace, even when things are difficult. <br />In today's passage, Paul seems to have been rebuked by the Corinthian church for one thing. <br />From what is written in verses 15-17, we can infer that Paul had left the Corinthian church once and was planning to come back to them again soon but was unable to make that second visit (postponed). <br />What does Paul say about it? Let’s read verses 18-20: <br /><br />18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. <br /><br />I know some of the wording is a bit hard to understand, but Paul says that the words they spoke, the Jesus Christ they proclaimed, were always "Yes" (It is true). <br />Paul had to change his plans to visit Corinth the second time due to certain circumstances. The Corinthian church criticized him for that. <br />Paul responded to these accusations by continuing to point proudly to the unchanging Jesus Christ. <br />Paul responded by pointing to Jesus Christ, not with detailed reasons or excuses, but by entrusting everything to the Lord. <br />Human beings, including Paul, are weak and sinful, and we are bound to make mistakes. <br />But we are given Jesus Christ, who will never change (in whom all of God's promises have been fulfilled). <br /><br /> Again, we can always make mistakes. When we make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge them and reflect on them (which is difficult to do though). <br /> But in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, all is already "Yes”. We can always be confident that the promises of God in Christ are eternally true and unchanging. <br />Verse 20 says, through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. <br />The word "Amen" means "It is true”. Through Jesus and in Jesus name, we can say (pray) "May all God's will be done, and it will be so.” <br /><br />In this way, we can always glorify the true Lord God. <br />In the last 21-22 verses of today's passage, we read: <br /><br />21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. <br />We are always firmly bound to Jesus. God has bound us firmly to Jesus. Nothing can separate us from Him. <br />God has given us a "spirit" in our hearts as well, which guarantees that we belong to Christ and are partakers of His gospel. <br />Our God is true and He never changes. The salvation event accomplished in Jesus Christ is eternally valid and true. <br />Let us walk the path of faith this week and every day in the sure hope of Jesus Christ given to us by God.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-55757333447697696352024-01-19T12:02:00.001+09:002024-01-19T12:02:08.992+09:00Sunday Worship Service January 21, 2024 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Micah 6:8 <br />Hymn JBC # 81 God, our Father, we adore Thee! <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 5:12~16 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Lord, if you are willing” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 494 Jesus, lover of my soul <br />Doxology JBC # 672 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br />Today's Bible passage is from the Gospel of Luke that tells a story of a man who suffered from leprosy all over his body and he cried out to Jesus. "Severe skin disease" (in Japanese translation) was traditionally translated as "leprosy." (as still in the NIV) <br />In the English translation, it is translated as “leprosy,” but as explained in the commentary, the fact is “The Greek word traditionally translated as “leprosy” refers to a variety of diseases that affect the skin.” <br />When this man saw Jesus, he bowed down to Jesus and asked, <br /><br /> “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” <br />“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” – this person was confessing who Jesus is. We could also say that it’s a confession of faith. <br /><br />Jesus healed many sick people and casted out demons from people, so this man must have heard rumors about Jesus from others. <br />When this man who suffered from severe skin disease saw Jesus, he fell on his face and called out to him, “Lord” and begged Him to “make me clean”. This expresses this man’s faith. <br />What is faith? What does it mean to believe in God? <br />Faith in God means believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, as testified in the Bible, as your Lord and Savior, and entrusting everything to Him. <br /><br /> Faith also means believing in God's omnipotence, believing that “God can do anything”. <br />The man who had this leprosy came before the Lord, saying, “If you are willing, you can make me clean. That’s who You are.” This man confessed his faith that he believes in Jesus as Lord. <br /><br /> “If You are willing” – this man acknowledged that Lord Jesus has the sovereignty. And after that he also clearly stated his own desire: “I want to become clean.” <br />Prayer is like this. Saying to God “If You are willing” and while believing He knows what’s best for us, we can express our desires to God clearly by saying, “I desire this”. That is prayer. <br /><br />Then, the word "becoming clean" that this man was talking about has the meaning of first, getting his illness cured. <br /> Chapter 13 of the Old Testament's book of Leviticus describes how skin diseases were diagnosed at that time, and how priests observed the affected areas of people with skin diseases. <br />It describes in detail how to determine whether a person is “clean” or “unclean” based on their symptoms after observing the affected area. <br />This may reflect the medical knowledge of that time. Considering the possibility of infection/contagion, the rule was that the person must be isolated depending on the symptoms. <br /><br />It was also determined that if the symptoms are cured, a person may be declared “clean” by the priest and vice versa (a person is declared “unclean” if the symptoms are not cured). <br />However, the terms “clean” and “unclean” are only judgments based on the symptoms of the skin disease. Supposedly, these terms were not used to imply the meaning of whether someone is sinning against God or not. <br /> However, people gradually came to believe that serious illness or disability was a punishment for sins against God by the person or someone in his or her family. <br /><br />Right now, we are reading the Book of Job during our Wednesday prayer meeting. Job was a righteous man who feared God and avoided evil. <br />However, one day Satan had a conversation with God. Satan said, “Job is living faithfully because God has given him abundant wealth and a family.'' <br />Then God allowed Satan to test Job. As a result, all of Job's children died in a disaster, and Job himself was infected with a severe skin disease all over his body. <br />Job, who was living a righteous life before God, because of Satan’s test lost his children and became seriously ill. <br />The book of Job is a book of faith that makes us think about human suffering in many ways. In any case, it is clear that Job's severe skin disease was not due to his sinful action against God. <br /><br />However, Job's friends blamed him, saying, “The reason you are suffering such a disaster is because you or your children have sinned.” <br />Whether an illness or a disability is a result of someone’s sin is not something that humans cannot say for certain or understand. <br />None of us can say for certain that a disaster, disease, or other unfortunate event is the result of a mistake or sin that we committed, and we should not judge others in that way too. <br /><br /> This man who was suffering from leprosy asked Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” <br />This person must have been suffering a lot from his illness. But more than his illness, I think what was most difficult for him was that he was constantly being called “unclean” because of his illness, and he was alienated from the community where he lived. <br />“Please tell me that even though I am suffering from a serious illness (or rather because I am in such pain), I am still clean and precious in Your eyes, O Lord” - this is what he desires from the bottom of his heart. <br /><br />Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Touching someone with a serious skin disease was something no one would do at that time. Jesus reached out his hand and gently touched the man who no one else wanted to touch. <br />Today, if there’s anyone who feel no one understands you or you feel left out, please believe that the gentle hand of Jesus that touched this person is also reaching out to each of us, including you. <br />And Jesus said to the man, “I am willing. Be clean!” Then, the man's severe skin disease was immediately healed. <br /><br /> No matter what other people say, and even though others call him “unclean”, because this man desired and believed that "if it is the Lord's will, I can become clean" he was healed. <br />If we do not pray, will God not grant our desires and needs? If I had to say, I would say the answer is yes. <br />God knows everything. He knows what’s best for us and what we really desire, even if we don't pray. <br />However, if we seriously think about what we want, desire it, ask it to God, pray, and experience that our prayers are heard by God, we can grow deeper in faith and gratitude to God. <br />Through the experience of having our prayers answered, our joy of faith and gratitude will increase, and we will be able to have even more joy in our relationship with God. <br />And the more we experience how God hears our prayers, the more passion and desire we have to let others know about our God who hears our prayers. <br />Asking other believers to pray for our issues/struggles is also connected to strengthening the bond of our faith. This is because the joy and gratitude of praying for one another increases through experiencing how God heard our prayers through other believer’s prayers. <br /><br />In this way, through earnest prayers, I hope we can strengthen the bond of faith among us and also deepen our faith and gratitude to God. <br />After Jesus healed the man of his leprosy, he said, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” <br />I mentioned at the beginning that Leviticus chapter 13 describes the criteria on how to determine whether someone is “clean” or “unclean” based on the symptoms of the skin disease. <br />In Leviticus 14, it is said that a person who has been cured of his symptoms and is considered “clean” should make an offering in a purification ritual. <br /><br />Jesus commanded the man to present himself to the priest, prove that he was clean, and make an offering for purification, according to the law that time. <br />In other words, Jesus commanded that person: “Go back to the community of faith, the community where you live with others.'' <br />This person’s desire was “to become clean”. This meant not only healing from illness, but also from the condition of being isolated to go back to living in community. <br />This person achieved what he had hoped for and was able to return to a life of “living with others,” which is necessary for all of us. <br />Jesus commanded the man not to tell anyone probably because he was worried what’s conveyed to people and emphasized was only the miraculous aspect of being healed (what’s visible and apparent). <br /><br />Yet, the news about Jesus spread all the more and a large crowd gathered. <br />However, the last verse of today's passage says that Jesus withdrew to a secluded place and prayed. <br />Jesus always put importance in the alone moment with God when He prayed in quietness to his Heavenly father. I think it was difficult for Jesus to find a place where he could be alone with so many people often gathered around him. <br />However, Jesus put importance in prayer time to God the Father, and he also put importance in knowing God's will for himself. <br /><br />And through prayer time, his intimate time with Father God, Jesus himself must have received God's love in abundance. That is why Jesus was able to give his infinite love to so many people, to us. <br />Let us also put importance in our prayer time to God, our time alone with God who is the source of love and power (the same source of love and power for Jesus too). <br />Also, let us cherish the times when we worship God together, believing together that there’s a Father God who will always listen to our desires according to His Will. <br />If we truly experience our faith and gratitude to God growing in this way, the joy of praying for each other and worshipping together, then through our church the God of Jesus Christ will be more exalted and the gospel of Christ will spread even more to those around us.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-49046003306052716162024-01-13T13:31:00.001+09:002024-01-13T13:31:47.502+09:00Sunday Worship Service January 14,2024 <br /><br />Call to Worship John 8:29 <br />Hymn JBC # 260 Set my soul afire, Lord <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Exodus 3:13~22 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “This is My Name Forever” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 86 O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder <br />Doxology JBC # 672 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br /> Today's scripture is the second half of Exodus chapter 3 in the Old Testament. Moses, a Hebrew who grew up in the royal palace in Egypt, came of age and killed an Egyptian in order to protect his fellow Hebrews. <br /> This was brought to the attention of the king, Pharaoh, who then sought to put Moses to death, so Moses had to flee Egypt. <br /> Moses, out of his own sense of justice, probably thought he was trying to help his fellow Hebrews. <br />But in killing the Egyptian, Moses was guilty of sin, revealing his own arrogance and acting as if he were God. <br /><br />Yet, God had prepared a way out for Moses. God had prepared a way for Moses to begin a new way of life. <br />Moses fled to a region called Midian, where he married and had children. <br /> At the beginning of Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses and told him, "Lead my people (Israelites) out of Egypt, who are living in slavery and suffering. I will send you to Pharaoh.” <br />Moses, commanded by God to do so, replies in Exodus 3:11, <br />“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” <br /><br />Moses hesitated. He must have been terrified at the thought of going before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, a man of absolute power, and leading the Israelites out of Egypt. <br />“Who am I? Why must I go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" In fact, this Moses' fear and hesitation is common to all of us humans. <br /> Moses' first question was, "Who am I?” How would we ourselves answer this question? Do we even know who (what) we are? <br />One of the things the Bible teaches us is “who we are”. We discover who we are through the Bible and in our relationship with God. <br />Moses could never have imagined that he would be able to play such a pivotal role in leading the Israelites out of Egypt. <br /><br />Perhaps Moses had been haunted by his past, in which he had killed an Egyptian, albeit in defense of his fellow Hebrews, and had to flee Egypt. <br />Moses may have been spending his days with a resigned feeling, thinking that he would spend the rest of his life hiding in a foreign land to him. <br />But God had other plans for Moses. God chose Moses, and through Moses (by way of God's power), God was going to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. <br />Moses could not believe that he could do such a thing. But God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you...” (v. 12) <br /><br /> “I will be with you," "The people of Israel will recognize that the Lord God is with you (Moses).” God said that these will be the signs and evidence that He sent Moses. <br /> A new year is now here. What plans do you think God has for our church this year in 2024? <br />And what plans does God have for each of us? When God's path is presented to us, we may hesitate like Moses in today's passage. <br /> We may limit our own abilities, overlooking the abundance of God-given gifts and thinking, "I (we) can't do it.” <br /> But God is with us. That is a promise that will never change. Let us pray and seek God's will and plan, and trust in Him as we walk together the path He has shown us. <br /><br /> Moses says the following in verse 13 in today’s passage: <br /> Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” <br /> Moses thought, "If I go to the people of Israel and say, "God has sent me to lead you out of the land of Egypt," they will ask me, "What is the name of this God of yours?” <br /><br /> Thus God answered Moses with His name: “I am who I am.” <br /> “I am who I am" is a very mysterious name. The Hebrew text could also be translated, "I will be what I will be.” <br /> The name that God Himself revealed to Moses is so mysterious that I believe it is open to many interpretations. <br /> But what is certain for us is that God did indeed reveal His name to Moses. And the name "I am who I am" means that God does not depend on anything else for His existence. <br /> God is complete in Himself and was not created by anything else. God is the Creator who made everything in our world. The Bible consistently tells us this. <br /> Moses asked God, "Who am I?" Just like Moses, none of us truly know who (or what) we are. <br /><br /> As I said earlier, we can truly know ourselves only through a relationship with the Creator God who made us, through His (God’s) own eyes. <br /> If we look at ourselves only through our own eyes, we will only find a very unstable individual. We are unstable because we have no roots or foundation. <br /> But the Bible tells us that there is a God who made us, whose name is known to us, and whose name will never change. <br /> The fact that God's name will never change means that God himself will never change and will always be with us. It means that God will keep His promises forever. <br /> Isaiah 46:3-4 says the following. God made us and He will continue to carry us. <br /><br /> “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. <br />Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. <br /><br /> God made us and promises to carry and rescue us in times of need. Even when we fall, God will be there to help us up. <br />But this does not mean that there will be no hardships and difficulties in our lives. <br /> In today's passage too, God promises Moses, "I will be with you," but also says, "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.” <br /><br /> In other words, God always reassures Moses that He is with him, but He also makes it clear that the king of Egypt, whom he (Moses) is about to face, will not listen so easily. <br /> God is with us, but the path we walk is sometimes long and hard. <br /> However, as we navigate this long and hard path and overcome crises along the way, we gain a deeper understanding of God's unwavering power and love that surpass our own abilities and thoughts. <br /> God is with us. Therefore, let us live our days with peace of mind, trusting in God in the midst of difficulties and troubles. <br /><br /> God is with us. These words also describe the coming of Jesus Christ to this world as prophesied in the book of Isaiah. <br /><br />Isaiah 7:14 <br />Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. <br /><br /> “Immanuel" means "God is with us" in Hebrew. God has fulfilled what was already promised to Moses to all of us as well through the birth of Jesus Christ. <br /> God revealed His name ("I am who I am") to Moses, allowing him to tell others this name to show that God really appeared to him. <br /> We, too, have the steadfast name of God, the name of Jesus Christ, and the grace of Jesus Christ, given to each and every one of us. <br /> The questions “Where is God?" and "What is His name?" we can always answer, on the basis of the Scriptures. <br />We can answer with confidence, "A creator God really does exist," "God became a man and gave us everything we need in the form of Jesus Christ," and "God is always with us.” <br /><br />This confidence comes not from within us, but from the steadfast name of God and the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. <br />Let's thank God for the good fortune of being able to live each day with the confidence, security, and peace that comes through faith.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-7721861163622334362024-01-06T14:09:00.001+09:002024-01-06T14:09:25.500+09:00Sunday Worship Service January 7, 2024 <br /><br />Call to Worship Isaiah 55:11 <br />Hymn JBC # 3 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness <br />Prayer Time <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 5:1~11 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “But because you say so” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 506 ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus <br />Doxology JBC # 672 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br />We are worshipping today at our first Sunday service of the new year (2024). Let us cherish our worship in the new year too, listening to God's Word together and sharing God's Word through worship. <br />Today's bible passage is the first part of Luke Ch.5. Today's passage is the scene where Jesus makes Simon (Peter), and James and John His disciples. <br /> This scene of the first disciples being called by Jesus to become his disciples is also recorded in Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20. <br /> In those two passages (the passages in Matthew and Mark), it is stated relatively simply that Jesus called Simon and the others who were fishing, "Follow me," and they immediately followed him. <br /><br /> However, today's passage in Luke 5 describes an event not described in Matthew and Mark. <br />The story is about fishermen who fished all night and caught nothing, but when Jesus told them to fish again (at noon), they caught a huge amount of fish. Let us listen together to God's message through this passage. <br /> Jesus is standing by Lake Gennesaret. Lake Gennesaret is also called Lake Tiberias or Lake Galilee. <br /> As Jesus stood by the lake, the crowd surrounded Him to hear the voice of God. <br />Until then, Jesus had cast out evil spirits from those who were possessed by them and healed people suffering from various illnesses. Many people came to Jesus asking him to heal them of their illnesses or cast out evil spirits. <br /><br /> In today's passage, however, the large crowd surrounded Jesus in order to “listen to the word of God.” Some in the crowd might have expected Jesus to heal the sick or cast out demons. <br /> However, the most important thing Jesus wanted to share with people was the Word of God. The removal of suffering from disease and evil spirits was also an important work that Jesus did. <br />But still, Jesus' entire ministry was centered on making people aware of the Word of God, the gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God. <br />When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness in Luke 4, even though he was extremely hungry, Jesus countered the devil with the biblical words, "Man does not live by bread alone (man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord). <br />Jesus traveled from place to place, healing people's illnesses, casting out demons, and healing people's suffering, while he continued his ministry of bringing the Word of God to the people. <br /><br />And those who came in contact with Jesus must have gradually begun to understand what he was doing. <br />Gradually, people came to realize that “the most important thing he gives us is the Word of God.” <br />Thus, in today's passage, the crowd has gathered around Jesus to "listen to the word of God" from him. <br /> We too come to church with the desire to hear the Word of God. At first, we may have come to church for a variety of reasons and thoughts. <br /><br /> Some of you may have come to attend church because of the warm atmosphere, the feeling of something sacred different from the norm, or the wonderful music. <br />However, the center of the church is still always Jesus Christ and His Word (the Word of God). The Word of God is the treasure that we, the church, have received. <br />And people still gather in churches, after all, with the primary desire to listen to the Word of God (the Word, or the Gospel, which means the same thing). <br />Although the Word of God can be spoken throughout our worship services and through fellowship by faith (in other ways than actual words), the most obvious form in which the Word of God is spoken in the church is first the pastor's sermon (message). <br /> When I think about it, I am reminded once again that the pastor is charged with the task of speaking God's word, something that cannot be done by a human being, and it makes me feel very solemn. <br />Therefore, I would like to ask everyone to pray for your pastor so that I will not speak my own thoughts and ideas that are not the Word of God. <br />We gather in church because we believe that God will speak to us today, at this time. When we gather with that expectation and hope in faith, God will surely speak the words we need to hear today. <br />Let us be nourished by the Word of God and let us receive the strength to live each day by the Word of God. <br /><br /> In today's passage, the crowd was surrounding Jesus and listening to the Word of God, but there were people fishing nearby (to be exact, they had finished fishing and were washing their nets). <br /> They were Simon (who later received the name Peter from Jesus), James and John, who became Jesus' first disciples. <br /> While Jesus was speaking the Word of God to the people, they were washing fishing nets. Meaning that they were doing their job. <br /> We may get an impression that Simon and the others here are people who are still less interested in Jesus than the crowd that surrounded him and listened to the Word of God. <br /> They, too, may have wanted to hear Jesus speak, but they had a job to do at the time. <br /> Simon and his friends probably did not yet think at this time that the Word of God that Jesus was speaking was something they would have to listen to by interrupting their job. <br /><br />Jesus approached such Simon. Faith always begins with a call from God. <br />Jesus told Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” <br /> What Jesus said was against the common practice of fishing. For fishing was to be done at night. And on that day (night), Simon and his friends could not catch any fish at all so they were already washing their nets. <br /> Simon then replied, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything But because you say so, I will let down the nets." <br /> In the previous passage from Luke 4:38, Simon's mother-in-law was healed of her illness by Jesus. Therefore, Simon had seen healing by Jesus once. <br /> So Simon would have known that Jesus had special powers. But he may have also taken pride in the fact that he was the expert when it came to fishing. <br /><br />So, he said "we have already fished all night. (Fishing is done at night.) But we didn't catch anything” <br />In his heart, Simon must have thought to Jesus, "Sir, you may know a lot about the Bible and God, but you don't know anything about fishing. <br /> I believe that such a figure of Simon is applicable to us today. <br /><br />It means that although we believe in Jesus and value the Word of God, our faith is not really connected to our daily real life. <br /> Isn’t it that our faith in hearing God's word is confined to the church only? <br />Rather, does the Word of God govern all areas of our lives: job (at workplace), study (at school), and home? <br />I think Simon's words here pose such a question for us. <br /><br /> But Simon then added: He obeyed what Jesus said. <br />But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” <br /><br /> Although he probably did not expect to catch fish very much, Simon (Peter) must have also felt the special power of Jesus' words. He obeyed Jesus' words. <br /> Then so many fish were caught and the net almost broke. Another boat came, and the two boats were filled with fish. <br /> By obeying Jesus' words, they were able to catch an unthinkable amount of fish at noon, when fish were not supposed to be caught. <br /> Simon then said. <br /> “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” <br /> At first Simon called Jesus "Master (Teacher)”. By doing so, he was giving Jesus a certain amount of respect, but Jesus was not yet "Lord" over Simon's whole life and his life. <br /> But when he saw the power of Jesus' words, and the miracles that were given through obedience to those words, Simon had no choice but to call Jesus "Lord. <br /> Up to that point, Simon had respected Jesus and recognized his special power, but his center was still in his own. "I am the expert on fishing.Even Jesus does not know about fishing" he thought. <br /> But Simon understood (and believed) here. “This is my Lord. This is the One who controls everything in my life, including my work, and I must receive Him as the center of myself.” <br /> Let us today, together with Simon (Peter), renew our commitment to listen to Jesus' words, God's words, first and foremost, and to obey God's words. <br /><br /> Jesus also said this in another passage <br />(Matthew 6:33) <br />But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. <br /><br /> Let us listen to God's word, know God's will, and seek God's kingdom and His righteousness every day. <br />We are given all that we need (what we desire) by grace and blessing through a life of listening to God's word and practicing the God's word. That is the Bible’s promise.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-66053604256854084422023-12-30T16:00:00.002+09:002023-12-30T16:00:40.053+09:00Sunday Worship Service December 31, 2023 <br /><br />Prelude <br />Call to Worship Psalm 138:8 <br />Hymn JBC # 618 Living for Jesus <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Galatians 6:1~10 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Carry each other’s burdens” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 554 All the way my Saviour leads me <br />Doxology JBC # 671 <br />Benediction <br />Postlude <br /><br /><br />Today is December 31, 2023. It is the last day of the year. As this last day of the year (New Year's Eve) is a Sunday, we are spending the day by offering up a worship service like this. <br />This year, January 1 (New Year's Day) 2023, was also a Sunday, and we started our new year with a worship service as well. <br />So, this year has literally begun and ended with worship. My heart is filled with joy to begin the year by worshipping the Lord God and to end the year by worshipping Him. <br /><br />I believe that in this past year each of us and our church, if we look back and recall one by one, had many things happen. <br />I am sure you must have gone through many hard times, painful times, happy times, and unexpected times. <br />If I may share about my personal experience, I think the biggest event was when my eldest son left home in the spring for a job and started his work life. <br />He is now far away. However, I have not felt as much loneliness or had as great a change in how I feel as I first imagined I would. <br /><br /> Perhaps one reason I feel this way is that the ability to contact people is now so easy that one does not feel as distant from their loved ones who are physically far away. <br />However, I still remember and pray from him. The ability to pray gives us security through faith that we can rely on the God of Jesus Christ to protect and guide us wherever we are. <br />That is such a precious blessing. However, there are countries and regions in our world that are currently in the midst of violent wars, and many precious lives are being lost. <br /><br />In such a reality, I may be lying if I say that I have no hesitation at all when I talk about “God's love” or “God's grace”, or say words such as “It will be all right because God is with us.” <br /> But the Lord Jesus Christ has indeed come into our world. Christ was born into this world as a man. Last week we had a Christmas service to celebrate His birth. <br />Christ came into the world to atone for our sins. The wages of our sins, which we ourselves should have received, He took on our behalf. <br /><br /> In 1 Timothy 1:15 we read: <br /> Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners <br /><br /> We have been saved by Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can still have hope based on the salvation made possible by Jesus through the forgiveness of our sins. <br /> I thank God from the bottom of my heart that throughout this year too, we have been able to live our church and faith life together, protected by His love. <br />For the 2023 fiscal year, our church has been living under the motto “Serving with Love.” <br />The desire to serve God, specifically through service in the church, arose from within the church members themselves and therefore the motto “Serving with Love” was chosen. <br />The annual scripture is Galatians 5:13 which says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” <br /><br />In Galatians 5:1 it also says that “it is Christ who has set us free”. Jesus Christ has set us free from sin. <br />Christ has also set us free from the idea (and curse) that forgiveness could only be achieved by keeping the law, that is, that it could only be achieved by human effort. <br />The forgiveness of sins, God's salvation, comes to us free of charge simply through His love and grace. Believing in this makes us truly free. <br />However, in Galatians the Word tells us that even though we have been given such freedom, if we misuse that freedom, we indulge the flesh and sin. <br /><br />To “indulge the flesh” means that instead of serving one another, we would be hurting one another, and instead of cooperating and working together to help one another, we would be burdening one another. <br />What should we do to prevent this from happening? Let us hear about this from today's scriptures. <br />which the annual scripture was selected. <br />Today's passage begins with the following: <br />Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. <br /><br /> This is especially said for those who belong to the same community of faith and to the same church. It is a duty we owe to our family of faith, to our brothers and sisters of faith. <br />Even Christians can fall into sin. We can fall into sin without intending to. We can all go down the wrong path. <br />To such a person (a member of our family of faith), today's passage says, we have a duty to restore him or her to the right path with a meek (gentle) heart. <br />The right path is the path of faith that puts the Lord God first and walks according to Him, the path of Jesus Christ. <br />Even though each of us as believers in the way of Christ are still sinners and fallible, the path we must walk is still clear. <br /><br />Every day we strive to walk on the right path, which is Christ. <br />But no matter how careful we are, we sin because of our weaknesses, self-centeredness, and arrogance. <br />At such times, our family of faith can help, encourage, and exhort one another to return to the right path. <br />The right way (the way of Jesus Christ) is specifically a life of fellowship among believers who worship God together, share the Lord's body (the Lord's Supper), share the Lord's Word, and support one another by faith. <br /><br />Through worshipping God in that way, as verse 4 says, we can test our actions. <br />By seriously examining ourselves before God, we are reminded that there is nothing in us that makes us worthy of His love and forgiveness. <br />No matter how confident we are that our faith is deep and strong, we will never be able to maintain our faith and continue to grow on our own. <br />For we all stumble and sin. Therefore, I hope that we will continue to encourage each other to return to the right path of life through God’s forgiveness, which is the path of looking to Jesus Christ as Lord, testing ourselves, and repenting. <br /><br />Verse 2 of today's passage reads as follows: <br />Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. <br />We are commanded here to bear one another's burdens. We are called to encourage one another to return to the right path, and to remember the burdens (perhaps sin or weakness) of others and strive to carry them as our own. <br />None of us can carry our sins on our own. But if we take it as our mutual burden and bear it together, the burden will be lightened. <br />And at the root, we know that Jesus Christ, who forgives our sins and sustains us, is always with us. <br /><br />Peter, who was Jesus’ closest disciple, even said when he was with Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death” (Luke 22:31- ). <br />But Jesus knew. He knew that Peter, because of his weakness and sin, would betray Him in the end and run away. <br /><br />Jesus, anticipating Peter's betrayal, told him: <br />But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32) <br />I am sure that Jesus wanted to say to Peter, “I have already forgiven your sins. I have borne your sins. <br />I prayed that your faith would not be lost. So now strengthen your brothers.” <br />Jesus’ words and thoughts that were directed to Peter are also directed to us today. <br />When we seem to lose faith because of failure or despair, Jesus is praying for us now too. Praying for us, “May your faith not be lost.” <br />We have nothing to fear because we have Jesus’ words and His prayers. We want to always return to the right path, relying more on Jesus. <br /><br />The last verse of today's passage reads as follows: <br /><br />10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. <br /><br />The fact that we belong to the same church and live a life of faith together is truly due to God's mysterious arrangement and plan. <br />As through God’s guidance we have been made a part of God's family, we are urged here to bear one another's burdens and to do as much good as we can. <br />Our time together like this is still limited. Our earthly encounters and time do not last forever. <br />That may mean that there is an optimal time when we can bear each other's burdens, and it may also mean that since we are human, there will eventually come a time when we will part in one way or another. <br />Therefore, let us not take for granted that we can be together like this, that we can live a life of faith together, but let us cherish the fellowship that God has given us and serve one another in it. <br />We offer “Serving with Love” with the goal of further growing into such a community where we, united by faith in Jesus Christ, walk with one another, bear one another's burdens, and forgive one another, and we hope that we can continue to move forward in the new year 2024 in this way.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-10314087978708879972023-12-23T16:22:00.001+09:002023-12-23T16:22:45.825+09:004h Sunday of Advent/Christmas Worship Service December 24, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Jeremiah 31:3 <br />Lighting of the Advent Candle ~ Prayer <br />Hymn JBC 162 Angels, from the realms of glory <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />The Lord’s Supper <br />Christmas Skit “You are special” <br />Offering <br />Scripture 1 John 4:16~21 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Live in God’s love” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 157 O come all ye faithful <br />Doxology JBC # 671 <br />Benediction <br /><br /><br />In today’s passage in 1 John 4:16, we can see that “God is love”. <br />When we are asked who is God or what is God, how should we answer as Christians? <br />In response to the question “what is God,” the Bible clearly states that “God is love”. <br />Then what is love? Do we understand love? <br />Don’t most people believe that they have some concept of what love is, regardless of if they are Christian or not? What is love? It is to think of others and show them kindness. <br /><br /> It is prioritizing the benefit of others over your own. It is helping the weak and troubled. Do we not think of these types of things as love? <br />Putting aside whether we are able to put these actions into practice, the reality is that most of us think that we know what love is. <br />However, the Bible clearly states that “God is love”. This sentence does not mean that God is one love, or that God is one shape of love out of many. <br />The meaning of this sentence in the Bible is that God Himself is love, and the source of love. Everything we understand as love is flowing from the wellspring that is God”. <br />In other words, if you do not know God, you do not know what love is. <br /><br /> In which case, there is one more fundamental question that may occur in our mind. That is “what is God?” Besides the Christian God, there are many other gods that people believe in. <br />Does the Bible teach that these “various gods” are the source of love? No, it does not. The Bible teaches that God is the one who showed Himself to us through Jesus Christ. <br />The message of the Bible is that the God of the Bible, who appeared to us as Jesus Christ is the one true God. <br />In other words, the God of the Bible, who showed Himself in Jesus Christ, is love. <br />Christmas is when we remember that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be born into this world. Through Christ we were able to see true love and who God is. <br /><br />Therefore, 2023 years ago Jesus Christ being born into what is modern day Israel/Palestine is of utmost importance to us all humans. <br />Through the will and plan of our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ was born into this world for a clear purpose. <br />In the previous parts of today’s passage, in 1 John 4:9, the following is written: <br /> This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. <br />“His one and only Son” refers to Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to this world so that through Him we may be able to live. <br /><br />In order for us to have life through Him, God sent Jesus Christ into this world. <br />In other words, to live is to receive the love of God shown through Jesus Christ and to live in God. <br />To live means to live following the words of the Bible, knowing God’s heart, worshipping God, and living a prayerfully spiritual life. <br />First, we need to listen to God’s word to know Him. Then through dwelling on His word and experiencing receiving power from His word, we can (choose to) trust in His words as truth. <br />Those who trust in God in this way dwell in God (in God’s love). It means to resolute to continue to live in God’s love. <br />Those who are shown God’s love and dwell in it will have God dwell in them too, as is written in verse 16 of today’s passage. <br />If God is dwelling in that person, they will have no fear. This is what is written in verses 17-18. <br />17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. <br /><br />In other words, if you trust in God’s love and dwell in it, then there will no longer be fear in you. <br />The day of judgment is when every believer will have to stand before God and be questioned about and judged for their every action and word. <br />The day of judgment that the Bible speaks of is something we believers will all eventually face. However, none of us are perfect because we are flawed and make mistakes. <br />Therefore, no matter how upstanding the individual, no one can escape judgment before a perfect God. No matter who they are, they are unfortunately guilty before God. <br />However, if you believe in Christ, and live in Christ’s (God’s) love, Christ takes our judgment upon Himself, so there is no reason to fear. <br />Christmas is when we remember our Savior, who was born to offer His life in our place for the forgiveness of our sins. <br />Through our Savior, our sins are forgiven and we are shown limitless love. <br />Shall we not live walking in joy and thanksgiving after receiving of God’s love abundantly and being freed of fear? <br /><br />Let’s read verses 20-21 from today’s passage. <br /><br />20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. <br /><br /> It is wonderful to be loved by God. There is nothing as joyful than being loved by God. <br />God loving us means that He will take care of us and that we are precious to him. <br />In today’s worship, there will be a skit called “You are Special”. In this skit, Eli, the woodworker who creates the little people says the following: <br />“I created you, therefore you are valuable”. The Lord of Creation, our God, says the same to us, which is hard for us to comprehend. <br />We may know this in our head, but does the joy of that knowledge overflow in our hearts? Christians should think about this carefully. <br />The message of the Bible is that God loves us in our current state unconditionally because He created us. I hope that we can all accept and believe this (even if it takes time). <br />Today’s passage also states that those of us who have been loved so much have an obligation to love our brothers and sisters (friends and neighbors). <br /><br />”For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” <br /><br />These are very strict words. <br />Today’s passage teaches us that if we believe in and dwell in the love of Jesus Christ, we have no need to fear God’s judgment. <br />However, today’s passage also states that in order to tell if we are dwelling in God’s love, we look to how we love our brothers and sisters in our family of faith, as well as how we love the people around us. We should all think about the gravity of these words. <br /> However, God does not command us to do things that we cannot do. God knows that we do not have love in us. <br />Therefore, God’ gave us His son Jesus Christ and His love. Not of our own, but through the love of Christ, we can surely love people other than ourselves. <br />Through belief in Jesus and receiving His love, we can treasure other people around us, so let us start with small steps. <br /><br />This is slightly out of order in verses but let us look at verse 19 next. <br /><br />19 We love because he first loved us. <br /><br />God loved us first. Therefore, we are able to (or at least are supposed to be able to) love others. The Bible teaches us that we are able to take that step. <br />God loves us first and gives us everything. This is what Christmas is. God’s Son Jesus Christ was born for our sakes. <br />Through Christ our sins are forgiven, and we can stand before God (and man) without fear, and dwelling in God’s love let us walk willing to love our brothers and sisters in faith daily. <br />Let us give thanks with joy from the bottom of our hearts for the grace of Christmas.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-26024276475481180822023-12-17T06:59:00.001+09:002023-12-17T06:59:57.090+09:00Sunday Worship Service (3rd Advent) December 17, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Lamentation 3:22~24 <br />Lighting of the Advent Candle~Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 153 Lo, how a rose e'er blooming <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture 1 Peter 1:3~9 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 16 To God be the glory <br />Doxology JBC # 671 <br />Benediction <br /><br /> Today we are dedicating the worship service for the third Sunday of Advent, the period we await the birth of God's Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. <br />At the beginning of the service, the third Advent candle was lit and a prayer was offered. The meaning of the third candlelight is "joy. <br />Christmas is a time of great and true joy for all people. However, we know that there are many people in the world who are at risk of their lives every day, whether they are in a state of war or in a disaster. <br />We remember the many people who are not able to celebrate Christmas in peace, and we would like to give our prayer for them. We pray that the war and hatred between people will stop as soon as possible. <br /><br />Christ was born into the midst of the reality of our human world, which is full of hatred, strife, and evil thoughts and minds. <br />Christ was born as a man in order to show us clearly "what God is like" through him. <br />The verse 1 of today's Scripture passage (1 Peter 1:3-9) begins with the following words of desire and prayer. <br /><br /> Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! <br />These are words of great joy given to believers in Christ, words that give us great strength and hope. <br />God has given us a mouth to speak. God has given us words. With the mouth and words God has given us, we can proclaim and pray, "May God be praised." <br /> We are human beings with sin. Therefore, we always seek not the glory of God, but our own glory, and we want to be praised and appreciated by others. <br />We inevitably feel superior to others by comparing ourselves with them, or conversely, we are troubled by a sense of inferiority. <br />Christians, however, know that we are loved by our God Jesus Christ. <br /><br />Because we know of God's love, we know that we do not need to evaluate our worth in comparison to others. <br />We do not need to seek to be praised. We are to desire that God, who made the world, who made me, and who loves me, be praised. <br />Looking up to God and thanking Him for the grace He has always given us, we sincerely hope, "To God alone be the glory." <br /><br /> Many churches are suffering from declining attendance, membership, and finances, especially since the spread of the new coronavirus. We also have heard of churches closing their doors. <br />So I think that we, too, sometimes wonder “what will happen to our church in the future”. <br />At our church Beppu International Baptist Church, worship attendance has decreased to almost half of what it was before Corona. <br />The ban (restriction) on entry into the country for the purpose of preventing the infectious disease had a completely unexpected and significant impact, especially on our church, where many people from oversea gather. <br />Now, we are finally returning to the way things were before the spread of infectious diseases. (Or should I say, a new form with countermeasures) <br />However, we have a certain hope from the Scripture today too. We are encouraged by the words of Scripture that we will not at a loss in any situation. <br />That is because we can praise, glorify, and worship "God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" in any circumstances. <br /><br />If we are united in the heart of thanksgiving to the God of Jesus Christ, the heart of wishing glory to Christ alone and giving back all the glory to God, <br />If we praise and rejoice in God with all our hearts, even if we are a very few in our eyes, God will continue to bless us and give us more and more grace. <br /><br />And if it is God's will, then we can have hope that God will cause people who come to church and believe in God anew as His own work in the future. <br />So, we do not need to be at a loss at all, for it is clear that the one whom we praise and glorify is the "God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." <br />This "our (we)" includes not only those of us who gather in the church today, but also all Christians and non-Christians as well. <br />Because there is only one Lord. Because the only true God is God the Father of Jesus Christ. <br /><br />No matter how wonderful the things of this world may be, no matter how God-like they may seem, the one true God is God the Father of Jesus Christ. <br />There may not be many people who gather in church right now, but still we can have such great desire that "the day may come when all people of the world will praise the God of Jesus Christ" and "may all people find the true God." <br />Wouldn't that be a wonderful wish? It is not just a pipe dream (not a fantasy) for we have the desire “that all people may praise the God of Jesus Christ" based on a sure (firm) hope, <br /><br />Continuing in verse 3, the following is written <br />In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, <br />God has given us new life. As Christians, are you aware that you have been born again through faith in Christ? Do we have the joy of having been born again? <br />When I was baptized (I was baptized in an American church while studying there), the people of the church gave a celebration for me with a cake after the service. <br />The cake was decorated with the words "Tomo, Happy Birthday in Jesus." Seeing that, I was moved and reminded once again, "I have been born again in Christ." <br />When we believe in Jesus Christ, it means that we are born again, we receive new life. <br /><br />In the same chapter as today, chapter 1 of 1 Peter verse 23 says as follows <br />For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. <br /><br /> Here is written how we will be born again. We are born again through the unchanging, living Word of God. <br />Indeed, the Word of God (the Word of the Scripture) does make us born anew. When the Word of God dwells in our hearts, when we are empowered by the Word, we are born anew each time. <br />When we share the Word of God in worship like now, we are filled with joy. <br />Then we are reborn from the one who seek our own glory but into someone who will truly desire, "Praise be to God alone, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who alone gives us this joy." <br />We can live such abundant days of faith, being born again through the unchanging, living Word of God. <br /><br />Let us read the last verses of today's passage, verses 8-9. <br /><br />8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. <br /><br /> The writer of this letter was Peter, the first disciple of Jesus Christ. Peter was a man who lived and evangelized with Jesus. <br /> Peter was terrified that he too would be caught, and when Jesus was caught, Peter abandoned Him, saying, "I do not know that man." <br /> Nevertheless, Peter met the resurrected Jesus Christ. The resurrected Jesus commanded Peter and the other disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19). <br /><br /> After meeting the resurrected Jesus, Peter and the other disciples were so filled with power and joy and then they started to evangelical work. <br />Today, we do not have the experience of meeting the living and resurrected Jesus and seeing his body in person, as Peter did. <br /> But today's passage tells us that the joy that is available to us today is no less great than the joy of Peter and other disciples, who saw the living and risen Jesus in person. <br />Because we "love Christ even though we have not seen Him and even though we do not see Him now, we believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." <br />Invisible to the eye, but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God comes into our hearts and souls as the living Word of life, filling us from the inside out with "unspeakable and wonderful joy." <br /><br /> Jesus Christ is with us, supporting us, guiding us, and comforting us in times of pain and sadness. We have such sure salvation. <br /> We celebrate Christmas every year, remembering the birth of the Son, Jesus Christ, and offering our thanksgiving heart. <br />This is not just a repetition of an annual l event (it should not be). We are filled with the "unspeakable and wonderful joy" that Christ gives us each year and each day. <br />Let us walk in gratitude and joy that such great joy is given to us through faith in Christ, and let us walk in it every day of this week.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-31549278485236770672023-12-09T15:25:00.001+09:002023-12-09T15:25:30.195+09:00Sunday Worship Service (2nd Advent) December 10, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Revelation 19:6 <br />Lighting of the Advent Candle ~ Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 149 Veni, Veni, Emmanuel <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Isaiah 52:7~11 <br />Sermon “Your God reigns!” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 330 Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight <br />Doxology JBC # 671 <br />Benediction <br /><br />We are now within the advent period of waiting for the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is the second Sunday of advent. <br />At the beginning of the worship service, the second advent candle was lighted up. The light of the second advent candle signifies “peace”. <br />The light of the first advent candle signifies “hope”. The fact that Jesus Christ came to our world was an event that true “hope” was given to us. <br />That hope is a hope that God became man and lives with us. It is a hope that if we have believed it, nothing can take it away from us. <br /><br /> The hope to live for the present and hope for the future was given to us through Jesus Christ. It is a certain hope that God lives and walks with us every day. <br />By offering this worship service together as today as well, we can share the hope of Jesus Christ who lives with us at this season. Let us truly be thankful for that matter. <br />In today’s second Sunday of advent, let us listen to the herald about “peace” which is the significance of the light of the second advent candle from God’s Word of the bible. <br /><br />I have chosen the Old Testament’s [book of Isaiah] chapter 52:7~10 as today’s scripture. <br />As written background, it is said that the book of Isaiah chapter 52 is the end of the “Babylonian captivity” period where the nation of Israel was overturned by the Babylonian Empire and many Jews spent their lives as captives in Babylon. <br /> It is written in today’s scripture the condition of being announced to the people who spend a life of captivity the news of hope and joy that that life of captivity ends. <br />It is heartbreaking when we think particularly of the present time where many people’s daily living and life are threatened, and countless lives are lost amidst nations and regions that are under war condition. <br /><br />Thinking that there are people and their families that are being hostage in captivity, we are enraged and ask, “why would such thing happen?!” <br />I am also in captivity by the feeling of incompetence [I am unable to do anything]. How about everyone? However, it is my desire that when we seem like being captured by incompetence, let us listen earnestly to the peace that the bible conveys and receive that peace personally. <br />And if each one of us is given hope and strength, our way of life and action is changed based on true peace that we receive through the bible, then it is well to believe that world peace will certainly be realized. <br /><br />Let me read verse 7 once again. <br /> How beautiful on the mountains<br /> are the feet of those who bring good news,<br /> who proclaim peace,<br /> who bring good tidings,<br /> who proclaim salvation,<br /> who say to Zion,<br /> “Your God reigns!”<br /><br />In here, a news is told to the people by a messenger. What he proclaimed was a “Good News”. <br />In here is told a hope to the people in captivity that the news they have awaited will be given them. <br />The news that the Israelites awaited during the life of captivity was the news of freedom, that of victory. <br />The news of freedom and salvation that the people have long awaited was proclaimed to them through that man is what today’s passage teaches. <br /><br />Let us also give attention to what is mentioned here, “how beautiful are the feet” of the one… <br />In here is pictured the “messenger” who was used to proclaim the news of the victory of war. He went a long way upon the mountains to proclaim that news. <br />If to this day, sending a message on smart phone is in an instant, and it’s conveyed no matter how distant it is. People directly carrying mails or news become lesser from now on. <br />It is difficult for us to imagine living in such an era, but for a messenger to go a long way, probably tens or hundreds of kilometers surpassing mountains and valleys should have needed a hard labor. <br /><br />Today’s passage says, “beautiful” on the mountains are the feet of the messenger. In the reality, the feet of the messenger who went from mountain to mountain should be so dirty, nevertheless, it says his feet are beautiful. <br />That is, with the Lord God seeing the labor of the messenger running desperately to convey that news to the people and his inner thoughts, it must have been expressed his feet are “beautiful”. <br />It may also be likened to the figure of a believer who believes the Lord’s Good News and news of salvation and lives each day carrying that news hoping to convey it to other people. <br />It says that the figure of a person who believes Christ and strives to live each day is “beautiful”. <br />And so, a person who believes the gospel and lives is said to be beautiful because God’s gospel itself that he believes, and carries is eternally beautiful. <br /><br /><div> The bible says that we human beings are “jars of clay”. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 of the New Testament is written as follows. <br /><br />2 Corinthians 4:7 <br /><br />7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. <br /><br />We are “jars of clay”. People that are weak, fragile and sinful. However, in such a jar of clay, we carry the “light of the gospel”, “light that realizes the glory of God”. <br />Let us abundantly receive the light of the gospel that makes us jars of clay shine beautifully from the inside. <br />Let us offer thankfulness to the Lord God, the One who makes us jars of clay shine through the light of the gospel and who recognizes us “beautiful”. <br />What the messenger proclaimed was “Good News”, “peace” and “salvation”. It was a news of freedom that the people have eagerly awaited. <br /> Christmas is an event where true peace was made known to us by God. It is an event where true peace was given to us from God as a present (gift). <br />The peace that God has given us has brought the fact that Jesus Christ the Son of God becomes our king. <br />The peace of God begins from believing Jesus Christ as our King, and to welcome Christ the King as our Lord. <br />When we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord our King and rules our heart, from there springs peace through God. <br /> When we receive Christ into our heart, as exactly written in verse 9 of today’s passage, people’s cheers and joyful voice is lifted to Jerusalem the ruined city. <br />Isn’t Jerusalem the ruined city the state of each one’s heart that is filled with empty thoughts? <br />In my opinion, we seek for various things trying to satisfy our empty heart with something. However, there is nothing in this world that would completely satisfy the emptiness of our heart. <br />There is nothing that fills our emptiness, that our heart is filled with joy except the gospel of Jesus Christ. <br />However, when we believe Jesus Christ as King, live accepting that Christ rules over me (us), our heart will be filled with great joy. <br /><br />In the latter half of verse 9 is written as follows. <br /><br /> for the Lord has comforted his people,<br /> he has redeemed Jerusalem.<br /><br />The Lord Jesus Christ is not one that controls our heart by force and takes away freedom and dignity from us. <br /> Rather, the Lord Jesus Christ draws us to decide by ourselves to welcome Him as King, moreover, He desires to give us true freedom and dignity by Himself. <br /> We come to realize the fact that we are merely “jars of clay” through Christ. And we that are jars of clay are made to realize through Christ how much we are loved and are considered important by God. <br />In [the gospel of Matthew] of the New Testament, the Magi came to Jerusalem from the east and asked king Herod [Where is the one born as king of the Jews?] <br />Even those words of the Magi demonstrate the fact that [Christ is the True King, the King of kings]. King Herod who at that time governed Judea was just a human king. <br />However, Jesus Christ is God who was born to our world as the true King that should be obeyed and believed by all people. <br />Let us believe that “Christ is the King, the One who rules over us all people”, and let us walk the path of faith. <br />Let me read the last verse 10 of today’s passage. <br /><br />10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm<br /> in the sight of all the nations,<br /> and all the ends of the earth will see<br /> the salvation of our God. <br /><br />When we believe Jesus Christ as Lord and as the King who rules over us, God’s almighty power will be proclaimed and evident even to the people of the world through us. <br />When Christ rules over us, God’s peace controls us, and that peace of God spreads out to the world through us. <br />If we are filled with the peace of God, we will surely accept each other and love one another. Mutual existence becomes irreplaceable to one another. <br />And before long, even the bright hope that [all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God] will be given us. <br />As we sincerely worship the God Jesus Christ, the God of hope, the Savior of peace, let us spend each day of the advent of being grateful of Christ’s birth.</div>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-3180918423892622002023-12-06T16:40:00.007+09:002023-12-06T16:40:44.299+09:00Announcement of Christmas Worship Service<br /><br />◆December 24 (Sun.) First Service 9:00 a.m., Second Service 10:50 a.m.<br /><br />◆December 24 (Sun.) Candlelight Service6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (one time)<br /><br /> *Anyone is welcome to come to church, even if you are not a believer.<br /> *Let's spend Christmas with us at the church!bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-59888164120608653522023-12-05T15:04:00.004+09:002023-12-05T15:11:51.435+09:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Children Christmas Party at Beppu International Baptist Church</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">on December 16th (Sat) 14:00~15:30</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Everyone is welcome!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlfPHOJPv-rmRYMGbnRX5cPzyACpcxucuShEEv1p7jslN1yGjmvP5lsYnRbaWuJv3pX2FlcQv26fG7g9sxWcbHArkvz_B5jo0Sjfo2zhQuNSNGsedNd3k3qR6d_ONALl2D8m2nj-jLnFAq0wmmmCcXXudx1_DWDWZBwvfLKWfAWz7T2Fx8G5aDr711jGH/s2339/%E3%81%93%E3%81%A9%E3%82%82%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1654" height="738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlfPHOJPv-rmRYMGbnRX5cPzyACpcxucuShEEv1p7jslN1yGjmvP5lsYnRbaWuJv3pX2FlcQv26fG7g9sxWcbHArkvz_B5jo0Sjfo2zhQuNSNGsedNd3k3qR6d_ONALl2D8m2nj-jLnFAq0wmmmCcXXudx1_DWDWZBwvfLKWfAWz7T2Fx8G5aDr711jGH/w521-h738/%E3%81%93%E3%81%A9%E3%82%82%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9-1.jpg" width="521" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-10845109934633841252023-12-02T22:29:00.002+09:002023-12-02T22:29:54.974+09:00Sunday Worship Service (1st Advent) Dec. 3, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Jude 1:21 <br />Lighting of the Advent Candle ~ Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 148 Come, Thou long-expected Jesus <br />Prayer Time <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Psalm 27:11~14 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Wait for the Lord” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 492 My hope is built on nothing less <br />Doxology JBC # 671 <br />Benediction <br /><br /><br /> Today marks the beginning of the Advent season in the Christian church. <br /> Advent (taikosetsu in Japanese) refers to the period of approximately 4 weeks leading up to Christmas (3 weeks for this year, as Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday), where we think on Jesus Christ’s birth, feel thankfulness and wait with great anticipation for the birth of Christ. <br /> Jesus Christ was born approximately 2020 years ago in the land of Israel /Judea. Jesus spread the good news of God’s kingdom to people throughout the land of his birth. <br /> Over time many people believed Jesus’s teaching and chose to follow Jesus. It could be said that this changed the way these people lived. <br /> Believing in Jesus and following Him changes the way we live our lives. <br /><br /> This is because when we believe in Jesus and follow Him, we surrender control of our lives and the way we live to Him (Jesus Christ). <br /> That is why, when we believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him, our way of living changes from how we lived before (with ourselves as leaders of our own lives) to living with Christ who is God as the leader of our lives. <br /> When I came to believe in Jesus Christ as my own Lord and Savior, and made the choice to live as a Christian, of course it is not as though I had a perfect understanding of faith and the Bible. <br /> Even so, I understood that believing in Christ and becoming a Christian meant that I would no longer be at the center of my own life, that something sure and certain (that is, the unchanging God) would take the place at my center and guide my life. <br /> Our thoughts and feelings (perhaps even our beliefs) can change easily and at any time, influenced by the environment and people we are surrounded by. <br /> With our changeable selves at the center of our lives, as long as this is our foundation, we cannot lead (spiritually) stable, peaceful lives. <br /><br />However if we place God at the center of our lives, welcome Him and follow Him, we can receive the unshakeable peace of God into our lives. This is because God is an unchanging God. <br /> Changing from a self-centered life to a God-centered life, that is believing in Christ and walking in His ways. <br />When we change from a self-centered life to a God and Christ-centered life, we are always seeking to know God’s heart through prayer. <br />As believers, we believe that God knows what is best for us because he is God, and so we seek to know what is in God’s heart by praying. <br /><br />For today’s service, as the first Sunday of Advent, I chose as today’s passage Psalm 27 verses 11~14. Psalm 27 is a prayer by David. <br />David was the King of Israel, but before becoming King and even after becoming King, he was faced with many trials. <br />As a human, there were times when David made wrong choices, mistakes, and walked down the wrong path. Just like all of us, David was certainly not perfect, and made mistakes. <br />Surely it was through these experiences that David came to know that the path God directed him to was the right one, that it was the path he should walk both as a King and as a believer. <br /><br /> The first half of the first verse (verse 11) in today's passage says the following. <br /> Teach me your way, Lord;<br /> lead me in a straight path<br /> <br />There are many other Psalms in which David prays in this same way, to “teach me your way, Lord”. <br />King David came to be a respected historical figure, revered among the people of Israel. Even among Christians, David is an important figure, a believer that we can learn a lot from in terms of faith. <br />Even David, revered as a great King and a great believer, prayed to God saying “teach me your way, Lord.” <br />This is because David believed that the path God would show him would be the best path for him. <br /><br />Let us also emulate David, becoming people who believe that the path God shows us is the best path for us. <br />And as we believe this, let us also become people who pray fervently to God asking for Him to “teach me your way”. <br />By praying in this way again and again, and through the experience of faith that shows us God’s way, we can be assured that God is hearing our prayers. <br />“A straight path” is the right path before God. For us to walk down the right path before God, God needs to show us that path Himself. <br />Since God is the one who knows what is right and what is good, we cannot decide for ourselves what is truly right without God’s guidance <br /><br /> Even if we do things that we think are right for ourselves, we can end up hurting others and having unintended consequences. There are sins we commit even when we don’t mean to. <br />Because of this, knowing that we are imperfect, that we are always capable of committing sin, we must humbly come to God and pray for Him to “teach me your way, lead me to your path.” <br /><br />We pray this way on our own, but as a church that is our family in the faith, let us also unite our hearts and pray this way together. <br />Shall we not pray together, saying “Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path”? <br />Believing in our Lord God, and as our assurance grows that the Lord hears our prayers, we come to have hope through faith. <br />Since God who is Lord hears our prayers, there is nothing more powerful. <br />Because of this, we are given hope through faith in God. In verse 13, it says the following: <br /><br />13 I remain confident of this:<br /> I will see the goodness of the Lord<br /> in the land of the living.<br /><br />The hope of faith that comes from God is the hope that we will see the goodness of the Lord (Japanese translation = grace of God) in this earth that we live on. <br />This is the assurance of hope that in this world that God has created, we would see God’s glory and the good things God has given us, that we would understand this and come to live with hope. <br />Without faith in God, when we focus on ourselves and look at the society and world around us, there can only be a growing dissatisfaction that the world is not what we think it should be. <br /> However if we look at the world around us through the eyes of the faith in hope that comes from God, we are able to recognize how many are the blessings of God. <br /><br /> Since the Lord is great and gives us good things, I want us to become people who would never reject the good things God gives us out of self-centered stubbornness. <br />With the hope of our faith, let us rejoice in the goodness of God that overflows in this land that we live on. <br />Let me read verse 11 again. “Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path”<br /> <br /> A long time ago when the faithful David made this prayer, the Lord God answered. Perhaps even David himself couldn’t have imagined how wonderfully God would answer his prayer. <br />God gifted the world with His Son Jesus Christ, to show all of us our path, the way of life and truth. In this way, the Lord has answered David’s prayer. <br />Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). <br /><br />Just as in David’s prayer, God has clearly shown us His way, the way of truth. He has shown us that the way of the Son of God Jesus Christ is the only true path. <br /> In following Christ, we must walk the path Christ showed us. Christ is the only right path. <br />Let us walk that path, moving towards the straight, right path that the One who knows what is best for us leads us to through Jesus Christ. <br /><br /><div>Let me read out verse 14, the last verse of today’s passage. <br />14 Wait for the Lord;<br /> be strong and take heart<br /> and wait for the Lord. <br /><br />“Wait for the Lord” ~ I took these words as the title of today’s message. With now being Advent, we wait for the Lord with new thoughts and expectations. <br />Waiting for the Lord means renewing our faith daily, repenting of our self-centered hearts and resolving to change to living God-centered lives. <br />It is the determination to remove ourselves from our place at the center of our lives, and to welcome Jesus into our hearts. <br />When we pray this way from our hearts, the Lord will always come to us, and live with us in our hearts. <br />Let us join our hearts together and pray that Jesus will always dwell in our hearts. <br />Let us also pray that as Jesus dwells in our hearts, that we would become people who walk the path that Jesus Christ shows us. <br />Let us spend this Advent season being led by the Lord daily, walking the path of faith and hope that we have in Christ.</div>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-6624079575766555502023-11-25T16:45:00.001+09:002023-11-25T16:45:52.482+09:00Sunday Worship Service (World Baptist Prayer Week) Nov.26, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship<u> <a href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/1-Chronicles/29/12">Psalm</a> </u>40:10 (NIV) <br />Hymn JBC # 650 Serve the Lord with gladness <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />The Lord’s Supper <br />For the World Baptist Prayer Week <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 4:42~44 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “I must proclaim the good news of the <br />kingdom of God to the other towns also” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 379 We’ve a story to tell the nations <br />Doxology JBC # 679 <br />Benediction <br /><br /><br />The week beginning from today (11/26 to 12/3) is the “World Baptist Prayer Week”. <br />During the World Baptist Week of Prayer, we especially remember, pray, and give offerings for the various mission works both domestic and international promoted by the Japan Baptist Women's Union of the Japan Baptist Convention, of which our church is also a member, <br /> Since the gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God was made known to our world through Jesus Christ, many Christians have served in missionary work, making it their mission to share the gospel with the world. <br /><br /> Many evangelists, called by God, have traveled far from their hometowns and places of their residence to various places, sometimes even to foreign lands, to serve in the missionary work of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. <br /> And behind the work of the missionaries serving the gospel mission were many believers who supported them with their prayers and offerings. <br />Even now, there are many missionaries in various places who are serving in missionary work. We remember the work of missionaries engaged in evangelism and wish to support them with our gratitude, prayers, and offerings. <br />With the name "World Baptist Prayer Week" we want to make sure that "this is a week of prayer (special prayer) first”. <br /> It is important that we give our offerings. But the thing is that all of the work of evangelism must begin with prayer. <br />Praying to God for missions is also a way of renewing our decision as believers that "God's will comes first, and we will follow the God's will.<div> <br />In today's Bible passage, we see the people trying to keep Jesus stay with them and Jesus, against their wishes, going off to another place to preach. <br />From this passage, we hope to hear about following God's will, serving and supporting the work of the gospel ministry. <br />At the beginning of today's passage, we read that Jesus "went out to a solitary place" in the morning. <br />In the passage of Gospel of Mark which depicts the same incident as here says “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed”. (Mark 1:35) <br /> Jesus was beginning a new day with prayer. By praying, Jesus was having a time of intimacy with God (in a solitary place, quietly alone with God the Father) and receiving power and encouragement from the Spirit. <br /> Jesus, the Son of God, also began his day's missionary work with prayer. If this is so, we Christians are taught the importance of beginning everything we do with prayer. <br /><br />It is not an obligatory act of "we must pray," but a natural way of life as a believer who would says, "without prayer, we cannot begin anything important”. <br />We hope that our prayers to God will be pure hope that comes from our faith that we always want to begin what is important with a prayer to God. <br />And we also hope that by praying, we will receive the assurance that "God is leading this work and God is taking the initiative”. <br /> And while Jesus prayed in the solitary place to receive strength and encouragement from God the Father himself, Jesus also prayed intercessory prayers to God the Father for the people. <br /> The Lord Jesus Christ is still the One who intercedes (mediates) between God and us for us. <br /><br /> Romans 8:34 states the following. <br /> Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. <br /><br /> We are born sinning against God (that is the truth the Bible tells us), and as such, no one can approach God or pray to Him just as they were. <br /> But the resurrected Jesus Christ still sits at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us and offering prayers of intercession. <br /> Therefore, we can approach God through Christ as those whose sins have been forgiven through His cross. In the name of Jesus, we can pray to God our Heavenly Father for anything. <br /> We can pray to God for whatever we wish, both about ourselves and about others, too. <br />We are thankful to God because Jesus Christ stands between us and God and brings our prayers before Him. We wish to give thanks to Jesus for being between God and us and interceding in such a way. <br /><br /> The crowd (people) came to Jesus, looking for Him. And they tried to keep him (Jesus) from leaving them. <br /> I believe we can understand the feelings of those who wished Jesus to do so (not to leave them). <br /> The people who wanted Jesus not to leave them had seen him heal many people with illnesses. People must have thought that if such an amazing person would stay with them all the time, they would be just all right now. <br /> I believe that if Jesus were to appear before us right now and show us all kinds of miraculous works, we too would be begging Him to not leave us. <br /> But Jesus responded to those who wished him so. <br />“I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” <br /><br />Then Jesus went out and preached in the various synagogues of Judea. Jesus did not stay in one place but preached in many places. <br />Jesus left for another town, not because "it is my desire to do so," but because "I was sent for that purpose." <br />Jesus' first priority was to live according to the will of God the Heavenly Father who sent him. <br />Jesus continues to give us encouragement and guidance to pray and seek God's will and to live a life that walks according to God's will. <br />We have many wishes and desires. But since we are human and cannot see everything, it is possible that the wishes and desires we have are actually bad (or not the best) for us. <br /><br />Therefore, we must pray and seek God's will rather than our wishes and desires, and then we must pray and ask God to help us to go and walk in the way He wants us to. <br /> Jesus continued his missionary work with the conviction that “I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to other towns also because that is why God the Father has sent me” <br /> Jesus would have fully felt the hearts and desires of the people who wanted him to “stay with them longer”. However, for Jesus, his primary mission was to “preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to many more people.” <br />We, too, wish to remember the place far from us and those who are far from where we are, and wish to offer our prayers and offerings remembering those who serve in the work of the evangelical mission of the Kingdom of God among those who are far away. <br /><br /> I first came to know Jesus Christ and connected with the church in America. The church I was led to in America was a Baptist church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, a mission organization in the United States. <br />When I returned to Japan, the people at the Baptist church I attended told me that they had found out that there were missionaries sent by the Southern Baptist Convention to Nagoya, Japan, where I am from. <br />After I returned to Nagoya, I was able to meet these missionaries. They had a deep relationship with the Nagoya Church, which became my home church, and they were serving there. <br /> I have had some opportunities to contact several former missionaries since then until now as I am serving as a pastor. <br /><br /> One of them, Missionary Ernest Holloway, who was closely associated with my home church (Nagoya Baptist Church), taught me a very valuable story about Nagoya Church. <br /> The story was that an evangelistic meeting was held at an American church (probably around 1950), and the donation collected at that time was used as the source funds to purchase the land on which Nagoya Church now stands. <br /> I was very impressed that there were many people who prayed and gave offerings, remembering that “a church would be established in a city in Japan, and from there the gospel of Jesus would be preached to the people of Japan.” <br /> I cannot help but be grateful when I think of the many people I have of course never met, whose faces and names I do not know, who have prayed and given their precious offerings for missionary work in my hometown from afar in a city in the United States. <br /> The reason those people were able to think about the work of evangelism in foreign countries was that Jesus' words, "I must proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God in other towns also" became their very own thoughts and desires. <br /> Here in Oita, there have been many dedicated missionaries from overseas who have devoted their lives to the work of evangelism. I think it is fair to say that Beppu International Baptist Church too was born from the foundation of such missionary work. <br /> We can support missionary work in distant lands, first with our prayers and then with our actual offerings. <br />We too can be connected to the work of bringing the hope of Christ to those who do not yet know Him, and the work that the gospel of the Kingdom of God of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to many people and to many nations. <br />“I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also”. Let us make Jesus' words our mission and serve the gospel ministry with joy.</div>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-76001369749794223622023-11-18T16:53:00.002+09:002023-11-18T16:53:37.228+09:00Sunday Worship Service November 19, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Psalm 86:12~13 <br />Hymn JBC # 125 All Creatures of Our God and King <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture 2 Corinthians 1:3~11 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Rely on God Who Raises the Dead” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 19 Love divine, all loves excelling <br />Doxology JBC # 679 <br />Benediction <br /><br />We thank God that we are able to worship Him together in this way today. We gather here weekly to worship Him. <br /> We are gathered here to worship God because He has called us today, and because we answered the call of God the Holy Spirit. <br />Let us give great thanks to the Lord God who unites us through faith in Jesus Christ. <br /> In the Bible passage given to us today, the following verses of the New Testament book, 2nd Corinthians Ch.1 verse 3 ~ say the following: <br /><br />3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, <br /><br /> These words (almost same words) are also found both at the beginning of Ephesians (Ephesians 1:3) and at the beginning of 1 Peter (1 Peter 1:3). <br />The fact that these words appear in such other places in the Bible shows how important it is for us as believers to praise God. <br />And the fact that the Bible says "praise be to God" in several places like this also points to the fact that we as people often say we have faith, but fail, neglect, or forget to praise God. <br /><br />This is because we have the sin of self-centeredness, the sinful nature and desire to take for ourselves even the glory of God. <br />We say, "May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, be praised," or "May God be praised," but in reality, are we not actually wishing for our own praise and to be appreciated by others? <br />When our desire to be loved and accepted by others grows, our hearts grow distant from God. <br />If we stay stuck in a self-centered way of life, we will not be able to keep our eyes on God's grace, and we will stop praising God, and we will lack the joy of being able to praise God. <br />Do we truly praise God? Is our participation in church meetings and being a member of the church equal to having the faith to praise God? <br /><br />If a church is truly overflowing with the grace of Jesus Christ, it should be a source of great joy and strength for us to gather in such a church. A church overflowing with the grace of God should be filled with joy and power. <br />And when we receive the joy and power of faith by being connected to such a church, then we praise and glorify God from the bottom of our hearts. <br /> Let us hope that we can truly declare from the depths of our hearts, "God alone is worthy of praise," and let us earnestly wish to be filled with the pure longing to "glorify the one true God" as an authentic expression of our faith. <br />Why should God be praised to that extent? It is because we receive abundant "comfort" from God, as we see many times in today's scriptures. <br /> In the first half of today's passage (vv. 3-7), the word "comfort" appears many times. Of course, God is the one who gives us comfort. <br /><br /> In our lives, there will always be hardships and difficulties and each person has their own hardships. When we meet hardship, when we are in the midst of suffering and sorrow, we need comfort, the kind that God offers. <br />We can live through the suffering and sorrow by receiving comfort from God, who invites us to receive His comfort as we continue walking with Him despite the difficulties of life. <br />Jesus Christ bore all of our pain, suffering, and sins on the cross (by way of His death). <br /><br /> Because He bore it all (every kind of suffering) on the cross, He is able to comfort us in every affliction. <br />The history of Christianity is about people who have been comforted by God in the midst of deep sorrow and pain, who have been allowed to have such experiences, and who have testified of the God's healing and comfort. <br /> The Christian faith has been handed down through the confession and testimony of those who have seen and believed by faith how kind, loving, and comforting God is. <br /><br /> When we listen to God's word together in church, it also means that we receive God's comfort together. Through worship we are reassured that the true Comforter is with us. <br />Our God is One who gives us comfort from within our souls and hearts, even in the midst of hardship, difficulty, and sorrow. I hope that we never stop desiring to learn more of this truth. <br />And when we receive God's comfort (the true God's comfort), it doesn't simply stop there (within us). <br /><br />Let's read verses 4 and 6 of today's passage. <br /><br />4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. <br /> 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. <br /><br />When we receive comfort through God, it says that comfort is also comfort to others. <br /> If we ourselves have truly received God's comfort in Jesus Christ, we can use that to comfort others in turn. <br /> Trials and tribulations can stimulate someone to grow as an individual. Trials can also be a driving force for our growth in faith. <br /><br />And for Christians, growing in the midst of tribulations means knowing that we receive God's power to make it through the tribulations. <br />God offers comfort in the midst of suffering and we are also strengthened through such experiences of being comforted by God. <br />We do not become stronger on our own, but we can be stronger by God. <br />Spiritual growth for a Christian involves an ongoing journey of learning to increasingly rely on God's presence and being filled with the comforting embrace of God's love. <br />Having received such comfort from God, we are able to comfort others with the comfort we receive from God. God's comfort will also spread abundantly through us and our church. <br /><br />In verse 8, Paul, the writer of this letter, refers to his own experience of suffering. <br /><br />8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. <br /><br />It is not clear what specific troubles Paul is referring to when he says, "the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia." <br />Paul encountered many hardships and even danger to his life as he evangelized throughout the land. It is likely that he is referring to the persecution and other hardships he endured as he preached the gospel of Christ. <br />The hardships Paul experienced were such that he “despaired of life.” Then verse 9 follows. <br /><br />9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. <br /><br />Paul's suffering was so great that he felt he had lost all hope of living and was sentenced to death. <br /> Normally, when we feel "condemned to death," we think, "It's over.” We would give up on most things at that point. <br /> However, for those who receive comfort from God and hope in Him, such hardship becomes a new starting point. <br />Experiencing the depths of hardship to the point where hope seems lost and death is imminent can serve as a pivotal moment, with God transforming one's life significantly. <br /><br /> Because we know that when we are placed in a situation where we can no longer rely on ourselves, we come to rely on God, who even resurrects the dead. <br /> Then we will know that it is not that I do accomplish something, but the God who has resurrected the Lord Jesus Christ from death on the cross, He will do it. <br />Therefore, when we think, "It is hopeless," or "There is nothing I can do," let us draw near to God. <br /><br />Let us stop relying on ourselves and turn to God, the source of life, who has made all things new through Christ. <br /> It is faith in Christ that leads us not to praise ourselves, but to praise God, desiring to give all glory back to Him. <br />In the midst of hardship, true faith in Christ is the understanding that we can continually receive God's comforting solace. Moreover, it is the realization that with the comfort given to us by God, we can extend that comfort to others. <br />Let's be a church overflowing with the love of God, where we care for each other and share God's comfort with each other through the true comfort we receive from God. <br />Our faith lies in recognizing that we don't depend on ourselves but on God, who not only resurrected the dead, specifically Jesus, the one who endured the cross and every form of shame and insult, but raised Him as the Comforter and Savior for all. <br />As we live out our faith together, let our collective desire be that our God, overflowing with love and abundant comfort, be exalted in our midst.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-61406935922578574422023-11-11T20:25:00.002+09:002023-11-11T20:25:07.051+09:00Sunday Worship Service November 12, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship 1 Chronicles 29:12 <br />Hymn JBC # 260 Set my soul afire, Lord <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 4:38~41 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Jesus lays his hands on each one” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 550 Dying with Jesus <br />Doxology JBC # 679 <br /><br />As we read through all the verses of the "Gospel of Luke" bit by bit, we hear God's messages spoken to us through this Gospel. <br />Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke begins with Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus was tempted by the devil like this: <br />"Tell this stone to become bread," and "I will give you all their authority and splendor. If you worship me, it will all be yours" and "throw yourself down from the highest point of the temple and ask God to save you.” <br />Jesus rejected these temptations of the devil by using the words in the Bible, the Word of God. <br /><br /> This is the intention of the devil's temptation: <br /><br />"Evangelize in a fancy way, in a way that is immediately obvious to everyone. Why don’t you tell people that they will always have a full stomach, or that they will have power and success, or that they will never get hurt or sick at all - if they believe in God, such things are possible.” <br />But Jesus knew, of course, that those things were not the essence of God's grace. <br />As the Son of God, Jesus firmly believed that His mission was not to temporarily capture people's attention and interest by performing some astonishing, fascinating, or miraculous act. <br />Rather, Jesus came into the world to tell people about God's Word, the Word of God. Jesus came into the world to tell people, not about temporary enjoyment and satisfaction, but about eternal life and eternal peace that comes through the Word of God. <br /><br />Jesus showed that he himself is the fulfillment of God's Word in both his life and words. <br />As soon as Jesus was tempted by the devil, he taught in various synagogues. On the Sabbath day (the Jewish Sabbath at that time was Saturday), Jesus went to the synagogues and participated in meetings (worship services), where He taught the words of the Bible. <br /> It is the Word of God that gives us life. God's Word gives us the strength and comfort to endure and live even in the midst of difficulties and trials. <br />In the Gospel of John Chapter 6 verse 63, Jesus said: <br /> The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. <br /><br />The words that Jesus spoke are spirit and life. God's words contain God's love, grace, and mercy. <br />Jesus' words contain all of God's love, God's mercy, and God's kindness, which were shown through Jesus' life and forgiveness of our human sins. <br />For those of us who live today, some 2,000 years after the time when Jesus lived as a man, we are also given the long history of faith that the Word of God has given many people around the world the strength and hope to live and helped them find the meaning of their lives. <br />As a flock of believers who live by the Word of God, our church, too, is a part of this history of believers, serving in the work of passing on the Word of God from generation to generation. <br />As we hear God's Word, share God's Word, and live God's Word, each time God's Word continues to be a new and living Words. <br />God's Word becomes alive through us, and we hope that we will experience that as the joy of our faith, too. <br /> After teaching the people in the synagogue, Jesus entered the house of Simon in today's scripture scene. <br /><br />Simon is the Peter who later became a disciple of Jesus and received a new name “Peter” (which means "rock.”) <br />I imagine that Jesus must have been very tired after teaching people in the synagogue. Because it takes a lot of energy for a minister (messenger) to speak the Word. <br />I imagine that after teaching the people in the synagogue, Jesus wanted to take a rest right away. But Jesus continued his ministry without resting. <br />After the ministry of speaking the Word of God to many people in the synagogue, Jesus now went into the home of Simon, an individual person and there he did individual evangelism work. <br />As a pastor, I have the opportunity to meet with each of you individually and visit your homes when permitted, and it is a great joy for me to do so. <br />I hope that through personal connections and fellowship, in addition to speaking publicly from the pulpit at worship services and prayer meetings like this, I hope that we can build a relationship as pastor and congregation, and before that, as friends of the same faith in Jesus Christ. <br />And just as Simon welcomed Jesus into his home, we also would like to welcome Jesus into our private (private) space, our home, too. <br /><br />Perhaps, even as believers, we have thoughts like "This is my private area, so please don't come in here, even if it is Jesus (God).” <br />Instead, we want Jesus to come into every area of our lives, and we want to follow His lead in everything we do. <br />Let Jesus come into each of us, to our daily life, and to our homes. Let us live in the peace and joy of knowing that Jesus is with us at all times. <br />In Simon's house, where Jesus entered, there was Simon's mother-in-law (Simon's wife's mother), and she was suffering from a high fever. <br />Simon (Peter) became one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. The Bible does not give much (hardly) personal information like the family background of the disciples (not only Peter but also other disciples). <br />But what we do know about Peter, at least from today's passage, is that he was married, and his wife's mother lived with him in his home (or perhaps his wife's home). <br />Therefore, I would say that today's passage is a scene in which Simon (Peter), an important biblical figure, feels very familiar to us today. <br /><br /> The people (probably Simon's family) asked Jesus to take care of her (Simon's mother). They asked Jesus to heal her, for she was “suffering from a high fever.” <br />Jesus bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She was healed from the fever. <br />Jesus was not only a man, but also God, the source of life, and therefore had the power to heal people's illnesses. The fever left Simon's mother because Jesus commanded it. <br />This does not mean that any disease will always be cured if we pray, even now. If God so wills, the disease will be cured. <br />But if God has other plans for us, then sometimes our prayers do not work out the way we wish. <br />But God has a plan far greater than our thoughts and wishes. And God has provided a way for us to pray to Him and know His will through Jesus. <br /><br />So even if things don't turn out the way we pray, it is still not in vain for our faith that we continue to pray to God through Jesus' name for anything. <br />It is not in vain, but it strengthens our faith and makes our faith and trust in God even stronger when we continue to pray to God in Jesus' name for what we truly desire. <br />Let us walk with the faith of hope that we have received through Jesus, believing that "God, the Lord of life, can do whatever He wills to do" and that "if it is His will, it will be done.” <br />After Simon's wife’s mother was healed of her fever, people still brought those who were suffering from various illnesses to Jesus even after dark. <br />After dark, Jesus laid hands on "each one" of those who came to Him suffering from various illnesses and healed them. <br />Jesus must have been tired, but even after dark He faced the sick who were brought to Him. <br /> Jesus is the One who touches each and every one of us. He does not reject anyone who comes to Him, but touches each and every one of them. <br /> It is NOT that though Jesus speaks to us from afar but He is the one out of our reach. <br /> Rather, He is the One who comes to us, touches each of our hearts, and heals our wounds when we are in pain and sad. <br />We believe even more through the Word of Scripture that there is such a God, and we want to trust in him and bring others to him. In the God of Jesus Christ is the true way, life, and truth. <br /><br /> Those of us who believe in Christ now must have heard about Him and His Church in the past, either from someone bringing us to church or by some other means. <br /> Let us not just keep Christ's grace, his healing hand, within us, but let us extend it to those around us, the way we ourselves heard about Him. <br />Jesus never rejects anyone who is brought to Him, but gives them healing and faith in the Kingdom of God at the best time (timing) and in the best way for them. <br />Through the images of Jesus and those who believe in Him in today's passage, we are made aware of the grace of Jesus that while we are connected to Jesus as a flock of believers, Jesus’ hand are touching each of us. <br /> Let us walk with Jesus and with His Word in the days of this week, strongly believing in true healing and eternal salvation coming through the Lord Jesus Christ.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-72386405600412643442023-11-04T19:21:00.002+09:002023-11-04T19:21:16.643+09:00Sunday Worship Service November 5, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Deuteronomy 10:15 <br />Hymn JBC #227 Up Calv’ry’s mountain <br />Prayer Time <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Thanking our church anniversary (sides) <br />Offering <br />Scripture 1 Peter 2:9~10 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Out of Darkness into <br />His Wonderful Light” <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC #255 Face to face with Christ, my Saviour <br />Doxology JBC # 679 Congregation <br /><br />Today we are having a thanksgiving service to commemorate the day our church was established as an independent church. <br />Of course, being independent does not mean “living solely on our own and not relying on anyone else”. <br /> Earlier, we looked at the slides that show the history of our church dating back to the early days of congregations and mission meetings before becoming an independent church. <br />The further back in time we go, the more fragmentary the documentations (records) are, making it difficult to know the exact situation of that time. <br />However, there is no doubt that many people have supported this church with their passion, thoughts, hopes and fervent prayers throughout the history of our church, <br /><br />As mentioned in the slides, our church is a member of the Japan Baptist Convention, a cooperative missions organization. With great prayers and practical support from the churches connected to the Japan Baptist Convention, our church was led to become an independent organization as a church. <br />Also, as a member of the local association called the North Kyushu Regional Association, our church is sustained with the connections and mutual support from other churches. <br />Usually, we don’t have many opportunities to meet members of other churches, but I hope we can always remember that we stand together with other churches in the same region/nationwide especially that stand on the same faith of Baptist churches. <br />The head (lord) of the church is Jesus Christ. The head of the church is not the pastor. Pastors stand at the head of the congregation as spiritual leaders (and are entrusted with such work by you), but pastors are also members of the congregation who serve God just like everyone else (Baptist churches especially emphasize this point). <br /><br />And through us who are chosen by God, the gospel of Jesus Christ will be conveyed to the world. I hope and pray that the Lord will keep using our church more and more as a precious vessel for evangelization. <br />In today's service as we give thanks for the establishment of this church, we listened to the Word of God from today’s passage, 1 Peter 2:9-10 in the New Testament. <br />This passage summarizes in a very short and concise way on how great the grace that we as believers and the church, have received from God. <br />The beginning of verse 9 of today's passage says, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, ” <br />The first thing this verse says is that we are "chosen people." Who chose us? It is the Lord God. <br /><br /> It means that the Lord God has chosen us by His own initiative. The "you" in "you are a chosen people" is the plural "you" in the original Greek text. <br />Therefore, it does not mean we were chosen as one person in particular, but that we were chosen to join together with others in faith and become "one people.". <br />The Bible tells us that God, the Creator of the world and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, has chosen us with love and a truly special thought. <br />Today, I’d like to invite all of us to renew our feeling of gratitude for the history of establishment of our church that was enabled by God’s grace with the prayers and support from Baptist churches across the country, and also because we are still able to worship God here like today. <br /><br /> And today, we want to focus even more deeply on the truth and grace that “God has chosen us.'' <br />When we hear the word “chosen”, we may feel that we belong to some privileged class, which may create a feeling of arrogance in our hearts. <br />It is true that we, chosen by God, have been given the truly wonderful privilege of living in God's grace and love. But God's grace and love, and this privilege are open for everyone. <br />Through Jesus Christ, God's love and grace are available to all. And it is up to humans to decide whether or not they believe this, humble themselves before God, and live their lives receiving God's love and grace. <br />The decision to believe in God is one that humans make on their own, but God's love and grace and God's choice are already extended to us, regardless of our achievements. This is an important point. <br />God's grace is truly a valuable and precious grace that we can never deserve. No matter how wonderful or excellent a person may be, no one is wonderful enough to be worthy of God's love. <br /><br /> I am not saying this with the intention of unnecessarily belittling people. Instead, when we think of the love of God shown through Jesus Christ, when we see ourselves through the light of Christ, we find that there is truly no value in it. <br /> No one would be able to think or believe that way. Why does God love us so much and give us such grace? The only way to answer this is because "God Himself is just like that." <br /> In the Old Testament, ‘Deuteronomy’, chapter 7, verses 6-8, it is written as follows: <br /><br />6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. <br />7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. <br />8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. <br /><br />In the days of the Old Testament, the Lord God chose the people of Israel, and the reason God saved them from living a painful life of slavery in Egypt was not because they were more numerous and than other peoples nor because they were superior. <br />Rather, it was simply because "the Lord God loved them." Similarly, those of us who have been put on the path to salvation through Christ have been given the privilege of becoming children of God solely because of God's incredible and unconditional love. <br />There is nothing we can do but respond to such love from God with deep gratitude. <br />In today's passage it says we are a chosen people, and that we are a "royal priesthood." <br />Priests were people who served God in the temple and offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. However, the Bible says that all of us who have been chosen by God are now priests. <br /><br />Because just as the Son, Christ, gave himself to God the Father, so we too are called to give ourselves completely to God. <br />When a church building is completed, most churches hold a service called a dedication ceremony. This means that we express our determination to dedicate the church building that has been given to us, to God. <br />By faith in Christ, we are encouraged to dedicate to God this wonderful church building that has been given to us and use it for the glory of God, and also we are to give all of ourselves (our lives). <br />Worshiping God means vowing to God that “I offer You all of me”. As a response and gratitude for the grace we receive from Jesus, I hope we have such faith that we want to offer wholeheartedly to God . <br />In the second half of verse 9 (as is also the title of today's message), we are told that we have been "called out of darkness into His wonderful light." <br />We are saved from a life of darkness: where we were separated from the true God, we were ignorant of God, and living a self-centered life, and invited to enter into the dazzling light of Jesus Christ where we live a new life. <br />We who have been brought into the wonderful light of Christ, who have been given the light of life, that is Christ, will no longer be at loss or confused as to where we should walk and what we should believe in our lives.. <br /><br /> Jesus says: <br /><br /> “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” <br />Believing that everyone can live in the wonderful light of God and no longer live in the lonely and dark place where one is separated from God, let’s keep sharing the Gospel to the world as a church, with joy and gratitude. <br /><br />Let me end this message by reading verse 10 of today's passage.<div> <br />10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. <br /><br /> </div>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-86753278932724856092023-10-28T15:24:00.000+09:002023-10-28T15:24:11.904+09:00Sunday Worship Service Oct.29, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Joshua 24:24 <br />Hymn JBC # 327 Lead on, O King eternal <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Ephesians 4:11~16 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “Build up the body of Christ”<div>*audio data is not provided today due to equipment malfunction. <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 236 What can wash away my sin? <br />Doxology JBC # 674 <br />Benediction <br /><br />The Christian faith is built on the truth that Jesus who is God was born into the world as a man, spread the word of God’s Kingdom, God’s love and forgiveness and, in his final moments, took everyone’s sins upon himself and died on the cross, then rose to life again. <br />Jesus entrusted the mission of sharing God’s Kingdom firstly to his own disciples. After Jesus’ death, His disciples gathered together and, over time, built the church, focused on the church and protected the faith, and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ out into the world. <br />That mission is the one each and every Christian alive today now shares. Of course that mission is one we also share as a church. <br />While Jesus is no longer living as a man, he lives inside us who believe in Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit. <br /><br />We also receive the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ here as a church. The Holy Spirit binds us together, guiding us as one body through faith in Christ. <br />This is why, when we pray, we ask that this be a church that follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit that goes before us, and that the Holy Spirit would work freely and fruitfully among us. <br />All kinds of people gather here in Christ’s church. And, to each of us gathered here in church, God has granted us each our own gifts. <br />Just as we are all different as people, so too do we each have different gifts. This diversity is very important for the Holy Spirit to be at work in our church. <br /><br />In the first verse of today’s passage (Ephesians 4:11~17), we see that God has given Christians different roles according to their individual gifts. <br />The first role is that of apostles. Apostle refers to the first 12 disciples who were chosen by Jesus to become his direct disciples. (Later, people who fulfilled great responsibilities in the church also came to be called apostles) <br />Jesus’ first disciples, the 12 apostles, lived alongside Jesus, seeing first hand how Jesus lived and hearing his teaching. <br />The reason the teachings of the first apostles is so important is that they engaged directly with Jesus, hearing his words and seeing his actions first hand. <br /><br />This is why the lessons and teaching of the apostles were important to the early Christians, and to us today as they are passed on to us through the Bible. <br />This is not to say that the first apostles were remarkable people who were more important than anyone else. They were just ordinary people. <br />However God chose these first disciples according to His divine will, to work together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ even after His death. <br /><br /> Even today we as Christians have been chosen by God to become people who believe in and are alive in Christ. It is not as though there is anything particularly remarkable about us compared to anyone else. <br />That is why when we look up to Christ and think of Him, let us give thanks from the bottom of our hearts that we were chosen only by the grace of God. <br />And as we thank God this way, let us be more and more humble, becoming people who live in humility before God and others. <br /><br /> With all of us gathered here in Church being different, and each of us having received different gifts from God, there is one clear purpose for this. <br />That purpose is written in verse 12, and is also in the title of today’s message “Build up the body of Christ”. <br />The “body of Christ” is the Church. The Church is the body of Christ. Just as our bodies are made up of many parts, so too is the Church which is the body of Christ made up of many parts. <br />The parts of the body of Christ (the church) are each and every one of us who are connected to this church. The church is made by all the parts working together to form one body. <br />In this way “we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Christ) and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (verse 13). <br /><br />Let me read that again. <br />“We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Christ) and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” <br />I think it is safe to say that this is something we have all yet to achieve. <br />Even though we are same Christians, I think it’s true to say that we each have our own ideas and convictions, our own preferences that make it hard to achieve unity. <br /><br />But even so, I still have hope. <br /><br />Our church theme for this year is “Give your service with love”. We chose the related scripture from Galatians, chapter 5 verse 13. <br />This was chosen by the church (or more accurately by the Deacons who were selected by the church) out of a desire to serve the church with the love we receive from Jesus, to not seek our own happiness but to give our service to God with love. <br />During the time of the Coronavirus there were many restrictions on the activities of the church and on opportunities to serve each other. But, as this new year started and this idea was expressed, it was a very memorable moment. <br /><br /> It was not just “let us serve” but “let us serve with love”, and within that is the belief that “the love we receive from Jesus (Jesus Christ’s love) is the foundation for our service”. <br />The motivation for our service is the love of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ love is so amazing, and we give our service out of gratitude for that love. <br />We do seek not our own happiness or our own glory, but we come to seek the glory of the whole body (the Body of Jesus Christ) that we are a part of. <br />Let us look at verse 16 of today’s passage. <br /> 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. <br /> The part about “the whole body” is vital. It is not just one part of the body, or each individual in the church, that grows. <br />If one part of the body is cut off, there is no way that it can survive apart from the body. In the same way, if we are cut off from the Body of Christ that is the Church, there is no way that we can continue living spiritually. <br />And so, if we lose someone from amongst ourselves, that does not lead to the growth of the whole body. <br />Just as it says in verse 16 that the whole body supports each other, growing and building itself up in the love of Christ, let us take this commandment of faith upon ourselves seriously, and go on supporting each other. <br />As the whole body, let us hold on tightly to the faith that we are all building the body of Christ that is the church. <br /><br />When thinking about gifts and service, you may think of the kinds of gifts and service that stand out in other people’s eyes. <br />But even if they aren’t the kind that stand out, as long as they are based in the love of Christ, no act of service is better than any other. <br />Even if it is not the kind of service that is listed in the worship service volunteers list, as a member of Christ’s family of believers, coming to the worship service or prayer service and worshipping and praying together is the first and important act of service. <br /><br />And even those who cannot come to church due to various circumstances, they are remembering the church in their prayers and making offerings. That is also an important act of service. <br />When we believe in and love God, there is nothing that can keep us from serving God no matter what our circumstances may be. <br />This is from the verse before today’s passage, but in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 7 it says “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” <br /><br /> God has given grace to all of us through Christ. The word grace means it is not a reward or something we have earned through great deeds of our own. <br />God’s grace is given to us only by God’s love and compassion, regardless of our human achievements and good deeds, through the cross of Jesus Christ. <br />To us who have received such grace, let us give our service in thankfulness for that grace. Shall we not go forward giving our service with the love of Christ? <br />Let us start within our own church, seeking unity in the faith, maturing and growing together as one body <br />Earlier in this sermon I said “I think it is safe to say that this is something we have all yet to achieve.” However, as long as we have faith and continue to stand in Christ’s love, I have no doubt that will happen someday. <br />This is because faith in Jesus Christ is not something that is “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” like it is written in verse 14. <br />Faith in Jesus Christ is built on the Word of Jesus Christ that is the same yesterday, today and forever, on God’s everlasting love, and on the promises of God. That is why no matter how long it takes, it will come to pass some day. <br />As long as Christ dwells among us, as long as we are rooted in the love of Christ, we will surely reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, just as it is promised in today’s passage. <br />As each of us with our various gifts believe in the Word of God and offer our various gifts based in the love of Christ, we get closer and closer to unity in the faith and maturing in our faith. <br />Let us give thanks for being a part of the Body of Christ, that God himself holds us firmly in the faith based on the love of Christ, and let us go forward rejoicing in “giving service with love”.</div>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-21490381735233029762023-10-21T15:08:00.001+09:002023-10-21T15:08:47.641+09:00Sunday Worship Service Oct.22, 2023 <br /><br />Call to Worship Jeremiah 23:29 <br />Hymn JBC # 124 This is my Father’s world <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />The Lord’s Supper <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 4:31~37 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “The Authority of God’s Word” <br /><a href="https://youtu.be/N6VvfGJnhwg">https://youtu.be/N6VvfGJnhwg</a> <br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 506 ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus <br />Doxology JBC # 674 <br />Benediction <br /><br />In today’s bible passage, it is written that Jesus [taught the people on the Sabbath]. Even in chap. 4:16 which is prior to today’s passage, it is written that it was Jesus’ custom to go to the synagogue (it’s the church to the present Christian) to worship God. <br />We work (each one’s task) six days in a week, and to specially set aside a day within the week for God as a Sabbath day is a solemn command that was given to us from God, and that is also a great blessing to us. <br />The day of the Sabbath is a confirmation and a joyful day as well that we were created by God and to live in fellowship with Him. <br /><br />By suspending each one’s task and other things that we need to do, we confirm that nothing in this world surpasses the blessing that is given us from God. We have the confidence that we are made to live by God. <br />We worship God in the church’s worship service. And we listen to God’s word, the words of His teachings in the worship service. It is written in today’s scripture that “Jesus went to the synagogue and taught the people”. <br />It doesn’t mean that Jesus did that sometimes, but instead He always went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and always taught the people. Jesus was also “a person who teaches = teacher” of people. <br />Jesus kept on teaching people again and again concerning God’s teachings, about the words of the bible, probably even of the same matter if it was significant. <br /><br />The Word of God, His teaching is never ending. In my opinion, Jesus couldn’t fully proclaim God’s word in public evangelism within around three years of His life on earth. <br />It is because the grace of God’s word is eternal. I, as a pastor speak from God’s Word of the bible at worship service every week, or at prayer meetings and even in some other opportunities. <br />One thing is clear, that I cannot speak all through (in the first place, I cannot fully understand God’s word of the bible) this entire Word of the bible even if I take my entire lifetime. <br />However, Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior who carried our sins and died on the cross. <br />Therefore, we can say that Jesus has told us everything (even if he couldn't say it all in words) through that life and His figure that died on the cross all things that He should tell us as the Son of God. <br />Let us always listen to the words of the bible that was conveyed (remained) to us as words of God while being illuminated by the teachings of Jesus Christ. <br /><br />The Word of God is a spiritual food to us. A living being not taking in food becomes malnourished. <br />If we become spiritually malnourished due to lack of God’s word, what lies ahead is spiritual death. <br />The bible remains as this even now as the Word of God, and message based on the words of the bible is told continually in Christian churches all over the world even now, that none of us won’t be led to spiritual death. <br />There was an extraordinary power on the words of God that Jesus spoke. In today’s verse 32 is written as follows. <br /><br />32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. <br /><br />How do we know whether we certainly heard God’s word? One way to gauge whether we certainly heard God’s word is the [amazement]. <br />In today’s scripture, those who heard the teachings of Jesus were “remarkably amazed”. Similarly, we should be amazed if we also truly heard God’s voice, if we really heard His teaching. <br />“Amazement” is to have a shocking experience that seems to tremble you. It is to experience being overwhelmed of God’s Word, so much moved and seems to overturn you. <br />The message of God conveyed by the bible is filled with amazement. Even the fact that this world of ours, all things of heaven and earth were created by God is a message of amazement. <br />Even the fact that God became man, came to this world as Jesus Christ, taught people about God’s kingdom and His love in words they could understand is a message of amazement. <br /><br /> Do we (particularly the Christian) experience the amazement of God’s Word? <br /><br />As our life of faith gets longer, we become quite familiar of the contents and knowledge increases of bible stories or even the words of Jesus. <br />Even with regards to stories in the bible or words of Jesus, the more we are familiar of the passage, the more we may think [I already know much about this passage. I also understand its meaning. I have read and thought of it many times in the past]. <br />However, it’s not the case. Though the same passage or the same Word of God, words of the bible approach us with new resonance, freshness and amazement. <br />When the light of the Holy Spirit that is the spirit of God illumines our heart and His Word as well, that Word approaches us with new amazement every time. <br />The Word of God comes as an amazement and approaches us, we are trembled, made to realize our sin, and the awareness that we can be transformed or must be changed by God arises. <br />Always receiving the Word of God with such amazement is the kind of church we want to be. <br /><br />The reason why people were amazed to Jesus’ teaching at that time is clearly written in today’s scripture. It is because there was authority in His teaching. <br />because his words had authority. (verse 32) <br />The authority that Jesus had was not one that would wrestle the person to the ground as if to let him listen by force. <br /> To wrestle a person to the ground and strongly make him listen to what you say is not a true authority. If it is such an authority, it is at least not God’s authority that the bible tells. <br />The authority that Jesus had is one that fundamentally transforms us from the inside. It is such an authority. <br />It’s not changing us forcibly by threatening with fear or force from the outside, but the authority that by speaking God’s Word repeatedly, the person that hears it seems to be changing from the inside (even if it takes time) is the authority that Jesus had. <br /><br />God patiently speaks to us of His Word repeatedly even to this day. Such God’s patience and in His Word is found the true authority. <br />However, we human beings by nature have the tendency to rebel against God’s Word. In today’s scripture is described “a demon, an impure spirit” as one that makes us rebel against God. <br />In the synagogue where Jesus taught was a man possessed by an impure spirit and cries out at the top of his voice as follows. <br />“Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (verse 34) <br /><br />[Don’t bother me (What does it have to do with you and me?)] ~ this is a cry that says “ leave me alone, don’t bother me”. <br />We don’t clearly understand what kind of existence has the impure spirit or the devil, but they certainly exist. That is because the bible clearly tells of that matter. <br />Judging from the impure spirit that is described in today’s passage, the evil spirit’s work is to make us lonesome. It’s an existence that keeps us away from the love of God. It’s an existence that makes us think “I can manage well enough on my own even without God”. <br />“I can manage well enough on my own even without God”, “Even if there’s no one else (though it’s ok to have some involvement, to acquaintance degree), I can do enough”. The evil spirit that is described in today’s passage is an existence that makes human beings bear such wrong thoughts. <br />However, we can never live alone. We will die spiritually if we haven’t fellowship with the true God. <br />And the way of life to live in fellowship with the true God urges us to have a close spiritual fellowship also with other people aside from our self. <br /><br />What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? <br /><br />Even us might also have such a thought (even if you are a Christian). <br /> What does a Jew who died of crucifixion 2000 years ago have to do with me to this day? However, He has a great relationship even with us to this day. Without His existence, the death of Jesus on the cross, even our life now is nothing. <br /> We don’t understand everything. I can’t have full knowledge or talk about everything concerning matters of God and the words of the bible. That is impossible even for me as a pastor. <br />However, we are as this built as a church of Christ, continue to gather (worship service), talk of God’s Word, keep mutual sharing and keep trusting on God due to the following reasons. <br /><br />Because we cannot live in the true sense if Jesus Christ the Son of God was not born as a human being. <br />And if Jesus Christ is with us, we are completely unafraid of anything in this world, not even evil spirit. And we believe in that. <br />Let us continue to listen repeatedly to the words of God (words of the bible) and know God’s love and protection to us even more. Let us store up God’s words in abundance within us and be joyful for the life to live with Him. <br />In today’s passage, it is written that as Jesus said sternly [Be quiet! Come out of him!], the demon threw the man down among the people and came out without injuring him. <br />There is nothing more powerful than the words of Jesus. With a word, it disperses whatever evil power is. Therefore, we must store up in our heart one by one the words of Jesus Christ as our weapon to stand against evil. <br />The evil spirit couldn’t inflict any injury to that man. Whatever evil power or even evil spirit doesn’t have the power to hurt us even just a little before the power of the true God. <br />God’s power is such powerful and that is given to us as the words of the bible even to this day. Let us walk our life of faith each day, always relying more than ever on the authoritative and transforming Word of God that overcomes evil and fundamentally transforms us.bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-867431777085770055.post-58655168778848328192023-10-14T14:07:00.001+09:002023-10-14T14:07:01.971+09:00Sunday Worship Service October 15, 2022 <br /><br />Call to Worship Psalm 119:105 <br />Hymn JBC # 134 Sing them over again to me <br />The Lord’s Prayer <br />Offering <br />Scripture Luke 11:29~36 <br />Prayer <br />Sermon “What are my eyes seeing?” <br />*Audio data is not available today due to the lay sermon <div>(message by a regular church member) today<br />Prayer <br />Hymn JBC # 296 I saw the cross of Jesus <br />Doxology JBC # 674 <br />Closing Prayer <br /><br />Good morning, everyone. Pastor is away to give the sermon at Kokura Church so I am in charge of the sermon today. It was more difficult and harder than I had imagined. I thought I should pray more when the pastor is preparing for his sermon. <br />However, since all of you brothers and sisters prayed for me, I was really encouraged and was able to do my best. Thank you very much. <br />Today's Bible verses are the ones I read together with everyone at a Sunday School class. In the adult class, we have been reading the Gospel of Luke under the guidance of Bro.Akiyoshi and today's passage was the one we read on August 20. <br /><br />The week before it, in Sunday School, we had read the part prior to today's passage. In that passage, Jesus healed a man by casting out an evil spirit that made the victim mute, so that made some people say, "This man (Jesus) has performed this miracle by the power of an evil spirit!", and also there were those who sought a sign from heaven to test Jesus (11:14~16). <br />In contrast, in today's passage, Jesus says, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." <br />At the Sunday School, everyone was sharing various opinions. As I listened to their stories, I noticed a few things that I had not noticed before that time. <br /><br />During the sharing, I noticed a connection between the first part where Jesus rebukes the "people wanting a sign" and the second part where he says "The light of the body is the eye." <br />Until then, I did not really think about the connection between the two, I just read it as such. <br />But Jesus connected it to the story of "visible signs" and taught us how our "eyes" should be. <br />First of all, for those who sought the "sign" in the first part, Jesus rebuked them for seeking to test him, saying, "This is a wicked generation." <br />I looked up the word "よこしまYOKOSHIMA: (wicked)" and found that it describes the state (appearance) of something that is lying down, meaning "not right" or "unreasonable" <br />Having an attitude of lying down is an attitude that does not want to face Jesus head-on. Lying down is probably an attitude that seeks to test people with impure motives and malicious intent, <br />and it may also be an attitude that is already full of your own ideas and refuses to listen to what the other person has to say. <br />Have they, who were asking for a sign, never seen Jesus say or do anything or perform a miracle before? The passage we read today is chapter 11 of the Gospel of Luke, but if you look at the previous chapters, you will see that many miracles had already been performed. <br /><br />There was the healing of the daughter of Jairus the head of the synagogue, and Jesus raised the only son of a widower. There was also the famous miracle of feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. It is written that rumors have spread throughout the whole Jewish lands. <br />Perhaps these people had also seen Jesus's action and words and seen him perform miracles. They would have also heard many rumors. Yet, these people were still unable to believe in or acknowledge Jesus. <br />If such people asked me for a sign, I would say, "I have nothing else more to give you!" But Jesus said, "none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." In other words, "the sign of Jonah will be given." <br /><br />Jonah is a prophet from the Old Testament book of Jonah. He was thrown into the sea and spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish, but he surprisingly survived that. Jonah became a sign, and the people of the land of Nineveh feared the true God of Israel, the real God, and a movement of repentance and fearing God began. <br />Jesus compared this incredible miraculous "sign" of Jonah being thrown into the sea and came back alive after three days and three nights in the belly of a fish overlaps with the "sign" of Jesus's own death on the cross and resurrection on the third day. <br /><br />Shortly after this, Jesus suddenly speaks of a lamp and eyes. <br /><br />Let's read it once more <br /><br />33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. <br />34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. <br />35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. <br />36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” <br /><br />The lamp is Jesus Himself. God lit a lamp that is Jesus so that everyone who came into could see. Indeed, Jesus came into the world as a being what could be seen. He is not a person who lived once upon a time in a place, but a historical person who lived in history. <br />During His public life, He lived with His disciples, He spoke in front of many crowds, He performed miracles, and finally He was hung on the cross. And what many of the disciples testified risking their lives was that Jesus had risen. <br />The disciples, who had been so frightened that they abandoned Jesus and fled, saw His resurrection, and after receiving the Holy Spirit, they publicly proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God and that He had risen, without fear of the powers of the world, persecution, or death. All these things are written in the Bible. <br />Jesus is always present where people can see him, just like a lamp on a candlestick which illuminates its surroundings. <br /> He taught us that when we look at the lamp which is Jesus with our own eyes firmly, our eyes will be clear and our whole body will be bright. <br /><br />The words "if your eyes are healthy (“clear” in Japanese translation)" are plainly written in other English translation as “when your eyes are good”. <br />When your eyes are good, it means your body is also good. Also, to have a bright body means that not only your mind but also your whole body that others can see will be bright. <br />Here, I don’t think "bright" mean the kind of person who has a good personality and a smile, like a help-wanted for a part-time job says “want bright/cheerful people”. <br />What the Bible means by whole body is bright/cheerful is that love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will be manifested in our character. This is the famous "Fruit of the Holy Spirit" passage in chapter 5 of the Epistle to the Galatians <br />The Holy Spirit is in us and we cannot see him with our eyes, but it says that when we live in deep communion with him, these fruits will appear in our personalities in a gradual and visible way. <br /><br />Someone who has love, someone who is full of true joy, someone who has peace, someone who is truly kind from the heart, and on top of that, someone who has integrity and self-control! It is too wonderful. <br />Jesus told us that if our eyes are good, these fruits will appear and our whole body will be bright and visible to others. Today, I would like to explore more about how we can make ourselves brighter. <br />Jesus tells us in one word: "If your eyes are good." If your eyes are good, your whole body will be bright. <br />"Having a good eye" means that we keep our eyes fixed on the lamp which is Jesus Himself. What should we do to "fix our eyes on the lamp" that is Jesus? <br />One of the ways is to find God in nature. Natural revelation is to look at the visible natural world and notice the message of the invisible God. <br />When we look at the sky, the sea, the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees and flowers, we are not to glory them, but to ponder on the Creator who created them. <br />Among my favorite TV programs are NHK's "Darwin has come” and "Mysteries of the Human Body", they are truly mysterious. The Chinese character 「神秘」(mystery) is a combination of 「神」(God) and 「秘密」(secret) isn’t it? <br />There are beautiful, subtle, and amazing forces at work in living organisms and animals that we cannot even put our finger on, and they are at work in our bodies at this very moment. <br /><br />Although NHK does not use the word "God," I cannot help but think that there really is a God. <br />Also, to "look into the lamp that is Jesus" means to read the Bible. As it is written that Jesus came to this world as the Word, looking at the Word is looking at Jesus. <br />The Bible is filled with testimonies of Jesus. Especially for today’s sermon, since "seeing" is the theme, every time I read the Bible, I noticed such words as "eyes" or "seeing". I am sure there are many more, but here are a few Bible verses I have read recently. <br /><br /> (Colossians 1:15~16a) <br />The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, <br />visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; <br /><br />The letter Paul wrote to the Colossians while in prison in Rome contains this prayer. <br /><br />From 1 John 1:1 <br />That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. <br /><br />John, who was one of Jesus' most beloved disciples, first wrote the Letter of John with these words. He testified with emotion that he had seen Jesus, the Son of God, with his eyes, heard his voice, and touched him with his hands. <br />When we look at these biblical words, when we quietly contemplate His presence, our eyes will look to God, to Jesus. <br />I myself have been most blessed while preparing for this sermon. I am blessed just by listening to each word that comes directly from our members at the Sunday School because it contains the truths. I am also given inspiration too. <br />Also, as I read and meditate over and over again to prepare for today's sermon at home, I became more aware than ever of the importance of seeing with my eyes. <br />People are influenced by what they see. When I see my family becoming similar to one another, I am made aware that what we have constant contact with has a great influence in ourselves. <br /><br />What do my actual eyes see, my eyes tend to focus on my smart-phone, Korean dramas, and people's mood (facial expression). <br />And what do my eyes of heart chase for, people's bad habits, being concerned how I appear in front of others, when I am occupied with worries and my eyes of heart just see those problems. <br />Also, my eyes of heart often see too much of myself. There are times when I am so obsessed with my own things. <br /><br />At those times my eyes are darkened and it becomes easier to lose my way. That is the timing to remember Jesus. <br />In fact, the next morning after I learned at the Sunday School, I woke up a little early and was praying. <br />At that time, I had one concern, and although I was praying, my heart was at the state of closed. At that time, the Bible verse we had studied the day before came to my mind. <br />Just like those who had seen Jesus and many miracles before their eyes but still could not believe, I, too, have seen many miracles during my 26 years of being a Christian. <br />I have experienced many prayers answered, some major and some minor, and even if I did not know it at the time, when I look back, I have seen for myself a lot of prayers are heard. <br /><br />I have read much of the Word of God, however, I was still hesitant to trust Jesus, and even after seeing several times, my worry was not yet cleared. <br />At that time, I was taught from a prayer that I pray without believing even seeing many times, I must believe and pray even one word remembering who Jesus is. <br />Since that day, almost every day, these words, "Even seeing many times, (you still can't trust Jesus and worry?)", have come up in my mind, reminding me and encouraging my faith. <br />I was so moved by that teaching and so grateful for what I have learned at the Sunday School that I chose this passage as my theme of today's sermon and thus I wanted to share it with all of you. <br />Everyone who has come to faith knows about Jesus, but there are some who have come to church just recently, so I will end today's sermon by introducing who Jesus is again, whom I learned from the Bible. <br />Speaking of His character, Jesus is someone who talks a lot with people that everyone despises and gently explains who He is. <br /><br />He is the gentle one who heals the sick of their diseases and declares that your faith has saved you and your sins are forgiven. <br />When it comes to power, He is the One who can walk on water and feed thousands, tens of thousands with a little bread and fish. <br />His holiness does not reserve to rebuke human’s hidden hypocrisy and sins. We must one day stand before His holiness and be accountable of our lives. <br /><br />The end of Jesus' life was that he was hung on the cross in our place for the forgiveness of our sins. <br />In a psalm there is a graphic expression that every bone was dislocated and the tongue was attached to the jaw, but for what purpose did Jesus die in the most feared, shameful, insulting, and cursed way of all men? <br />I hope you will find the answer to that question in the Bible and in the church. <br />We are promised that our whole body will be brightly illuminated when we abandon the lying down attitude which does not listen to Jesus’ words and look to Jesus and believe in him. <br />More than anyone else, Jesus Himself wants us and our lives to be brightly illuminated.</div>bibchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642137199380048874noreply@blogger.com