Genesis
Ge.1[9121] Words of Power. Katsumasa Hirota: I have talked before about the
life and ministry of Ayako Miura. Just recently this well-used Christian lady
author passed away. She had been writing on the themes of 'what is the truth?'
and 'what is the word?' Once, she wrote about a certain lady who had suffered
so much from the abuses of her alcoholic husband that she told their daughter
she was going to kill him, and then later she did [not translated into English].
Often the words that we say have a strong power over us. In another book [also
not translated yet], she wrote about three Japanese fishermen, who, after a
great storm, were able to reach American shores. It was these men who first
translated the English Bible into Japanese. They faithfully translated the very
first part of the book of John. Looking at the Bible itself we find that in the
beginning God created this world using words! Again we find that words have a
strange power. And, Colossians 4:4-6 tells us that we are to control what we
say.
We have found that words used with kindness and salt really encourage
people. Probably the salt in our words is like a cleansing agent, making what
we say wholesome and helpful. Again, I mention that that Christian author was
like a magician with words. Talkative people are those who have lots of
subjects to talk about, also anyone who tries to help another in their business
magically changes into a kind person in the sight, and expression of this
author. She freely controlled her words. I am sure that she had a deep
fellowship with the Lord every time she used her words. She, herself, once said
that in writing her stories she can't even start without asking Jesus first
"what should I write." She must have received the "Logos", or living words of
God, all of the time.
Ge.2:7[8111] Hidden Treasures in Earthen Vessels. Katsumasa Hirota: Our fleshly
bodies return back to the earth! Our fleshly bodies are not as worthy as
something that resides temporarily inside them.
Ge.2:18[9043] We need each other. Katsumasa Hirota: Here, God said that it was
no good for us to be alone -- this place is often referred to in marriage
[ceremonie]s, but it is also a passage for all the people He has created. We
are called to be together and to share our burdens.
A certain man once said that the most fearful thing in this age was not
nuclear war, but the threat of being separated from one another. That is what
we are most afraid of.
In Japan, we find recently that we are having serious problems in the
classrooms -- students don't know how to work together. Each person heads out
in his own direction, and hate to belong to other things. God, who created us,
wants us to work together. Of course, we are different people in many ways,
but God created us differently so that we could have our own tasks in harmony
with each other.
Ge.15:6[7101] Living Faith. Katsumasa Hirota: Here, Abraham's faith is referenced.
It was certain that Abraham was righteous in believing God. It was clear that
he was such a faithful person. But in acting out his faith, he was not regarded
to be righteous until he offered Isaac to God. Through his deed of dedicating
his only beloved son to God, his faith became an active one.
Ge.21:1-8[9113] Trying Times. Katsumasa Hirota: Indeed, Abraham's wife had just
given birth to his son, Isaac, which should have been a very happy time for him
and his family. Though, by their own decisions, they had agreed to have a child
using his wife's servant -- and this was not done in God's will [though God
remained silent in it]. Then, they had done just what they thought was right.
As their actions were not of God, that decision was, in a way, the start of
their great anguish. But, after this bitter episode, God gave them a son. We
can easily imagine just how excited and happy they were!
Since Isaac's birth, most of the things in Abraham's life must have been
going well -- then, God decided to test Abraham. This testing of God's quite
often happens to us, as the children of God. Living in comfort creates the risk
that we will stop depending upon God. We so easily can forget God, our Creator,
when things are going well and we are busy with life. It can honestly be said
that we only go back to God in our hard times. God knows all of our weak
points, of course. And, once in a while, we receive His testing [to bring us
back into focus with reality].
There is another reason why He tests us. We sometimes wonder why faithful
people that we know or hear about go through hardships. Well, according to His
own plans for us, God is making us more spiritual, so that we can be closer to
Him.
Ge.22[9053] True Worship. Katsumasa Hirota: We do pray and sing to Him. But, do
we really do so with all of our heart and soul? Well, to be honest, some of you
here might be thinking about other things instead. Things like: "What shall I
eat or make for lunch today?" or "That person has a nice dress on today. She
sure has many nice clothes." or even "Oh, Pastor Hirota's hair looks terrible!"
and so on. But, God demands that we concentrate on Him, worshipping Him with
all of our hearts, and minds. Remember the story of the worship that Abraham
offered to God. His worship finished with blessings. How gracious it is that
the blessings of God reach down through our families.
In worship, we are to pray with our hearts, sing with our strength, and
give our offerings with love, so that those who haven't known Christ yet would
find the true love and Spirit of God in our worship, and eventually be joined to
our congregation. [True belief and worship should give birth to more of the
same in others.]
Ge.22:1[9113] NB. Katsumasa Hirota: The first line in Chapter 22 starts with
"Sometime later". From this context we can imagine that Abraham had been through
several events since the last reference to him.
Ge.22:1-24[9113] The Lord will provide. Katsumasa Hirota: We all know that Abraham
has been called the Father of Faith, which is true enough and shows us that
through his faith we were all able to receive our blessings. His life was full
of ventures. Quite a few events happened in his life. At the age of 100,
Abraham begot a son. Sarah, his wife, was already 90 years old. Physically such
a thing seemed impossible. It must have been so difficult believing in God's
promises to them. By that time, it must have seemed to them that their
reproductive bodies were already dead. So having a baby past the ages of 100 and
90 truly was something to be excited about! They had waited long enough!
But, it was natural [, especially in those circumstances,] that Isaac was
to become a kind of idol to them. He was a miracle from Heaven, cute and lovely
to them. They just couldn't help feeling like this. However, it didn't please
God [Pastor Hirota's conjecture]. So, God brought out his test: God required
Abraham to offer his son [up as a burnt offering] to Him. On the way to the
place [God had chosen for Isaac to be sacrificed], it must have been a terrible
thing to dwell on. Probably, Isaac knew that he would be the sacrifice, while,
perhaps, Abraham was counting on God to do something beyond his expectations.
But, it had been God who had demanded Isaac, so there was no escape.
At the moment Abraham tried to kill his son, a voice came to him from the
angel of the Lord, telling him to stop. In his faithful actions, God had seen
that Abraham was obedient to Him. [It was a test only.] There was a ram stuck
in the bushes near by to use in his place. It was the answer from God. So
Abraham named that place "The Lord will provide."
Ge.38:18[8123] Katsumasa Hirota: In this passage, we can see how sinful Tamar was.
She had a baby through tricking her father-in-law into fathering the child. It
was for the family to prevent the line from perishing without any children, but
even so, she was not a woman of faithfulness!
Exodus
Ex.1:15-21[9014] Faith over temptation. Katsumasa Hirota: On the first day in
Egypt, we had a chance to visit the pyramids, and view many valuable jewels in
them. Just looking around at all of those things, I just couldn't imagine how
wealthy those kings must have been. It would be impossible in this day and
age! Even the richest people today are not as wealthy as they were. They were
very, very wealthy, and this was beyond my expectations!
But, I remembered, Moses. Incredibly, Moses had refused to hold those
treasures in his hands, when he grew up. Just by faith, Moses refused it. By
faith, his parents had nurtured him as a baby, even though it was illegal to
allow him to live. They nurtured him for three months. By faith, before this,
the nurses of Israelite women helped them give birth to their babies, and we
can read this in Exodus 1:15-21. All of these people felt the aweful power of
God, and were not afraid of the life-taking power of the king, but kept their
faith in God.
Ex.2:15[9024] The Forever God. Katsumasa Hirota: Here in the place of Midian,
Moses started a new life - after throwing away his life as a son of the
Pharaoh. In this mountainous place, Moses found a people who were faithful to
God. On the mountain of Horeb, he met God face-to-face, personally - later,
Moses asked God His name and God answered "I am who I am." This is His eternal
name. God exists forever, just like the meaning of His name. We humans exist
here, in this time and place only. We are here in the third dimension, but we
will certainly disappear. However, God is not like us. Refer to Rev. 1:8: He
is the Beginning and the Ending. See Rev. 22:12,13. This is the God that
Moses met on the mountain, personally. He was called out.
Ex.3:6[9024] Who is God? Katsumasa Hirota: For us Japanese the concept of
God is greatly varied, as we have many gods in Japan. In the old days, we made
a god of anything that was big; huge rocks, trees, etc., or anything strange,
like foxes, white snakes, and even horses! They are so numerous that it would
take too long today to make mention of them all, our so-called gods. We still
have these evil habits among some of our people, deep inside. But, for Moses,
it was different; when he heard the voice of God, he immediately knew it was
from the God of Abraham.
Ex.21:24[9034] God's Preemptive Love. Katsumasa Hirota: In those times, there
was also another law, commanding "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth".
It was also the law. But, through Jesus, God replaced this law giving us a
better one. God's new law is to love and forgive one another. This is the
love God showed us through the cross. It is 'Agape' Love. This love is to
live for others and to die for others. Other people have come close to
demonstrating this kind of love. We have examples in the works of Abraham
Lincoln, and Florence Nightinggale.
When God created us, He wanted us to follow this Love. Our human history
has been so far from it. But, we could not do it. That is why we so badly
needed, and need, Jesus' cross.
Numbers
Nu.12:3[9014] Leadership and Softened Hearts. Katsumasa Hirota: I also
had a chance to climb Mt. Sinai. To climb up it, I used a camel. Being on a
camel, I could reach the top at last. It would have taken three hours by foot.
On the top, it was dry and cold. Moses climbed the mountain with his own feet,
spending about three hours travelling, then he knelt down before God. And
finally the very fine voice of God came to him. After a hard situation, Moses
received the words from God. And so do we. Being in a terrible situation with
problems, we ask and beg God for an answer. Without troubles and problems it
might be difficult for us to come before God.
The life of the Israelites is often compared with our lives. In Egypt,
they were sinners, being away from God. But, through the long journey through
the wilderness, they went back to their promised land, their home. After
certain lengths of time, being sinful and not knowing God, we know God.
When we think of Moses, we might regard him as a strong, and powerful
person. But this is not the whole truth. Numbers 12:3. To lead a people, we
need to be humble and very soft hearted. This reminds me of a donkey. Jesus
rode on one when he was coming into Jerusalem. This animal is very
soft-hearted. A child tries to put a little stone into its mouth, and right
away the donkey knows that there is something in its mouth that is not edible.
It keeps its mouth open until the child takes the stone out again. We do have
lots of stones thrown at us in life. But, we'd like to be softened so that we
can show the love of God that we have inside.
Nu.13:25-33[9094] Live in Faith. Rev. Miyawaki: As you know, the Israelites
were so scared to enter the Promised Land that they actually argued against it.
Together with Caleb and Joshua, they had spied out the land and found that the
natives were unexpectedly big and powerful. They could not imagine taking the
land from such people, and thought that they were doomed to die. However,
Joshua and Caleb did not think this way at all. I suppose the key is to be
with God in His word. Only when we simply believe the words, or are personally
given certain words, can we make our faith work freely for us. This truly
applied to Caleb and Joshua. They weren't afraid of what they saw. They were
not influenced by visible circumstances at all, but looked over the land with
the eyes of God!
If we keep on looking around us using our own experiences we will never
see God's glory. We will never see what really is! Once you have truly
received the words of God, even though the situation is different, you are to
commit everything, even the result, and after doing this, you will see His free
and strong work, even through the impossible.
Leviticus
Le.26:33[0064] Concerning Prophecy. Eiko Stevens: Here is another
prophecy concerning the Jewish people. We are told that the Jews will be
scattered all over the world. Just thinking back over the world's history, we
know this prophecy has been fulfilled. True, in 70 A.D., these people lost
their own nation, and the Temple they loved almost as dearly as their own lives.
Deuteronomy
De.1:1-17[8013] Following God. Katsumasa Hirota: It is painful for me to share
this morning, I do have an experience to share about when I did not follow God's
guidance. When I was going to a bible college, I heard God's voice to take on
the work of a country evangelist. Reverend Koji Honda, who is now over 80 years
old and has been greatly used in this area, spoke to me. He encouraged me to
stand up and travel about Japan preaching the Gospel with him. Though I clearly
heard God order me to get up I did not obey Him. After graduation, I just
returned back home to my mission to take over the role of pastor there. I did
not obey God's voice. While I was going to my bible college, I was sure that I
was gifted in ministering the Gospel to those who had never heard it before.
Whenever I gave a message, people's faces shone, expecting my sermons to be full
of jokes and strong words from God to come. As you know, my wife has been sick
and weak - for the past 30 years of my life as a pastor, she has been sick,
suffering from many aches. I now know that this hardship came from my
disobedience to God's calling.
When we disobey God there is no blessing at all. I was called to be an
evangelist, and I do want people to be saved! I like going out to the world to
spread out God's words. But, God gradually took His blessing and gift away
from me. Recently, my sermons have become boring and sometimes hard to
understand.
Today's scripture reading is one that has been given to me personally. I
need to change my direction! I didn't obey Him, but now I am repenting of
this, and will follow Him in the direction He shows me.
De.1:6-7[0011] Pressing on. Katsumasa Hirota: In this book, Moses looked
back on all of the 40 years he had spent in leading his people through the
wilderness to the Promised Land. He was also recalling the last 40 years he
had spent with the Israelites in waiting to enter the land God had sworn to his
ancestors. Suddenly, he heard again the voice of the Lord saying, "You have
stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and move on."
The Israelites could have left that place earlier. They wanted to stay
there probably for many reasons; it was too nice a place to leave, or even
perhaps they were just too lazy to get started. When I received these verses
for the New Year, I thought of our church, and the churches of Japan as well as
my own. In Chapel Noah, we have been facing all those same people for years
now. Most of us must be staying at the same spiritual level that we were first
at when we received our salvation many years ago. We've got to break through
that old wall before we can step ahead.
To enter a new world, a firm faith in God is necessary. To remain at the
foot of Mount Horeb does not do us any good. We are to stand up and go. No
matter how well a person can fish, if he stays indoors, he will never be able
to prove his prowess in fishing. The same is true with us, unless we start for
a new goal with faith, we can't experience God's works or blessings.
De.1:7-8[8013] Discerning God's Will. Katsumasa Hirota: For a whole year,
after they came out of Egypt, the Israelites stayed on Mt. Horeb. During their
journey, God protected and guided people by cloud in the day and by fire at
night. During their life of 40 years in the desert together, they learned how
to live with God. And, this applies directly to we Christians today. God told
them that if they were willing to follow and obey Him, they would receive
blessings from God even down to their future descendants. But, they failed to
do it, which caused them to leave their own place wandering all over the world.
It is always difficult for us to know God's will. It looks and seems
almost impossible for us to do it. We are likely to judge by the visible
situations only. Remember Abraham's nephew, Lot, who chose a large place to
live in. He thought it was so big, rich and attractive. But, later, he found
out that it was a place full of sin, and God decided to get rid of it. It is
again so hard to tell God's will that we often fail in it. But here are some
helpful things for you to try: Test your mind - see if you have peace in
contemplating what you are going to try; Ask one or two of your regular prayer
partners about your prayer request. Since God is one - His will will be one;
so if it is right for you to do a thing, you will each receive the same answer
from God. If that's the way for you to go, in God's guidance and will, the
door will be wide open.
De.1:9-13[8013] NB. Katsumasa Hirota: Of course, we need to give much more
and earnest prayer to [our plans; to discover] if[they are] really [directives]
from God. [That is, if we are going to accept them as a directives from God,
we must test them in prayer and action] 'Only those who hear God's words for
them are to get up and make up their minds to follow Him in [these].'
De.1:12-15[0011] Next
