Sunday Worship Service, Memorial service for those who have passed on August 11, 2024



Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 23:4
Hymn JBC # 104 There shall be showers of blessing
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 21 Worthy of worship
Scripture Hebrews 11:3～16
Prayer
Sermon [God has prepared a city for them]
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 336 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude


Today’s worship service is [Memorial Service for those who have passed on]. We will worship the Lord God today as we remember those that were called to heaven ahead of us.
In Christianity, we do not revere our dear ones that have died or worship the dead. The One that we are to praise, honor and worship is solely the Lord God.
Therefore, in Christianity, even the funeral service made to remember the dead is offered to God as a [worship service]
At the funeral service, we entrust to God the soul of the person whose life is ended on earth and ask for its peace in heaven. And we pray at the funeral service hall that God will comfort the sentiments and grief of that deceased’s family that is left on earth.

The bible teaches that any person shall never be worshiped like God. It is because any human being is a limited imperfect existence with shortcomings and weakness.
　Even when Jesus was tempted (trial) by the devil in the wilderness, He opposed the devil with the Word of God [Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only]
　The One that we should revere (worship) and serve is the Lord God alone.
Similarly, however, the bible tells how precious existence we human beings are. To be precise, the Bible tells as the central message how much we human beings that were created from dust are loved by God.
God has taught how much He loves each one of us, how precious ones He considers us through His Son Jesus Christ.
Let us rejoice that there is God who tells how much He loves us and that our existence is truly precious.

I have chosen the New Testament’s Hebrews chap. 11 of God’s Word as the Bible passage of today’s worship service to commemorate those that have passed on.
The word that appears repeatedly in today’s passage is [Faith]

In verse 3 at the beginning of today’s passage is written as follows.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made of what was visible.
By faith in God, we can believe that this world of ours was created through the Word of God.
At the beginning of [Genesis] of the Old Testament is written [In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth] When we read this one sentence by faith in God, this exceedingly concise sentence draws near to us as truth with great power.
It all began with God. And even our human life was all created by God.
And the Bible tells that God desires that we will believe God and live our life here on earth together with Him.

　To believe God and walk with Him is to believe His Word and live in obedience to His Word and instructions.
In [Deuteronomy] chap.5:33 is written as follows.
Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

We human beings all want to live happily. Thus, the way to live happily is clearly written in the Bible.
　It is to walk the way that the Lord God has commanded. It is to walk along with the Lord. It is in doing it that we can receive true happiness and live the life here on earth.
Therefore, let us seek the way to live true happiness through the Bible which is the Word of God.

There are many characters that appear in the Bible. Through various people that are depicted in it, the Bible conveys how God revealed Himself and how He interacted with them.
We can learn what faith is through the narrative on how the many characters that appear in the Bible were loved by God, or how they were trained and the like.

In today’s scripture ( Hebrews 11:3～16) is described “What faith is” through a number of representative figures that are depicted in [the book of Genesis]of the Old Testament.
In verse 4 is portrayed the narrative of Abel and Cain. It is about the story of Abel and Cain that is depicted in the book of Genesis.
Abel and Cain were the children of Adam and Eve who were the people firstly created by God. Cain, the elder brother became a tiller of the soil and offered to God the crop (grains) from the ground. Abel became a keeper of the sheep and offered to God firstlings of the sheep.
At that time, the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, however, He had no regard for Cain and his offering (Genesis chap.4).

So then, the elder brother Cain was furious and killed his younger brother Abel. It is told that it was the first murder in human race that the Bible conveys.
In today’s passage, it does not mention that Cain killed Abel, but it’s written that “Abel offered to God a better offering than Cain, and through that faith, he was commended as righteous man”.
What Abel offered was sheep (meat), and that of Cain was grain of the ground. God looked at how much faith was in that offering more than the offering itself.
Life of faith is a life of offering. It’s a life offered to the Lord God. The Lord looks at how much sincerity we put in that offering.
Our God looks at the sincerity in our offering and it’s in that heart which He delights. We human beings have the tendency to only judge others by their appearance.

We can’t help but be concerned about what other people think. Are we not always captured about how people see us?
However, there is God who truly sees inside our heart and knows within us.
　To live in relationship with that God, we can have peace, freedom and happiness in our heart.
　Let us receive and establish by faith a relationship with God who knows everything about us, including our hearts, so that we may receive true peace, freedom, and happiness.
In verse 7, Noah’s example is cited. It’s about Noah’s flood that is described from Genesis chap.6 onward
God was sorrowful for man’s heart was filled with evil thoughts and was determined to destroy this world by flood. It was a tragic occurrence that seems to be extremely harsh, but we should imagine God’s pain Himself and sorrow at that time.
But then, Noah was a man obedient to God. Then God spoke to Noah and commanded him to build an ark in order that his family and other living beings may be saved from the flood.

Noah built an enormous ark as God has commanded. From other people’s perspective, what Noah did must have seemed insane.
How much time and wealth (maybe there wasn’t money yet) may have been required to build such an ark?
However, instead of being concerned about what others think or reputation, Noah by being obedient to God’s Word, could as a result save his family, moreover, the life of many other living things (in other words, the world).

　We can learn from Noah’s narrative that whether this world will be saved or not lies on the matter whether the believer lives in obedience to God’s Word.
Therefore, let us not be compromised with what others think, the common sense or trends of the world, not turn our eyes and ears away from the Word of God and teachings, and let us live in accordance with His Word.
To keep on walking the path of faith in this world is at times trying and even difficult. There may be times when we think ‘it’ll be easier just to live a normal life, in line with the flow of the world’.
However, the Bible conveys that it is in the Word of God that there is salvation, hope and happiness. Therefore, let us keep on encouraging one another the way of life to walk in obedience to God.

From verse 8 is written about Abraham. When Abraham was 75 years old, he left the land where he got accustomed to, and walked according to the Lord’s command, to go to the land that God reveals. (Genesis chap.12)
Abraham without being revealed the actual destination where he was going, he started on a journey just in obedience to God’s command and promise of blessing.
Specific destination was not revealed to him, but God gave Abraham a promise of blessing “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2)
Abraham believed not something that was visible as destination, but one that although unseen was an absolute promise of God, His Word.

Abraham as well as every one of our faith pioneers that were depicted in today’s passage were people who, as they saw it with their own eyes had put their hope in God’s mighty promise that would extend beyond the life on this earth.
Every one of them hoped and believed that which was depicted in today’s passage […the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God] (v.10), [a heavenly country] (v. 16)
Even among the pioneers in faith that I’ve personally known, there were those who were overflowing with grace for the city that God prepares, the heavenly Kingdom.
When I was in a language study in America, there was an elderly woman named Bessie Burke who was among those that taught God’s Word of the Bible, accepted me with great love and gentleness even though I was very rude and disrespectful attitude before I believed in Christ.
Bessie had lost her husband early and lived alone but (I heard that during her active career, she worked as a hairdresser and even had her own shop) she invited me and other overseas students to her home, gave us hearty reception and taught us the Bible as well.

Even since I came back to Japan, Bessie continued to keep in touch. In the year 2011, Bessie has passed away at the age of 93.
While I was corresponding with her by letters or telephone during her lifetime, I could perceive how Bessie was filled with hope for the heavenly Kingdom.
And now I understand that hope for the heavenly Kingdom, the city of God has made even Bessie’s life here on earth lively and was a love that overflowed even to other people.
The hope for the heavenly Kingdom, the city that God is preparing is given to us all people. Let us together receive the hope for that city by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Today, we offer the “Memorial Service for those who have passed on” to remember those that have gone ahead of us. We can believe that each one of those that have passed on has lived his/her life here on earth with all their strength, and that life was protected in the Lord’s hand.
At any rate, let us have by faith the hope and mind that we can see each other again in the heavenly Kingdom. And as we carry the hope for God’s Kingdom, let us walk along together our daily life that was given to us here on earth.