Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Sunday Worship Service December 22, 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Hymn JBC # 157
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 301
Offering
Special Hymn
Scripture Matthew 2:1~12
Prayer
Sermon “The First Christ Worship”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 167
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
In the Christian church, December 25th is commemorated and celebrated as the date of birth of Jesus Christ.
In today’s passage that was just read out, it says “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod”.
Actually, the month and date of Jesus’ birth is not recorded anywhere in the Bible. Because of this, we do not know whether the 25th of December is Jesus’ actual birthday or not.
It seems that the reason that the Christian church came to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December has its origins in the time of the early Christians. At that time in Rome, the Cult of Mithras worshipped the sun god Mithra, and held a festival celebrating the “Invincible Sun God” on the 25th of December.
The Christians believed that Jesus Christ himself was the “true Sun”, the only one who brings new life to man and the true God.
As more and more people in the Roman Empire came to believe in Christianity, the Cult of Mithras declined
In this way, the 25th of December was no longer a celebration of the god Mithras, but came to be when Christians commemorated the birth of Christ.
As such, although the date December 25th is not recorded in the Bible, that date represents the history behind many people choosing to believe in the One God of the Bible (rather than believing in idols made by man), and coming to worship the true God.
While there may be no accurate basis for the 25th of December being Christ’s birthday the Bible does clearly write about the time during which Jesus was born.
As I mentioned at the start of today’s message, the beginning of today’s passage says “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod”.
King Herod, known more commonly as Herod the Great, ruled as the King of Judea, as a vassal of the Roman Empire at the time. (It is said he reigned from 37BC to 4BC).
As written in the sections following today’s passage, he was disturbed by the news that a new king had been born that threatened his position as King, he had all the boys who were two years old or younger in Bethlehem and its vicinity killed, leaving none alive.
Because of this, it could be said that Herod was a ruthless person without mercy.
Yet, we should also know that it is possible that Herod’s upbringing and being in the position of King may be made him that way, and that anyone could become like him.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time that such a king was reigning over Judea (approximately 2000 years ago).
At that time the Magi (or traditionally “wise men”, as they have also come to be translated as), came to Jerusalem (the capital of Judea) from the east, and came to see King Herod.
In the New Interconfessional Bible (Japanese), the Magi are translated as “astrologers (scholars of astrology)”. Perhaps the reason for this is that they knew that a new King of the Jews (Messiah) had been born by looking at the movement of the stars.
They observed the movement of the stars (astronomical objects) and could interpret what they observed, making them the experts in astronomy of their time.
Their knowledge was relatively advanced for their time, so they must have been the leading experts (scholars or scientists) of their time.
They came from the east, all the way to Jerusalem. Precisely where in the “the east” they came from is not written, so we do not know.
There are theories that it may mean Babylon, where the Israelites had once been held captive during the Babylonian captivity, or from still further east. If that is the case, the journey they took would have been thousands of kilometers.
Since we do not know precisely we can only guess, however I think we can safely assume that the Magi arrived in Jerusalem after braving the dangers of a very long journey over the course of many days.
The gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus who was born at that time is someone who we need to meet, even if we have to take on so much risk, spend so much time, give so much (or everything) we own, He is the exalted One we should believe in.
Also, the Magi were not Jews, but were from a country to the East, and would have been seen by the Jews as gentiles.
It may be that these gentile Magi became familiar with the stories of the Bible from the Jews who were taken into captivity in Babylon.
The Magi believed the prophecy in the Bible that the true King of the Jews, the Messiah, would be born, and they would have been awaiting this event with great excitement.
The fact that King Herod heard the news of the birth of the Messiah, the King of the Jews, from the gentile Magi who were not Jewish, shows that the Messiah, Jesus, is not just the King of Israel, the land called Judea, and the Jewish people, but is the Savior of all of us, of all mankind.
Before I came to believe in Christ, I used to think “Christianity is a Western religion”, that it is not something for us Japanese people to believe in.
Certainly, it is true that historically the Christian church developed in the West (Rome and European countries), but Jesus Christ was born in Israel as a Jew, meaning that it is not necessarily true to think of Christianity as a Western religion.
I think that when I used to reject Christianity because I thought it was a Western religion, I now think that it was because I had a kind of bias or obstacle within me (it could also be called prejudice).
The truth transcends the borders, ethnic and racial differences of our human world.
Even though the truth of God transcends our differences in the human world, is it right that we often value partiality and take pride in our national and ethnic differences in the human world, particularly those of the nation we belong to, over that truth?
We are all God’s creation, and were each of us created by God to have different characteristics.
The Bible tells us that even though we were created by God to be each of us different, God wants us all to know Him as the One God who made each of us, to believe in the God that transcends the difference of nationality, region, race and ethnicity we find in our human world, and to live together.
Let us continue to open our hearts and minds to the truth spoken through the Bible and listen carefully to the words of the Bible.
And what is fortunate for us is that now, in order to seek the true God, the Savior, and meet with Him, we do not need to travel for hundreds or thousands of kilometers like the Magi in today’s passage.
To meet with God, we do not need to go to Jerusalem. This is because even now, God is with us here in this place. Can this be true?
This is true. The Bible says this.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18 Verse 20, Jesus says:
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
It means that when we gather together in Jesus’ name, that is, believing that Christ is God, coming together in the faith, uniting in heart and mind, Jesus will be with us in that place.
When we the Christian church gather together not by human thoughts and desires, but are brought together by the grace and love of Jesus Christ, when we give glory back to Christ together, Jesus is with us in that place.
In other words, if we gather together with faith in Christ, no matter where that is, Jesus will be with us in that place. Isn’t that such a great blessing?
Let us all continue to walk in faith, sharing the grace that Jesus is with us where we gather in the name of Christ, hearing the Word of the Bible together and receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God!
And, for those who do not yet have faith and have not yet made the decision, we hope from the bottom of our hearts that you will continue to come to church and experience meeting with the true God.
When the Magi went to Herod’s palace first, they found the King of the Jews (Jesus) was not there.
Jesus was born as the son of Joseph the carpenter and his mother Mary, as a boy in an ordinary Jewish family.
Herod said “Go and search carefully for the child” (verse 8), and the Magi set out in search of Him.
When they did so, the star they had seen from the East guided them, stopping above the place where the infant (Jesus) lay.
They were overjoyed, and entered the house.
Let’s read verse 11.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Magi bowed down to the infant they found there, worshipped Him, and presented Him with the treasures they had brought
Gold is said to symbolize an offering to the One who is King, and frankincense (a perfume made from the sap of certain trees) symbolizes an offering to the One who is the High Priest connecting God and man.
And myrrh was a preservative used to prevent the bodies of the dead from decaying, so it could be said to symbolize Christ’s eventual death on the cross for the atonement of sins for all.
In this way, at that time, the Magi presented the treasures they had brought to One who is the true King, the One who is the High Priest connecting God and man, the One who gave His life for us, that is who they gave their treasures to.
It could also be said that at that time, they were the first to give their worship to Christ.
In what way do we worship Christ? Do we believe in Christ with our hearts, praise Him, and present our treasures to Him?
The one who is God was born as a man. That One is Jesus Christ. He did this to forgive us our sins and grant us salvation.
Let us believe in, rejoice and be thankful that Christ was born into our world for us this way.
Let us continue meeting together in Christ’s name, offering to Jesus the best of what we have, starting with our whole selves, continuing to offer our worship to the true Christ,
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” The gracious blessing from Jesus in these words will always remain true and will continue to be a reality for us.
Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Hymn JBC # 157
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 301
Offering
Special Hymn
Scripture Matthew 2:1~12
Prayer
Sermon “The First Christ Worship”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 167
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
In the Christian church, December 25th is commemorated and celebrated as the date of birth of Jesus Christ.
In today’s passage that was just read out, it says “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod”.
Actually, the month and date of Jesus’ birth is not recorded anywhere in the Bible. Because of this, we do not know whether the 25th of December is Jesus’ actual birthday or not.
It seems that the reason that the Christian church came to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December has its origins in the time of the early Christians. At that time in Rome, the Cult of Mithras worshipped the sun god Mithra, and held a festival celebrating the “Invincible Sun God” on the 25th of December.
The Christians believed that Jesus Christ himself was the “true Sun”, the only one who brings new life to man and the true God.
As more and more people in the Roman Empire came to believe in Christianity, the Cult of Mithras declined
In this way, the 25th of December was no longer a celebration of the god Mithras, but came to be when Christians commemorated the birth of Christ.
As such, although the date December 25th is not recorded in the Bible, that date represents the history behind many people choosing to believe in the One God of the Bible (rather than believing in idols made by man), and coming to worship the true God.
While there may be no accurate basis for the 25th of December being Christ’s birthday the Bible does clearly write about the time during which Jesus was born.
As I mentioned at the start of today’s message, the beginning of today’s passage says “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod”.
King Herod, known more commonly as Herod the Great, ruled as the King of Judea, as a vassal of the Roman Empire at the time. (It is said he reigned from 37BC to 4BC).
As written in the sections following today’s passage, he was disturbed by the news that a new king had been born that threatened his position as King, he had all the boys who were two years old or younger in Bethlehem and its vicinity killed, leaving none alive.
Because of this, it could be said that Herod was a ruthless person without mercy.
Yet, we should also know that it is possible that Herod’s upbringing and being in the position of King may be made him that way, and that anyone could become like him.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time that such a king was reigning over Judea (approximately 2000 years ago).
At that time the Magi (or traditionally “wise men”, as they have also come to be translated as), came to Jerusalem (the capital of Judea) from the east, and came to see King Herod.
In the New Interconfessional Bible (Japanese), the Magi are translated as “astrologers (scholars of astrology)”. Perhaps the reason for this is that they knew that a new King of the Jews (Messiah) had been born by looking at the movement of the stars.
They observed the movement of the stars (astronomical objects) and could interpret what they observed, making them the experts in astronomy of their time.
Their knowledge was relatively advanced for their time, so they must have been the leading experts (scholars or scientists) of their time.
They came from the east, all the way to Jerusalem. Precisely where in the “the east” they came from is not written, so we do not know.
There are theories that it may mean Babylon, where the Israelites had once been held captive during the Babylonian captivity, or from still further east. If that is the case, the journey they took would have been thousands of kilometers.
Since we do not know precisely we can only guess, however I think we can safely assume that the Magi arrived in Jerusalem after braving the dangers of a very long journey over the course of many days.
The gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus who was born at that time is someone who we need to meet, even if we have to take on so much risk, spend so much time, give so much (or everything) we own, He is the exalted One we should believe in.
Also, the Magi were not Jews, but were from a country to the East, and would have been seen by the Jews as gentiles.
It may be that these gentile Magi became familiar with the stories of the Bible from the Jews who were taken into captivity in Babylon.
The Magi believed the prophecy in the Bible that the true King of the Jews, the Messiah, would be born, and they would have been awaiting this event with great excitement.
The fact that King Herod heard the news of the birth of the Messiah, the King of the Jews, from the gentile Magi who were not Jewish, shows that the Messiah, Jesus, is not just the King of Israel, the land called Judea, and the Jewish people, but is the Savior of all of us, of all mankind.
Before I came to believe in Christ, I used to think “Christianity is a Western religion”, that it is not something for us Japanese people to believe in.
Certainly, it is true that historically the Christian church developed in the West (Rome and European countries), but Jesus Christ was born in Israel as a Jew, meaning that it is not necessarily true to think of Christianity as a Western religion.
I think that when I used to reject Christianity because I thought it was a Western religion, I now think that it was because I had a kind of bias or obstacle within me (it could also be called prejudice).
The truth transcends the borders, ethnic and racial differences of our human world.
Even though the truth of God transcends our differences in the human world, is it right that we often value partiality and take pride in our national and ethnic differences in the human world, particularly those of the nation we belong to, over that truth?
We are all God’s creation, and were each of us created by God to have different characteristics.
The Bible tells us that even though we were created by God to be each of us different, God wants us all to know Him as the One God who made each of us, to believe in the God that transcends the difference of nationality, region, race and ethnicity we find in our human world, and to live together.
Let us continue to open our hearts and minds to the truth spoken through the Bible and listen carefully to the words of the Bible.
And what is fortunate for us is that now, in order to seek the true God, the Savior, and meet with Him, we do not need to travel for hundreds or thousands of kilometers like the Magi in today’s passage.
To meet with God, we do not need to go to Jerusalem. This is because even now, God is with us here in this place. Can this be true?
This is true. The Bible says this.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18 Verse 20, Jesus says:
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
It means that when we gather together in Jesus’ name, that is, believing that Christ is God, coming together in the faith, uniting in heart and mind, Jesus will be with us in that place.
When we the Christian church gather together not by human thoughts and desires, but are brought together by the grace and love of Jesus Christ, when we give glory back to Christ together, Jesus is with us in that place.
In other words, if we gather together with faith in Christ, no matter where that is, Jesus will be with us in that place. Isn’t that such a great blessing?
Let us all continue to walk in faith, sharing the grace that Jesus is with us where we gather in the name of Christ, hearing the Word of the Bible together and receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God!
And, for those who do not yet have faith and have not yet made the decision, we hope from the bottom of our hearts that you will continue to come to church and experience meeting with the true God.
When the Magi went to Herod’s palace first, they found the King of the Jews (Jesus) was not there.
Jesus was born as the son of Joseph the carpenter and his mother Mary, as a boy in an ordinary Jewish family.
Herod said “Go and search carefully for the child” (verse 8), and the Magi set out in search of Him.
When they did so, the star they had seen from the East guided them, stopping above the place where the infant (Jesus) lay.
They were overjoyed, and entered the house.
Let’s read verse 11.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Magi bowed down to the infant they found there, worshipped Him, and presented Him with the treasures they had brought
Gold is said to symbolize an offering to the One who is King, and frankincense (a perfume made from the sap of certain trees) symbolizes an offering to the One who is the High Priest connecting God and man.
And myrrh was a preservative used to prevent the bodies of the dead from decaying, so it could be said to symbolize Christ’s eventual death on the cross for the atonement of sins for all.
In this way, at that time, the Magi presented the treasures they had brought to One who is the true King, the One who is the High Priest connecting God and man, the One who gave His life for us, that is who they gave their treasures to.
It could also be said that at that time, they were the first to give their worship to Christ.
In what way do we worship Christ? Do we believe in Christ with our hearts, praise Him, and present our treasures to Him?
The one who is God was born as a man. That One is Jesus Christ. He did this to forgive us our sins and grant us salvation.
Let us believe in, rejoice and be thankful that Christ was born into our world for us this way.
Let us continue meeting together in Christ’s name, offering to Jesus the best of what we have, starting with our whole selves, continuing to offer our worship to the true Christ,
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” The gracious blessing from Jesus in these words will always remain true and will continue to be a reality for us.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Sunday Worship Service December 15, 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 32:11
Lighting of the Advent Candle (Joy)
Hymn JBC # 173 O little town of Bethlehem
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 301 Amazing grace ! how sweet the sound
Offering
Scripture John 3:22～30
Prayer
Sermon “He must become greater; I become less”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 160 It came upon the midnight clear
Doxology JBC #679
Benediction
Postlude
Today is the third Sunday of Advent before Christmas.
At the beginning of the service, the third Advent candle was lit. The fire of the third candle represents “joy”.
The event of Christmas, that Jesus Christ was born into the world as a human being, is our great joy. The source of our joy is Jesus Christ.
Where Christ is, there is joy. Where Christ is, and where He is recognized and praised by people, there is joy.
Today in our church, through our worship, we want to acknowledge Christ as the Lord God, praise Him, and share the joy of His presence with us.
Today's Bible passage is from the Gospel of John 3:22-30.
Today's passage begins with the following sentence
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
Jesus went with his disciples to the countryside of Judea, stayed there and baptized people.
Last week, a sister was baptized in our church. Baptism is a ceremony in which a person confesses and declares that he or she believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that he or she will walk as a Christian.
We, the Christian church, are commanded by Jesus to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people and to baptize those who believe.
In Matthew 28:19-20, it says
19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Thus, it is a command that the Church, as a community of Christians, has received from Jesus to preach His teachings to the world and baptize those who believe in Him. (It is called the “Great Commission.”)
In today's passage, Jesus by himself baptizes people. Jesus took His disciples and went out into the various regions of Judea to preach about the Kingdom of God.
There Jesus met various people, preached the Kingdom of God to them, and baptized those who believed as a sign of their faith.
Having seeing Jesus himself baptizing people, I think that his disciples would later remember Jesus’baptism when they themselves came to baptize people.
I believe that Jesus was preparing for the time when He would eventually be taken up to heaven and would no longer be with His disciples on earth.
I imagine that when Jesus was with his disciples, he was teaching them by actually showing them “how to preach the kingdom of God” and “how to baptize”.
I am now serving the church as a pastor. And my current work as a pastor is based on what I learned from my own pastors (pastors of churches I belonged to in the past).
I believe that the way Jesus himself preached and baptized was passed on to his disciples, and that what Jesus' disciples learned in this way has been passed on to the Christian churches till today over the generation.
As believers living in the present time, I would like us to continue to study the content of evangelism and faith inherited from the past, while keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the reality of the present time.
Verse 23 says the following.
23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.
This John was an evangelist known as John the Baptist. John the Baptist was one of the religious leaders of Jesus' time in the New Testament who also baptized Jesus.
John the Baptist was probably a very influential and popular leader in his day.
However, today's passage describes a clear difference between Jesus' baptism and the baptism of John the Baptist.
That is, Jesus was baptizing by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, on His own authority as the Son of God, while John the Baptist was baptizing merely by water.
In John 1:31 and following, John the Baptist says, “I baptize with water. But He (Christ) who sent me to baptize with water baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”
John the Baptist's baptism was a baptism by human hands (whose real authority rests with God and not with man).
We, the Christian church, as God's agents, so to speak, still baptize with water. But it is Jesus Christ who truly baptizes by the Holy Spirit.
We want to keep in mind that when we believe in God and are led to be baptized, it is the God of Jesus Christ who is truly baptizing them with the Holy Spirit, it is not through the authorities of churches or pastors.
Let's look at verse 26 of today's passage.
26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
John's disciples were apparently moved by jealousy when they saw so many people being drawn to the new leader, Jesus.
John's disciples must have seen Jesus as a rival to their teacher, and they must have thought of Jesus' followers as competing with them.
John's disciples must have been frustrated by that“our teacher was more popular, and more people would be following our group, but now many have gone to the new leader, Jesus”.
This kind of rivalry or vanity is something we too all have in our hearts. John’s disciples’ figure would be the figures of ourselves too.
But John's response to his disciples was as follows.
A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.
We receive various good things from God in heaven. We receive our abilities, talents, and all other good things from God in heaven.
John the Baptist was convinced that it was God the Father who gave him the gift of evangelism or the mission itself.
John the Baptist found joy in simply following faithfully the mission that God the Father had given him, using the gifts he had been given.
Because they are God-given gifts, there is no need at all(nor should there be) to compare them with the gifts given to others or to compete for superiority.
We want to be those who can appreciate and rejoice in what God has given to each of us according to His plan.
We also want to treasure the gifts we have received and use them to serve in the missionary work of the Kingdom of God.
Furthermore, John compares himself to the role of a bridesmaid (“the friend of the bridegroom”) who brings together the bride and the bridegroom (v. 29). Christ is the bridegroom, and those who believe in and follow Him are likened to His bride.
John the Baptist was shown that his mission was to prepare the way for many people to believe in and follow Christ.
John was convinced that his mission was to lead people to believe in Jesus Christ, not to make them follow him (John).
Therefore, the fact that many people (brides) were going to Jesus Christ (the Bridegroom) and receiving His teachings was a joy that John could not be more pleased with.
John says, “I am filled with joy” (v. 29). He says that he is filled with joy at the coming of Christ and at the sound of His voice.
We, too, are filled with the greatest joy when we hear the voice of Jesus Christ, when we hear His voice as the Word of life that gives us life and leads us.
Let us always listen to the Word of God, the Word of Christ, which fills us with joy, nourishes us, and gives us strength to live our lives.
Let us read the last verse of today's passage, verse 30.
30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
That One” is, of course, Jesus Christ. The greatest joy for us is to see Jesus Christ flourish, His name be praised, and He believed.
When Christ is glorified in us, when He is magnified in us, we ourselves become small and weak.
We are self-centered, so the thought of “I, I, I (me)” inevitably comes first. Even if it is not so obvious, our honest feeling is “I must be first”.
Therefore, when our needs are not met, when people do not do what we want, we are dissatisfied.
When we don't get our way, we would complain even to God.
But when Christ becomes the greatest in ourselves, His thoughts, God's will, become the most important thing.
If Christ grows and flourishes in us, His thoughts become far more important and precious than our own.
Our greatest concerns will be “What would Jesus think of this, and how would Jesus want me to live”.
Let us have faith that Christ is the one who flourishes most in each of us and in our church.
Christmas is coming again this year when we remember that the One who should be most glorious among us, the One who should be most praiseworthy, the Lord of glory, was born into this world as a little boy.
Let us welcome this year, too, with thanksgiving, the Christmas when we rejoice in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world.
And Let us pray and seek that Christ may always be the most praised and most glorified among us.
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 32:11
Lighting of the Advent Candle (Joy)
Hymn JBC # 173 O little town of Bethlehem
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 301 Amazing grace ! how sweet the sound
Offering
Scripture John 3:22～30
Prayer
Sermon “He must become greater; I become less”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 160 It came upon the midnight clear
Doxology JBC #679
Benediction
Postlude
Today is the third Sunday of Advent before Christmas.
At the beginning of the service, the third Advent candle was lit. The fire of the third candle represents “joy”.
The event of Christmas, that Jesus Christ was born into the world as a human being, is our great joy. The source of our joy is Jesus Christ.
Where Christ is, there is joy. Where Christ is, and where He is recognized and praised by people, there is joy.
Today in our church, through our worship, we want to acknowledge Christ as the Lord God, praise Him, and share the joy of His presence with us.
Today's Bible passage is from the Gospel of John 3:22-30.
Today's passage begins with the following sentence
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
Jesus went with his disciples to the countryside of Judea, stayed there and baptized people.
Last week, a sister was baptized in our church. Baptism is a ceremony in which a person confesses and declares that he or she believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that he or she will walk as a Christian.
We, the Christian church, are commanded by Jesus to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people and to baptize those who believe.
In Matthew 28:19-20, it says
19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Thus, it is a command that the Church, as a community of Christians, has received from Jesus to preach His teachings to the world and baptize those who believe in Him. (It is called the “Great Commission.”)
In today's passage, Jesus by himself baptizes people. Jesus took His disciples and went out into the various regions of Judea to preach about the Kingdom of God.
There Jesus met various people, preached the Kingdom of God to them, and baptized those who believed as a sign of their faith.
Having seeing Jesus himself baptizing people, I think that his disciples would later remember Jesus’baptism when they themselves came to baptize people.
I believe that Jesus was preparing for the time when He would eventually be taken up to heaven and would no longer be with His disciples on earth.
I imagine that when Jesus was with his disciples, he was teaching them by actually showing them “how to preach the kingdom of God” and “how to baptize”.
I am now serving the church as a pastor. And my current work as a pastor is based on what I learned from my own pastors (pastors of churches I belonged to in the past).
I believe that the way Jesus himself preached and baptized was passed on to his disciples, and that what Jesus' disciples learned in this way has been passed on to the Christian churches till today over the generation.
As believers living in the present time, I would like us to continue to study the content of evangelism and faith inherited from the past, while keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the reality of the present time.
Verse 23 says the following.
23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.
This John was an evangelist known as John the Baptist. John the Baptist was one of the religious leaders of Jesus' time in the New Testament who also baptized Jesus.
John the Baptist was probably a very influential and popular leader in his day.
However, today's passage describes a clear difference between Jesus' baptism and the baptism of John the Baptist.
That is, Jesus was baptizing by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, on His own authority as the Son of God, while John the Baptist was baptizing merely by water.
In John 1:31 and following, John the Baptist says, “I baptize with water. But He (Christ) who sent me to baptize with water baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”
John the Baptist's baptism was a baptism by human hands (whose real authority rests with God and not with man).
We, the Christian church, as God's agents, so to speak, still baptize with water. But it is Jesus Christ who truly baptizes by the Holy Spirit.
We want to keep in mind that when we believe in God and are led to be baptized, it is the God of Jesus Christ who is truly baptizing them with the Holy Spirit, it is not through the authorities of churches or pastors.
Let's look at verse 26 of today's passage.
26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
John's disciples were apparently moved by jealousy when they saw so many people being drawn to the new leader, Jesus.
John's disciples must have seen Jesus as a rival to their teacher, and they must have thought of Jesus' followers as competing with them.
John's disciples must have been frustrated by that“our teacher was more popular, and more people would be following our group, but now many have gone to the new leader, Jesus”.
This kind of rivalry or vanity is something we too all have in our hearts. John’s disciples’ figure would be the figures of ourselves too.
But John's response to his disciples was as follows.
A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.
We receive various good things from God in heaven. We receive our abilities, talents, and all other good things from God in heaven.
John the Baptist was convinced that it was God the Father who gave him the gift of evangelism or the mission itself.
John the Baptist found joy in simply following faithfully the mission that God the Father had given him, using the gifts he had been given.
Because they are God-given gifts, there is no need at all(nor should there be) to compare them with the gifts given to others or to compete for superiority.
We want to be those who can appreciate and rejoice in what God has given to each of us according to His plan.
We also want to treasure the gifts we have received and use them to serve in the missionary work of the Kingdom of God.
Furthermore, John compares himself to the role of a bridesmaid (“the friend of the bridegroom”) who brings together the bride and the bridegroom (v. 29). Christ is the bridegroom, and those who believe in and follow Him are likened to His bride.
John the Baptist was shown that his mission was to prepare the way for many people to believe in and follow Christ.
John was convinced that his mission was to lead people to believe in Jesus Christ, not to make them follow him (John).
Therefore, the fact that many people (brides) were going to Jesus Christ (the Bridegroom) and receiving His teachings was a joy that John could not be more pleased with.
John says, “I am filled with joy” (v. 29). He says that he is filled with joy at the coming of Christ and at the sound of His voice.
We, too, are filled with the greatest joy when we hear the voice of Jesus Christ, when we hear His voice as the Word of life that gives us life and leads us.
Let us always listen to the Word of God, the Word of Christ, which fills us with joy, nourishes us, and gives us strength to live our lives.
Let us read the last verse of today's passage, verse 30.
30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
That One” is, of course, Jesus Christ. The greatest joy for us is to see Jesus Christ flourish, His name be praised, and He believed.
When Christ is glorified in us, when He is magnified in us, we ourselves become small and weak.
We are self-centered, so the thought of “I, I, I (me)” inevitably comes first. Even if it is not so obvious, our honest feeling is “I must be first”.
Therefore, when our needs are not met, when people do not do what we want, we are dissatisfied.
When we don't get our way, we would complain even to God.
But when Christ becomes the greatest in ourselves, His thoughts, God's will, become the most important thing.
If Christ grows and flourishes in us, His thoughts become far more important and precious than our own.
Our greatest concerns will be “What would Jesus think of this, and how would Jesus want me to live”.
Let us have faith that Christ is the one who flourishes most in each of us and in our church.
Christmas is coming again this year when we remember that the One who should be most glorious among us, the One who should be most praiseworthy, the Lord of glory, was born into this world as a little boy.
Let us welcome this year, too, with thanksgiving, the Christmas when we rejoice in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world.
And Let us pray and seek that Christ may always be the most praised and most glorified among us.
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