Psalms Continued from Jb.1:20-22
Ps.16:8-9[9074] God is with you. Katsumasa Hirota: We, Christians, are to
acknowledge this fact; though we are surrounded by hardships [and Endo's novel
'Silence' demonstrated the hardships Japanese Christians have faced], God is
always with us. Though we can't see Him clearly, God is there, near you and
with you in your suffering, and only He can give us refuge. Without going to
Him, we can not get any spiritual support at all [In the plane hi-jacking
mentioned today
, we see a tragedy very clearly, it is not clear that God was
with that Christian pilot who died, but we who have trusted in Him know His
strength, and I am confident that God was even there then, helping the pilot
even through his ordeal of death at the hands of a crazy man. The strength God
gives us is invisible to the world in general, but we know it is real. Do you
believe that a man's death is the end? Well, there is a life that continues
beyond our short lives here, and in that life too, God is so important to us].
Ps.23[9021] The real thing. Katsumasa Hirota: Think about it, it's not
comfortable to dine with those we do not like, or whom we feel must not like us.
It's hard to eat together with people we [imagine] hate [us]. Unless we like,
forgive or accept such people, it's impossible to dine with them. [In a sense,
all of His disciples had betrayed Jesus, and they must have felt very ashamed of
themselves] But Jesus is not like us. Jesus, Himself, started to dine. Though
they had refused Him, Jesus naturally welcomed His disciples to His supper.
In Psalm 23, we find a verse that says that the Lord eats with us in front
of the enemy. Satan tries to get us by making us think this way: because we
have sinned so much, the Lord will never forgive and accept us. We are so far
from God. However, the truth is different. Just before the eye of the enemy
(Satan), Jesus invites us to His dinner table demonstrating our firm
relationship and the strong love between us. This is the relation between us.
The Lord accepts us as we are right now. And we are to follow Jesus in this way;
being accepted by Jesus in what we are, let us accept one another. But it has
nothing to do with being self-centered. Knowing God's forgiveness, keeping
selfish or trying to have your own way is different. Jesus asked Peter three
times if he would love Him. This is exactly what the Lord is asking us. Being
a person who has been forgiven and accepted, we are to follow Him in this
behaviour.
Ps.84:1-12[9071] How beautiful! Katsumasa Hirota: Reading today's passage, I
was struck with how much some people loved the House of God. The writer
confessed that he even wanted to be a doorkeeper [, or doorman].
The writer proclaims "How lovely! How beautiful!" Now I wonder, do we
really feel this way when we think of our church? There are lots of beautiful
visible things in and around the church building. The other day, a pastor who
visited me, encouraged me saying that our church has such a nice sanctuary.
Things in the church are beautiful; flowers are arranged every Sunday, benches,
piano, organ, pictures on the wall.. they are all beautiful and lovely things
that attract us to this church. To some, they may be a motivation for coming.
There should be good visible things in the church as well as good invisible
things. People are some of those invisible beauties. Our personalities or
characters should be beautiful, having the perfume of Jesus. We always want to
go back to a lovely place. And the opposite is also true!
Ps.91:1-16[9074] God protects us. Katsumasa Hirota: A few days ago, last week,
there was a very tragic jet plane hi-jacking, as you all know. The captain of
the plane was killed, and I learned in a newspaper that he had been a very
dedicated Christian, who had tried with all his might to prevent the hi-jacker
from operating the plane. The captain had been trying to save his passengers --
but, inspite of his efforts, the hi-jacker killed him. And I just couldn't
believe it when I learned that all the hi-jacker had wanted to do was operate
the plane!! For such a childish reason, he had killed the captain of a
passenger jet! Yet, at the same time, his deed reminded me of the dead in
Christ. Just as it is written in today's scripture reading, God is always with
us, protecting us from every evil thing.
[Now some might say, sure, some God protecting the pilot! If that is God's
strength, I had better trust in my own strength! But the drama is much deeper
than it appears on the surface. A plane was saved from unknown destruction. So
were its passengers, so was the hi-jacker, who was himself in an uncontrollable
situation. Only one man perished, and that was the Christian pilot. But, where
did that man go? In His faithfulness, he went to be with God. What did God
spare him from? God spared him from failure, and God spared him from more time
spent in a world of tears. The pilot won his ticket home, and, perhaps only
persons of duty can understand this point clearly, but God was there, protecting
him from the cowardice that would have resulted in further tragedy.]
Ps.95[8011] Of Salvation. Katsumasa Hirota: Why do we praise Him? Why do we
sing? We sing to the Rock of Salvation. This part encourages us to be pleased
with our own salvation and other people's salvation much more! There is nothing
that is more precious than salvation. Our thanks-giving should be much greater
than [a non-christian's]! We are to be more earnest in hoping and praying for
our family's salvation, as well as for the people around us. Our church should
also be sending out missionaries into the world, which we have been praying
[over]. Finally, this prayer is being fulfilled in one person; Aiko-sensei
[Aiko Mimata]. When she was called, she had a vision to go abroad for the
Gospel, but it has not been realized. She had to wait for the past several
years. However, I'm sure this new year is a year of preparation for her to go
out! We are to be sent into the world as a witness in this new year.
God says that 'there are many people of mine in this place' [Japan; the
World]!
Ps.107:33-38[9012] God blesses us. Katsumasa Hirota: God is trying to do a
new thing for you this year! God blesses us in doing what He blesses. In this
new year, we will find something new working in us and through us!
Ps.122:1-9[9084] Pray for Jerusalem. Katsumasa Hirota: This is the song of
those who came back to the Holy Land. Reading it we can tell how much joy they
felt inside. Look again at vs.6: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." This is
what we are to do right now! Now the Chosen People are starting to come back to
the Lord, and the fulfillment of the prophecy is also closer. Let's keep
praying that we may see God's work fulfilled.
Ps.126[8081] The Sower and the Seed. Katsumasa Hirota: People who are bound to
Christ can strongly bear fruit[, this being a productive Christian life]. This
comforts us, and encourages us so much. And we are to be wise enough to tell
where to sow[, that is where and when and how to tell people about God's plan of
salvation for them]. It's hard to tell a good place to sow, and there are not
so many good places for us to sow, probably. So we are to cultivate the soil;
use our time properly, our money, our love.
Read Psalm 126. And again, read Matthew 9:35-38. Our passion for lost
people is the energy and power that works evangelism. This passion AND the Holy
Spirit, who gives us the strength we badly need. Unless we have love for souls,
it's impossible to go out into the world for the sake of God. [However, when we
do go out, let us remember that the process of salvation is the Lord's work, not
ours. Vs. 6: He went off, went off weeping, carrying the seed. He comes back,
comes back singing, bringing in His harvest. It is in His strength that the
work is done.]
Ps.139:1-16[9122] The Omniscient, Omnipresent God. Katsumasa Hirota: While
living in this present darkness, Jesus is our counsellor; to whom we can depend
upon fully. He knows everything about you; your sorrow, hardships, despair, and
worries. Knowing all about us, He's still trying to help us and guide us.
Proverbs
Pr.16:4[9042] NB. Katsumasa Hirota: Now as a Christian who belongs to Chapel
Noah, this morning, we would like to consider our purpose here and our goal.
We all have our own purposes in life. In Pr.16:4, God said that He created us
for a certain purpose.
Pr.29:18[9042] - NB. Katsumasa Hirota: - says that we are to have visions and
dreams through life. So is Chapel Noah, as well as all of the other churches
through out the world.
Ecclesiastes
Ec.12:1[9055] The Advantage of a Knowing Youth. Hedeo Oka: After sharing lots
of time with children, I have learned that we human beings need to know or get
to know Christ when we are young [Remember the Lord in the days of your youth].
Just like is written in the Bible, a young man, whom my wife and I had
ministered to when he was a boy and whom had later had a terrible accident
which broke his leg and crippled him, had built a foundation on the rock in his
life when he was very young, and has been able to weather life's troubles with
Him until this day. Now, he is a doctor and has experienced blessings in many
ways; one of them is his father's conversion, which led to his wife's
conversion.
In his life no doubt, one can find God's blessings!
Isaiah
Is.4:5-6[9074] Hardships and refuge. Katsumasa Hirota: Having experienced
actually travelling through the Wilderness in the Middle-East (though I only
tried walking through some of the parts), I can easily imagine how hard and
horrible it must have been to have made that journey so long ago. The
Israelites literally experienced these hardships when travelling through the
Wilderness, and we who live in this time of history experience hardships too.
However, we have a shelter and refuge we can depend on, our Mighty God! He is
always here to help us, and give us refuge.
Is.6:1-8[8102] The Purifier. Katsumasa Hirota: This is the famous scene where
Isaiah was made a prophet. In his commission, Isaiah was purified with a live
coal. Did you know that this "live coal" represents the Holy Spirit? We need
to be purified by God's Spirit for the work of God's Spirit to work strongly
and freely through us. We are to be made holy, that is, to shun all evilness,
and be purified with the work of God's Holy Spirit.
Is.7:14[8122] Knowing God. Katsumasa Hirota: In the time of the Old Testament,
this was the Israelite's faith in knowing God, that God was always with them.
So when God did leave them, they felt tremendously discouraged. And they became
weak among the Gentile nations!
As a matter of course, exactly the same thing applies to us: whenever we
know God is with us, we are not helpless at all.
Is.8:8[8122] God is with us. Katsumasa Hirota: Upon receiving the birth of
Christ, the promise of God, "Immanuel", was fulfilled [in this World]. At the
beginning, in the Old Testament, and at the end, in Matthew 28:20, God is with
us. No matter where we are, God is there. Actually, right now, while we are
collected together for worship this morning, God is here among us. Mt.18:19.
The message of Matthew 1 is that Christ the Saviour is the Lord Immanuel.
In answering our prayers, God is Immanuel. In sending us into the world as a
witness, our God is Immanuel. We often think and experience the hardness of
making people believe in God. It is very good and proper for us to bring others
to Jesus, but we feel the difficulty of doing so more and more! Why should this
be? For, God is Immanuel, and He protects us and guides us with God's wings.
We should be experiencing this Immanuel. Whenever we know God is with us, we
are not helpless at all.
Is.9:1-7[9122,9123] A son is given. Katsumasa Hirota: As you know, Jesus'
birth had been prophesied long before He was actually born. The people who
first worshipped the Baby King were shepherds and wise men. The wise men had
been zealously waiting for His birth, and had studied many strange things to
find out the exact time of His birth. The true meaning of Christmas is this:
A child is born to us. A son is given to us. He will be our ruler. He will be
called 'Wonderful Counselor', 'Mighty God', 'Eternal Father', and 'Prince of
Peace' -- this is the meaning of the christmas message.
While living in this present darkness, Jesus is our counsellor; to whom we
can depend upon fully. He knows everything about you; your sorrow, hardships,
despair, and worries. Knowing all about us, He's still trying to help us and
guide us.
Jesus has also been called 'Mighty God', as we have read. He is the one
who created this world, guides us, and keeps our world in harmony. In calling
Him 'Mighty God', the name has strong power in battles. In the old days, when
the Israelites were about to leave for fights against other nations, they would
shout out this name. We also have battles in our lives. But Jesus says, "Be
alert! I have already won the battle." With Him, we can also have victory over
the battles in our lives.
Another important name of Christ's is 'Eternal Father'. This name always
reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son, who left his father and finally
came back to him. The father in this story was always a father to him: no
matter how unfaithful he was, and no matter how far away he was. Yes, like
that, our Father is a Father for us all of the time.
Even another name is 'Prince of Peace'. Only with Jesus can we conquer the
battles of life with the peace of God inside of us.
Again, the birth of Christ, that had been prophesied long ago, was truly
fulfilled.
Is.9:6[9074] Our Shelter. Katsumasa Hirota: It being the middle of summer
right now, we just can't help needing to find a refuge from this heat [and
humidity: the Japanese word for the day is "mushiatsui"]. We naturally install
air conditioners in our homes, and take breaks in stores and restaurants as we
walk down streets. To find respite in this uncomfortable weather, we do this,
and we find our comfort in refuge -- this reminds me of the real refuge of our
lives; our mighty God [who is Jesus Christ (See Is.9:6; "For a child has been
born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is
named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
NRSV)]. Whenever we have troubles, all we have to do is go back to Him, who is
our shelter and refuge. On the roads, we find safety zones where we can safely
stop our cars in emergencies -- but our safety zone, Who is God, is much more
safe than those we can find on the roads.
Is.11:11-12[9084,0064] NB. Katsumasa Hirota: After the people of Israel
wandered in the world for 1900 years, in 1945, they were finally allowed to
rebuild their nation again. It was the fulfillment of a prophecy in the Bible.
And, still now in this present age, many Jews are returning to Jerusalem from
all parts of the world.
Eiko Stevens: God forced Israel to wander all over the world for as many
as 1900 years. He took them back a few times during that history. And, at the
present time, Israel is again returning to that place, for Jesus' return is
near (long ago, God used Babylon as well).
Is.14:1-12[9112] The Fall of the Son of the Morning. Hirota[Matheson]: Lots
of Japanese office workers used to put their faith in their companies. There
used to be a saying: 'Once you get a job at a Japanese company, you won't have
to worry until you retire.' But this saying no longer applies to our present
generations. We are not sure of anything. [And this reminds me of that
enigmatic passage in Isaiah 14:1-12:
"For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel,
and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with
them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall
take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall
possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and
they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall
rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that
the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and
from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve. That thou shalt
take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the
oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff
of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people
in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is
persecuted, and none hindereth.The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet:
they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and
the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is
come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at
thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of
the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the
nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become
weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to
the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee,
and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations!" KJV
for certainly our economies are failing. This passage has been attributed to
many things; to the historic fall of the kingdom of Babylon - the wealthiest
kingdom known to man, to Satan - the fallen prince of God's angels who
continues to deceive us with his lies even today, and to commerce. The name
Lucifer, apparently a latin contrivance, meant Son of the Morning, and until
recently was thought to be Satan's given name. However, recently economics has
been suggested to be the root of the meaning, and certainly Saddam Hussein has
contributed to this idea with his international decrying of the power of the
United States as "the Great Satan." For certainly economic power has
demonstrated a great power over all of our lives. And those of us who have
lived with the luxury of strong economies now may be suffering from weakened
ones. Imagine then the state of the World when the world economy finally and
truly collapses.
However, inspite of all of these conjectures, I find that the Bible is
truly a very interesting book. And, as it is with prophecy, it is no less
likely to be true in all of these meanings: The day did come when world powers
did laugh at the fall of Babylon, and we will perhaps be mourning the future
fall of the world economy, but in an eschatological sense, I am convinced that
Satan, himself, will be caste into Hell, such that Man shall know peace for a
time while our Lord reigns with His kingdom realized on earth].
Is.37:35[9071] Reciprocated Love. Hirota[Matheson]: In today's reading,
Ps.84:1-12, we find such a wonderful and faithful confession: "How lovely is
your dwelling place!" There are some reasons behind these peculiar emotions --
in the time of the Old Testament, only priests could enter into God's secret
sanctuary; the very inside of the Temple. Read verses 3 and 4. The writer of
this Psalm deeply envied those who could live in God's house, even the swallows
and sparrows who lived there.
[Though written for the sons of Korah, this writer was very likely King
David. And in the Book of Isaiah, we can find this marvelous confession by God:
"..I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant
David's sake." Is.37:35. God deeply loves those who deeply love Him.]
Is.43:19,22[9012] Riding the wave. Katsumasa Hirota: It's fun to watch people
surfing, but actually surfing's very hard. [God's purposes for us in this World
is very similar. Remember our Lord Jesus told us to go into the World and make
disciples of Jesus, baptising them in the Name of the Father, Son and Spirit.]
Verse 22. To ride on a wave, we, first of all, must make up our minds
that we will do it. It should demand lots of work and sacrifices. This
sacrifice reminds me of the cross of Jesus. The only begotten Son, God, the
Father, killed on the cross - for us! It is the biggest sacrifice we can find
in this world. We are to be able to tell when the wave of God is coming. And
I believe today, in this age, God is making a big wave that is coming towards
us. Everyone in Japan, as well as in the world, is in need of God's salvation.
Just think of the economic crisis that is in Japan today! This is the worst
one since the world started. There are not definite things right now, but it's
the right time to watch for the wave. God is making this wave right now. God
is making a new wave. "A new bag for a new thing."
Is.45:22[8011] NB. Katsumasa Hirota: This part was given to me for the new
year as well as our present scripture reading. When I thought about these
verses, I reached to God's commandment which we are to observe; to reach out to
the world -- for it is God's will that all people should be saved through
knowledge of the truth [which is God].
Is.51:1[8071] Doubting God. Katsumasa Hirota: Actually, some Christians took
offense at God for the Hanshin earthquake. If God is a 'God of love', how could
He have allowed this kind of terrible thing to happen to His loving people?
They wondered and they doubted. But fortunately, they began to stand up and
walk again with the words of God. We all have the potential of doubting God,
and leaving Him. To avoid this crisis, Peter encourages us to know God's love
more fully. Read Isaiah 51:1.
Is.51:15[9012] The Wave of God. Katsumasa Hirota: Last year, I encountered
several books which led me to today's theme.
Last year, at the annual party of Chapel Noah, we talked about our visions
for our church. Some hoped that we would become much bigger in quantity.
Others wanted for us to expand out into several places in Oita. And others
hoped that Chapel Noah would grow in quality spiritually. This last vision is
just like what God hopes for His churches. St. Paul continuously encouraged us
to keep running, forgetting about the past. The past doesn't matter, but our
future does!
As long as a church is spiritually healthy, it will grow. And, for a
church to grow properly, we also need to "catch the wave." The word "wave" is
something to consider. A wave, first of all, has a certain direction to go. [It
is like a vibration in unity of water molecules. And, the water molecules are
moving together. If they did not move together, there would be no wave.] In a
way, each of us also has a certain vibration, which can be expressed by our
character, or personality, a little. Some people have similar "vibrations" of
character, and they get along well together. But, in a church, there are
different kinds of vibrations, so we need love to make the church work well. I
personally believe there are vibrations, or colours, in districts. Because of
the colour of the place, or feature of the district, a certain thing doesn't
apply to another place. This work of the waves, or vibrations, is how we are
to tell when we are to start.
Remember surfing? Surfers learn to be good at surfing by practicing hard.
They train and train and become skillful. But one thing they can't do is make
waves. They can only practice to ride on the waves when they come.
God is making a big wave that is coming towards us. Everyone in Japan, as
well as in the world, is in need of God's salvation. There are no definite
things to see right now, but it's the right time to watch for the wave. God is
making this wave right now. God is making a new wave.
Is.59:1-16 Next
