「神の御心によって生まれたわたしたち」 七月第四主日礼拝 宣教 2024年7月28日
ヨハネによる福音書 John 1章10〜14節 牧師 河野信一郎
Good morning. Welcome back. It is already the last Sunday in July. We thank God for the blessing of being able to worship with you this morning. We will miss seeing you at church, but we pray that your time will be protected and celebrated. If your trip falls on a Sunday, I encourage you to worship at your destination. If that is not possible, I encourage you to attend services online or via video. If even that is not possible, you can read the weekly messages on the church website and offer your own praise and worship.
We have a prayer request regarding our church website. We have been updating our website on a weekly basis, but we have only been updating the Japanese page, and the English page has been untouched for a long time. However, the issue was brought up at the deacons’ meeting, and we started to update the English page as needed and began to post English translations of the weekly messages, but for some reason, we have not been able to set a date and time for publication. In other words, the messages have an order, but they are not in the same order. For example, if I put on a message this morning, the July 7 message come up as the latest, and I cannot have consistency and uniformity. I will contact the company that created our website this week and request that they remedy that problem, but please pray that this will go smoothly and that the church’s website will be used abundantly.
Well, the Olympics in Paris, France have started. Some of you may be glued to the TV every day. I just hope that there were no terrorist acts or major accidents, and I wish the athletes the best of luck. It was frustrating for the Japanese men’s volleyball team to lose their first match, but in the world of competition, you either win or lose, so I think the key to enjoying the Olympics is to cheer on the athletes, regardless of country, who are doing their best and fighting hard.
However, while the Olympics are being held as a celebration of peace, fighting continues in Ukraine and Palestine, and there were reports last night that 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured in an Israeli military attack on a field hospital in Gaza. Around the world, sad things continue to happen that are very painful, distressing, and far from God’s will. Climate change and global warming are the price for mankind’s long-standing devouring and destruction of nature’s bounty, and the number of natural disasters is increasing, not only in Japan but also in countries around the world, and the number of disaster-stricken areas continues to rise. What should we do?
In the U.S., there is a growing intensity of activity in the run-up to the November presidential election. However, I believe that the most important thing is “God’s will” while the protection of the lives and livelihood of the people is the most important issue. I believe that we are living in an age in which we ignore God’s existence and place too much emphasis on our own rights and freedoms. We live in an age in which the meaning and purpose of the atonement of the cross of Jesus Christ is being disregarded. It is an age in which we are trying to show our power, ignoring the power of the Holy Spirit.
I personally believe that if we continue to ignore God’s love, will, and plan, the only path left is the path to destruction. Without the fear of God and without trusting in His power, people will live unblessed lives, as we will produce only the fruit of suffering and sorrow, and we will never achieve peace. Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are those who make peace, for they shall be called children of God,” and He promises us that even if we suffer on earth, “there will be great rewards in heaven. August in Japan is “Peace Month”. Japan is both a perpetrator and a victim, having invaded neighboring countries and Southeast Asia, starting wars and taking the lives of many people, but also having to pay the price. How should we behave?
I have been sharing God’s word from the New Testament in a series on the theme of “Seeking God’s Will and Living”, and for the next six weeks, I hope to listen with you to the word of the Lord as He speaks to us through the Gospel of John. This morning we are given chapter 1, verses 10-14, and the title is “We who are born according to the will of God”. I chose this title from verse 13. Please see. It says, “For these are born, not of blood, nor of the lust of the flesh, nor of the lust of man, but of God.”
Most Japanese translations of the Bible translate the last part of verse 13 as “born by God,” but the original Greek text reads, “born by the will of God. All of us are created by God and kept alive by the life He gives us. In that sense, “born of God” alone may be sufficient. What is most important for us, however, is not “being alive” but “being kept alive by God,” and “how we use” the life that God has blessed and given us. It is about how we live in accordance with God’s will and desire.
Many people, however, do not attach importance to the dignity and sanctity of life because they view life as if it were naturally occurring or their own property that they can choose by their own right and free will, without the existence of God, the Creator. But that is the important part. Jesus Christ was sent by God to this earth as the Word of God to preach the gospel in order to convey that important part. As the light of the world, Jesus Christ came to shed light on the darkness that has been covered by the sins of men. To let us know the preciousness of His life, He gave up His own life on the cross to give it to us. This is where the Lord’s love is shown.
Verses 10 and 11 say, “The Word was in the world. The world was made by the Word, but the world did not recognize the Word. The Word came to his people, but they did not accept him.” Jesus Christ is the beginning of the world. Jesus Christ existed with God the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning of the world, and the world came into existence through the work of Jesus and his followers. But the world did not and still does not accept that truth. Jesus came to His people, but they did not and still do not accept Him.
People have never believed in it and people don’t believe in it. People have had plenty of chances to receive God’s love, but instead of accepting it, People have rejected it and continue to reject it. People continue to stay in darkness, or rather, people continue to willingly choose to live in darkness. Therefore, suffering, pain, sorrow, and hatred will never cease and will be repeated. It cannot go on like this. Because it is the opposite of God’s will, and it is heading in the opposite direction of destruction.
Verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory. It was the glory of the Father as His only begotten Son, full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, and His glory was expressed through His crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus’ death and resurrection demonstrated how much God loves us and is waiting for us to return to Him.
There are many who do not believe or accept Jesus. But verse 12 says, “But the Word qualified those who accepted him and believed in his name to be the sons of God.” We, who believe in Jesus as our Savior, are qualified to be the sons of God by faith through God’s mercy. A child of God is a person who lives in God’s love and will, a person who is moved by being blessed and kept alive by God, and a person who lives with joy and gratitude.
Verse 13 says, “For these are born, not of blood, nor of the lust of the flesh, nor of the lust of man, but of God.” Not by blood. Not by blood” means that we are not made children of God because of the social status, position, or achievements of our ancestors or parents. Not according to the lust of the flesh” does not mean that we are made children of God as a result of our desires and longings. Not according to the lusts of men” means that we do not choose to become children of God by our own will.
In other words, the gospel is proclaimed here that all are saved by the deep mercy and grace of God and the Lord Jesus, are connected to Christ, have their spiritual eyes opened, and are able to see the glory of God in the light of truth.
God’s will is that we meet Jesus, believe in Him, turn to Him, and gratefully receive the qualification and grace to be children of God, and be made alive in joy, peace, and hope. It is not that we were qualified to be saved, or that we sought salvation, or that we believed in Jesus of our own volition, but that God first loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son. For God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
To convey this love of God, Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us, walked with us, and died an atoning death on the cross to save us and make us eternally alive as children of God. And God raised Jesus from the dead. Herein lies God’s infinite love for us. Knowing and receiving this love, let us walk daily according to His will as those who are kept alive. Not alone, but together with everyone!