Sunday Worship Service January 26, 2025

Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 62:8
Hymn JBC # 125 All Creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn JBC # 261 Dear Spirit, lead me to the Saviour’s side
Offering
Scripture Galatians 1:6～10
Prayer
Sermon “There is No Other Gospel”
Prayer
Hymn JBC #492 My hope is built on nothing less
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction
Postlude

The Christian faith, that is, the faith that believes in Jesus Christ as God and Savior, is given to us as "grace."
　God has invited us to live in the grace of Christ. Our faith in Christ began with "God's invitation to us."
It's a free invitation. It is not something that we have attained through our own efforts or wisdom.
We may receive various invitations from people in our daily lives. Sometimes we receive invitations to weddings or other events.
When we receive such invitation, we will then decide whether we will accept the invitation and attend or not.
When we receive an invitation, it means that the recipient of the invitation (guest) is seen by the inviter (host) as "I want this person to participate" or "This person is the right person to participate."
　The inviter (host) chooses who to invite based on some thoughts and conditions, so to speak.

At the inauguration ceremony of the President of the United States held last week, it seems that invitations were sent to some foreign dignitaries in positions that are not usually invited according to diplomatic customs, and it was unusual and made the news.
Invitations to such political events may be accompanied by a strategic idea with an eye on future profits.
　I think we were often told by people to "choose the friends you hang out with". I think I have said to myself (I don't think I said it that explicitly) and also to my own children things like “Choose good friends and hang out with them" , "Don't be friends with bad people".
I do hope that friendship between people should be pure bonds, but when I look into my own heart, I think to myself that I probably choose even friends based on calculating profit and loss.

Then, how does God choose people and invite them to believe in Him as God, to the path of grace in Jesus Christ?
Will those who are worthy, excellent, religious, and pious in God's eyes (or in the eyes of others) be chosen, and only they are invited to become Christians who believe in God (or in Jesus Christ)?
This is not the case. The more Christians deepen their faith, that is, the more they have trust and gratitude to God, the more they are made aware that "I am not worthy of God's grace at all, and I have been chosen by God to be saved."
Paul, who wrote the Epistle to the Galatians, which is today's scripture, also says, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. " (1 Timothy 1:15)
As Christians, we can say that we can truly know God's grace by whether or not the words, "I am the worst sinner" have become our own words.
Gratitude and humility to say that God's forgiveness and grace have been given to me, the worst of sinners, must accompany our faith in Christ.

　At the beginning of today's passage, it says, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel"
The background to this writing is a problem and event that occurred between Paul, who wrote this epistle, and the church in Galatia, to whom this letter was addressed.
In the past, Paul's evangelism led to the establishment of a Christian church in the region of Galatia.
However, after Paul left Galatia, it is said that other people came there and preached a "different gospel" that was different from the one Paul preached. They were the so-called "Judaizers".
"Judaizers" were Jewish Christians. But they were the ones who insisted that "in order for a non-Jewish Gentile to become a Christian, he must first convert to Judaism and then obey the Jewish laws."

To believe in Christ is to respond to the invitation of Jesus Christ, the One whom God has become man, and to return to Him.
God revealed Himself through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, through Jesus Christ, we can know "who God is."
　Christ's invitation is unconditional. If we dare to say that there is a condition, it is only that we accept the invitation. All we have to do is open our hearts and let Jesus come into our hearts.
　But it’s true that it may also be difficult to just open our hearts and ask Jesus to come, and give thanks for God's unconditional grace.
This is because it is difficult for us to open our hearts and welcome Jesus to be at the center of our hearts.

Because at the heart of us sits our stubborn (and arrogant) selves who are unable to surrender their place, even to the Savior.
　And even if we believe and accept the gospel of Christ once, we can let go of that faith and leave it after a while.
Such things happen when something else comes into our hearts, things other than pure trust and faith in Christ.
The Judaizers considered "the observance of the Jewish law" to be the condition of faith and salvation.
In a way, they were serious and enthusiastic people, we can say.
For us Christians today, this would apply to "attending worship services," "making offerings," and "serving."
And the idea that if you don't do these things properly, you can't become (you are not) a Christian, is modern Judaizers, so to speak.

But it's the other way around. If we know the gratuitous grace of Christ and receive that grace with gratitude and repentance, it will show itself in the practice of a life of faith. (Not the other way around.)
In his sermon, the pastor of my home church would sometimes share these words of a Buddhist monk.

"Arranging shoes is not faith, but faith is arranging shoes."
Last year, our sister S testified that she was impressed by the way her sister's friend, Christian, silently arranged everyone's shoes at the wedding.
The basis of the act and appearance of silently arranging others’ shoes (not showing it off loudly) was the person's faith in Jesus.
Therefore, I believe that her action (the natural way of living her faith) touched Sister S's heart and remained in her memory for a long time.

　　Jesus said to His disciples:
27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:27)

Jesus said “But I am among you as one who serves.” And Jesus lived according to His words.
Jesus was equal to God, but He made Himself extremely low. He even became a servant to others at the dinner table.
Then, He died on the cross, bearing the disappointment, ridicule, and insult of the people.
In this way, Jesus offered His life as a sacrifice for each of us who cannot worship God as God, who drift away from God, always want to be the center of our own lives, and always want to be served rather than serving others.
If, in addition to faith in Jesus, outward things such as our good deeds, keeping the law, and observing religious rules are the conditions for our salvation, then Jesus' death on the cross is meaningless.

Our church has a cross at the roof spire. The window above the Baptistery (baptismal tub) is also in the shape of a cross.
The Christian church, as a group of Christians who believe in being saved by Christ, believes and testifies that "our salvation is due solely to the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross, which is pure grace (free, unconditional) and always expresses this faith.
If, in addition to the redemptive work of Christ's cross, we add any other conditions of salvation (or, conversely, if we deny the redemptive work of the cross), it would mean we are giving up Christ's salvation and being against God.

Verse 8 says：

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

"If anyone who tries to preach to you a false gospel that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, but of anything other than the gratuitous grace of Christ, even if it is us, let them be cursed." – such a strong word is used in this verse.
I think the part “Even if we" is very important, This teaches us that the words of the Bible are not for us to condemn others, but to rebuke ourselves who hear it first.
In other words, Paul, who wrote this epistle, is expressing that, "Even I, too, have the possibility to preach the wrong gospel. I carry such sin and have such weakness always."
There is always a danger that we will boast of something other than the gospel of Jesus Christ (e.g., our own abilities, experiences, achievements, etc.) and pass on such things to others as if they were conditions of salvation.
Paul left his words of faith here with a desire for self-discipline so that when we drift and tend to make such mistake, we ask Jesus Christ to correct our ways.

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. He was resurrected and is still alive and working for our salvation (receiving true life and born again living that true life).
That salvation through Jesus Christ is given to us simply by opening our hearts, turning to God, believing and accepting Him.
In order to receive that salvation, there is no action, character, or any other criterion or condition that we must achieve.
May only Christ alone, and faith in Him, be always shared and spoken among us, and that Christ alone may be exalted among us. Let us pray that thanksgiving, joy, and praise to Christ may be abundantly expressed among us.