Bring down the walls in our lives. 私たちの生活における壁を壊しなさい

#14 Joshua 2:8-15 

   Things surround us that bring on fear.  A conversation with your doctor and he tells you that your spouse has Cancer.  Fear grips you heart upon hearing that “C” word.  At the end of the week, you receive an envelope with a pink slip in it: your job has been terminated.  Thinking of the home you are still paying for, fear spreads over your mind. You get a phone call from the police department: your son/daughter who has been late in returning home is in jail with a DWI, plus there was an accident. Fear. You are taking that well deserved vacation on the cruise ship and there is a dull thud sound and the ship starts to list to the port… And it does not even need to be situations like that, which would merit some fear or discomfort. There are also the imaginations of the mind.  2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.  神の知識に逆らうあらゆる高慢を打ち倒し、あらゆる思惑をとりこにしてキリストに従わせ、

But, instead, we let our minds go free and it goes places that will hurt us. We need to give our thought--our day dreams, etc, to the Lord.  To bring every thought and word into captivity is a strong case for a holy life.

   "There is some doom coming upon me…I can feel it! It is going to crush me"—and then someone touches your arm and you become unglued.  There might be fear of the dark. In fact, there is a list of phobia that number 542 clinical names for the fears people have. From the fear of washing- to fear of chickens- to a deep fear of the color yellow. These all are very real to the people who have them. 

   It was once said by that social character Dave Barry: "All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears--of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words "Some Assembly Required." いくつか組み立てる必要があります。

Or a German Proverb "Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." 「恐怖は狼を実際より大きく見せる」

  The people who lived in and around Jericho had a real fear of the Jewish Nation-called JUDEOPHOBIA.  That and the fear of being killed or SOCIALPHOBIA or athazagoraphobia.  And they had every right to be afraid. 

   Listen to what Rahab was saying.  2:9-13. ⁹ “I know the LORD has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. ¹¹ No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

 ¹² “Now swear to me by the LORD that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that ¹³ when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”   They knew the stories that were over 40 years old.  They were real and they brought tremendous fear to their hearts.  “Everyone in the land is living in terror.” 

   You know the story, don’t you?  The spies got away after giving her a promise they would not hurt her or her family if they stayed in her house during the attack.  She did and they did and when the war for Jericho was over, Rahab was invited to be part of the tribe and later married into the Hebrew nation and from her offspring would be King David and still way later, Jesus, Himself.  Not living in terror anymore but being part of the Footprints of God! Oh, that we could see things from His perspective! 

   But when it comes to our own lives, what do we do with those walls of doubt that get built up around our lives?  The walls of fear? Of uncertainty? The stories of terror that we imagine that become reality in our lives?  That is why the 2 Cor verse can be so helpful. We all have these walls and I hope we will be able to identify them, learn from the Bible how to deal with them and move on, to the Promise land like was promised the Hebrew people.

   Now, to identify one of these walls.  One of the walls that need to fall down from around us is the wall of depression.  (絶望の壁)

   It is estimated that well over 19 million US adults today are living with major depression. Depression runs from a simple sadness (a state of unhappiness) to being a psychiatric disorder (deeper unhappiness that leads to hopelessness and dejection, poor concentration, lack of energy, inability to sleep and sometimes, suicidal tendencies). It may come on us slowly, sometimes way under the surface and it is completely unaware of by the host. 

   Since March 11, depression is seen almost everywhere here in Japan.  Not only for those individuals who were physically effected but also the many who were not.  Some took on the fear.  Some felt guilty because they survived or that they were not displaced.  And these feelings are very real.  The Gospel speaks to those situations.

   We can go to certain web sites that could help us but it many times we might need professional care to really aid in becoming healthy again.  Being depressed is not the end of the road.  You are not washed up and useless.  It is, or can be, a situation you are in for a time period.

   www.mayoclinic.com/healthy/depression/DSoo175

   Or if you are interested in learning more about depression, maybe the site: www.medicinenet.com/depression/article.htm would help to learn about this wall in men, women, teenagers and children.   Plus, you can read about treatment, medications, side effects and diagnosis.

   Of course, it is wise not to self medicate yourself for this problem otherwise it could really get out of hand and cause more harm than good.

   But, then again, it could also be a spiritual problem and places like Mayo Clinic will not help you in ways you need to be helped. In such cases, let us consider some verses from God’s Word—as His Word touches us and heals us with His Truth.

  1. Identify the wall: 壁を認めよWe can find deliverance from this depression as we look to Him to deliver us from ALL of our problems.  The reality is that He does heal.  And if you continue in the illness, that does not mean you lack Faith…not at all. What I mean is you are to carry this and to carry this with and in His Power.  Look to Psalm 34:17. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. 主は悪を行う者に御顔を向け／その名の記念を地上から絶たれる。

2. We need to overcome and deal with the depression. 壁を乗り越え対処しなさい

We can also overcome these walls by a little role-play called “Self-Talk”.  These are the words you say under your breath or in your head when you face a hard situation.  Sometimes these words said to yourself are harmful. “Well, that was stupid!  What were you thinking? You always do that!”   

   Another way to deal with this self-talk is called “Thought Control” 思いをコントロールas is found in Phil 4:8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  ピリピ 4:8終わりに、兄弟たち、すべて真実なこと、すべて気高いこと、すべて正しいこと、すべて清いこと、すべて愛すべきこと、すべて名誉なことを、また、徳や称賛に値することがあれば、それを心に留めなさい。

   This is us, realizing as the Hebrew nation realized—every once in a while—their God was on their side! 

   Fear not: Isa 41:10. イザヤ41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 恐れることはない、わたしはあなたと共にいる神。たじろぐな、わたしはあなたの神。勢いを与えてあなたを助け／わたしの救いの右の手であなたを支える。

   Our need to cast all our cares on Him: 1 Peter 5:7. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  第１ペテロ 5:7思い煩いは、何もかも神にお任せしなさい。神が、あなたがたのことを心にかけていてくださるからです。

   The long haul is possible! Luke 18:1. ルカ18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  イエスは、気を落とさずに絶えず祈らなければならないことを教えるために、弟子たちにたとえを話された。

   Our source is the Lord God, Himself, as we read in Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ローマ 15:13希望の源である神が、信仰によって得られるあらゆる喜びと平和とであなたがたを満たし、聖霊の力によって希望に満ちあふれさせてくださるように。

3. We need to identify how we can find encouragement from the Lord as these walls come up in our Walk of Faith. あなたの生活における壁の中から勇気を見つけ探しなさい

    There is a check-list that we looked at over one year ago we might want to revisit. It is found in 1 Thess 5:11-23. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. ¹² Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³ Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 11：ですから、あなたがたは、現にそうしているように、励まし合い、お互いの向上に心がけなさい。12：兄弟たち、あなたがたにお願いします。あなたがたの間で労苦し、主に結ばれた者として導き戒めている人々を重んじ、13：また、そのように働いてくれるのですから、愛をもって心から尊敬しなさい。互いに平和に過ごしなさい。¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. ¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 14：兄弟たち、あなたがたに勧めます。怠けている者たちを戒めなさい。気落ちしている者たちを励ましなさい。弱い者たちを助けなさい。すべての人に対して忍耐強く接しなさい。15：だれも、悪をもって悪に報いることのないように気をつけなさい。お互いの間でも、すべての人に対しても、いつも善を行うよう努めなさい。16：いつも喜んでいなさい。17：絶えず祈りなさい。18：どんなことにも感謝しなさい。これこそ、キリスト・イエスにおいて、神があなたがたに望んでおられることです。

¹⁹ Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; ²⁰ do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹ Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²² Avoid every kind of evil. ²³ May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 19：“霊”の火を消してはいけません。20：預言を軽んじてはいけません。21：すべてを吟味して、良いものを大事にしなさい。22：あらゆる悪いものから遠ざかりなさい。23：どうか、平和の神御自身が、あなたがたを全く聖なる者としてくださいますように。また、あなたがたの霊も魂も体も何一つ欠けたところのないものとして守り、わたしたちの主イエス・キリストの来られるとき、非のうちどころのないものとしてくださいますように。

Next week, The Battle: GI JOSH

Believer, Be Strong! #13 信ずる者、強くあれ

Joshua 1:1-9  ヨシュア　１：１〜９

Be strong and courageous  強く勇ましくあれ。 Be strong and very courageous  強く勇敢であれ 。Be strong and courageous  強く勇ましくあれ。 

NLT: ¹ After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— ⁴ from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Seain the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is My command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”　

 New Living Translation(Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserve.

   Here we have Joshua who—40 years before—had been obedient to the Lord’s call to enter the Promised Land but 10 of the other spies gave a bad report and the people listened to the minority and did not listen to the Majority (God) and spent the rest of their lives dying in the sand.  Their shoes did not wear out but they all died.  Aged 20 and up.  Now, they are all gone except Joshua and Caleb.  (Deut 1:36b)

   The Lord speaks very directly to him.  Three times in this short passage with this command: 1. Be strong and courageous.  2. Be strong and very courageous. 3. Be strong and courageous.

   Think there is something in that? Why so many times?  What did Joshua need to enable him to lead? He had the blessing of Moses; He was there on the Mountain with Moses. He was the ‘other’ voice of reason when Israel was put to the test. Yet, even HE needed this kind of encouragement.  Do you think we are any different? Do you need encouragement?

   Many of us have NO IDEA what next year will be like.  In fact, ALL of us have no idea what next year will be like! Here in this passage, we have a group of 60 year olds and younger waiting to move on a promise their Great, great, great, grandparents were given.  They had been told the stories and now it was their turn to move on it.

   One thing was lacking.  They had to have their OWN experience with God.  To make it personal and to make it fresh, it had to happen to them as well.  What had to happen to them! They had to experience God first hand.  God does not have grandchildren. All those who come to Him are his first sons and daughters.  There are no half-brothers or stepsisters or second cousin on the father’s side.   

   The Christian Life was meant to be one generation at a time. We all need to surrender to His Love and admit that we need Him.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  None of us would make it to Heaven on our own. We need to depend on the only way any man, woman, or child could attain entrance into Heaven. We have to put our trust in Jesus as He died for our sins.  He alone could pay the price to set us free from the guilt of sins’ hold and then, and only then, we are set free.  Our sins are forgiven and He gives us a new heart.  We are new creations. All old ways of thinking will now start to change as we allow His Spirit to control our desires and dreams and that will be OK because He not only died for us, He loves us and wants the best of His Kingdom for us—namely that our sins would be covered and that we could not go to Heaven to be where He is!  So, …

   Point One. 1. Be strong and courageous! 強く勇ましくあれ

   Life has a way of changing our point of view of how things should be.  We might have made certain plans and set our minds and hearts on things going this way or that way.  Has it always been the way you first envisioned things to be? As a child, I thought that I’d marry the girl next door—just like the TV shows I watched.  That didn’t happen.  J___ became a Lesbian. Many years later, I proposed to a young woman I had only known for four months! That was God’s Best for me!

   The Lord was giving Joshua His Word for the many days Joshua would be the military leader the Hebrew People.  God tells him: “for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors” God “will give them.” Would that encourage you? You're the leader.  God looks to you as the leader.  You saw how the people look to Moses as the leader---and that did not look so good!  They rebelled against Moses almost at every turn! They complained and they spread lies and discord among the community.  The people were stiff necked and stubborn.  They had rejected God’s DIRECT Words to them and now, God was giving these same kind of people to Joshua to lead.  What joy! He had seen how it effected his leader and mentor over the years. He was there all the time during the upheavals.  He saw the rebels die by fire, earthquake, the Hand of the Living God and he saw the wonders of many miracles as the Lord, HIS God cared for and supported and corrected, the Hebrew Nation.

   Do you think this new leader needed some encouragement?  You bet he did.  And so many of you who are leading your families, heading up work teams at work, becoming the spokesperson for your class project—You need to hear this same word from God that Joshua heard. 

   Be strong and courageous!

   Based on what?  Wishful thinking? Just because it is written in this passage, can we claim it?  Can we MAKE this verse ours? Is it a proper way to handle Scripture? Yes, on all counts.

   Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.   テモテへの手紙二 / 3章 :16-17節聖書はすべて神の霊の導きの下に書かれ、人を教え、戒め、誤りを正し、義に導く訓練をするうえに有益です。こうして、神に仕える人は、どのような善い業をも行うことができるように、十分に整えられるのです。

   That means ALL scripture.  And I would add, not just for men-as this was written to a young pastor named Timothy, but for women as well.  There are certain Biblical ‘rules’ you need to be aware of.  Ask yourself, What was in the mind of the author?  Who was he writing this to?  What kind of message was it? You need to see if the passage is part of a poem, a historical narrative, and pros.   

Ask: Who, What, Why, When, Where and How. 

   It is rather dangerous to just open the Bible and point to a passage and follow what the Bible says at that point.  One person tried that, as they were looking for direction in their life.  Opening the Bible, and placing their figure on one verse, it read, “And he went out and hung himself…” nervously, he closed the Bible, opened it and it fell open on John 13:27 “What you are about to do, do quickly.”  You need to use Godly wisdom. 

   Be strong IN the Lord.  Human wisdom can only deal with human level things.  Some of human wisdom is really silly stuff.  Turn to 1 Corinthians 2:13  “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” コリントの信徒への手紙一 / 2章 / 13節 そして、わたしたちがこれについて語るのも、人の知恵に教えられた言葉によるのではなく、“霊”に教えられた言葉によっています。つまり、霊的なものによって霊的なことを説明するのです。 This is a higher-level altogether!

   There is the source of the power of this strength. The power of God by His Spirit.

   2. Be strong and VERY courageous  強く勇敢であれ

   Again, when things are repeated in the Scriptures, it is not because the author forgot what he just wrote—it is for emphasis.  As we read along in this passage, we can see the WHY of this repeat. These instructions came from Moses to Joshua. He is NOT to deviate from them.  Stay straight.  Don’t try and bend the teaching to fit the situation. Don’t try to water the message down because of social pressure.  Don’t set the teaching aside because it is hard to follow.  Depend on this promise as it is from the very Hand of God through the Man of God. 

   A teaching of Paul comes to mind. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit. テサロニケの信徒への手紙一 / 4章 / 8節 ですから、これらの警告を拒む者は、人を拒むのではなく、御自分の聖霊をあなたがたの内に与えてくださる神を拒むことになるのです。

   Man is forever looking to the bottom line. Qantas Airline reported this week that they were 84% lower than they wanted to be.  They were only going to have a profit of 45 million.  They plan to lay off 1,000s of workers.  The story of Jack Welch at GE was a boss who did not allow things to stay the same.  His company grew from a $26 billion in revenues to $130 billion and from around $14 billion in market value to over $410 billion—making it the most valuable company in the world at that time.  One of his mantras was: Every year, GE would fire the bottom 10% of the work force.  On one side, we can see that his company became very successful but on the other side, over 100,000 people were laid off during his tenure.   Success, yes—for some but at what cost? Sure he wanted to make his company #1 and he did, so does that make him a successful businessman?  Yes, but the 100,000 workers out of job felt the cutting edge of his corporate knife and yet people call his work successful. That is the workforce. 

   I am not saying we need to fire 10% of our worshipers so we can grow and be successful BUT we all need to carry something—to aid in the development of the Body.  We all have Spiritual Gifts that MUST be used or we will be cut—not by the leadership here at ICCS but by the Lord Himself. One of Harold’s favorite (and I miss him!) verses was from John 15:6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ヨハネによる福音書 15:6 わたしのうちにとどまらないなら，その者は枝のように投げ出されて枯らされる。そして人々はそれらを集め，火の中に投げ込み，それらは燃やされる。We need to remain IN HIM and only then will we prosper and succeed.

  Here, the Lord points to another side of success. If you follow these instructions Moses gave you, you will be successful in everything you do.  To do that successfully, you NEED be in Him and to study this Book continually.  Meditate on it day and night SO that you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  ONLY THEN will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 

3. Be strong and courageous! 強く勇ましくあれ

   This is not a suggestion.  Like the Ten Commandments, they are not to be taken lightly.  You, Joshua, are going to battle.  You are going to war.  All sorts of killing and fighting will go on around you and you will be in the thick of it all.  You most remember Whom it is that has sent you to do God’s work.  Be strong—you are 80 years of age and you are as strong now as you have ever been!  Fight for Me, Joshua!  Be strong and be courageous! Don’t be afraid of the giants in the land.  There will be walled cities—they are nothing to Me. Don’t be discouraged as you lead these stubborn people. The Lord Himself-who is your God is with you all the way!

  So be strong and courageous!

   In closing, turn to 1 Timothy 6:11-14 ¹¹ But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. ¹³ And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

テモテへの手紙一 / 6章 11節-14 しかし、神の人よ、あなたはこれらのことを避けなさい。正義、信心、信仰、愛、忍耐、柔和を追い求めなさい。信仰の戦いを立派に戦い抜き、永遠の命を手に入れなさい。命を得るために、あなたは神から召され、多くの証人の前で立派に信仰を表明したのです。万物に命をお与えになる神の御前で、そして、ポンティオ・ピラトの面前で立派な宣言によって証しをなさったキリスト・イエスの御前で、あなたに命じます。わたしたちの主イエス・キリストが再び来られるときまで、おちどなく、非難されないように、この掟を守りなさい。

   It seems to me that Paul is bookending this teaching—end of Chapter one and here at the end of six.  Timothy-Joshua-or put your name in there-, you are in a war! You’re in a fight that requires vigilance in order to hold onto your faith.  And that is what I want us to realize this morning, to realize this global reality.  You and I are involved in a spiritual war.  We together are involved in a spiritual war, and it involves every single one of us in this room.  Be strong in the Lord and be courageous!

-Thanks goes to David Platt of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama for the closing portion.

#12 Tell Your Children 子供たちへ伝えなさい

Foot Prints of God in YOUR LIFE 

Preaching the Gospel to us every day.

  A good report  良い報告 is always good to hear. Forgiveness and accepting forgiveness is very important to a marriage and ever so important to any relationship. It is the Gospel.

  The Gospel is the soul basis of our acceptance by God and it is a forever experience. We learn that this is to be a growing understanding of His Gospel in us.  When we do not have a solid grasp of what the Gospel is in us, not a clear awareness with the union we have in Christ, then those people will seek to find the assurance of the salvation in other areas. They will look to ‘what I have done’ rather than what Christ has done. We might depend on Church attendance or taking certain rites of passage or being covered with different amounts of water (sprinkling, or immersion).

  Think back to the time where you would say The Gospel made the difference of life and death in your life.  In other words, your point of conversion. 

Telling the story  あなたの物語を語る

  How do we tell the story? In Deuteronomy 1 starts with Moses rehearsing the story 詳細に物語るor history of Israel’s rescue from Egypt.  Verse 3; "In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.”

  He then told of the part of their history あなたの歴史の一部 of having them send out the 12 spies and how the majority of the people rejected God’s instruction, command, really, to enter the Promised Land because of the bad report.  And because of their disobedience, the older members of the tribe-all over 20 years of age would die in the desert. (Numbers 14:29)  They would not go into the Promised Land.  Deut.1:39  “your children who do not yet know good from bad—--they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.” And yet the people still did not understand how serious the Lord was.  They said, “OK, we’ll go and we will take those people on… as the Lord our God commanded us. So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.”

  God told them, “NO!  I will not go up with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.”  They still did not listen.  They rebelled once again and in their arrogance, they marched up into the hill country and they were quickly beaten.

  The story goes on about certain battles they fought in. Then in chapter four, once again, idolatry was forbidden.  They were prone to do that, so the Lord reminded them.  Deut. 4:15 You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

29-31, 29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey Him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.  

We can see The Gospel once again.  ~You are lost, あなたはさまよい, I am the one who found you あなたを見つけたのはわたしである, turn to Me and live わたしに立ち返れ, I will restore your heart. あなたの心を回復せしめる~ 

Please read Ps 145

Preaching the Gospel to ourselves every day. 日々福音を語り継げる

  The speaking of the Gospel to ourselves and to the ones that mean the most to us is so important AND the Lord would want that kind of interfamily conversation going on anyway. It needs to be spoken of, many times and in many different ways so that the meaning is understood and finally having a shared belief system.

  A little later on, in chapter 11, we find this, and this is the key for our understanding today.  11:1-7 1 Love the LORD your God and keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws and His commands always. 2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: His majesty, His mighty hand, his outstretched arm; 3 the signs He performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; 4 what He did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how He overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them. 5 It was not your children あなたがたの子供たちは見た者ではない who saw what He did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, 6 and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7 But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done. IT IS PERSONAL!

  We, who are older in the Faith, maybe the adults but certainly the children who have already placed their trust in Him, need to remember that this happened to us.  It is in the first person. The change happened to us personally. God touched us. It is not something that could be passed on to us like Grandma’s watch. It can only be experienced in each person’s life.  One life at a time.

  Sure, we pray for the moving of God in Japan. And as we see His Hand move in other areas of the world, large groups--sometimes whole villages--turn to God and placed their trust in the Lord as their Savior, we wonder why not here?  We need to remember that while it might have been a mass conversion there, each heart needed to be convinced that their lives needed Jesus. One soul at a time.

  And our story needs to be told, one person to another. How will they know unless they hear and how will they hear unless someone tells them. The old line-use words if necessary---is so false. IT IS EVER SO NECESSARY! Use Words! 言葉を用いなさい!  Actions alone are not enough. The air is so confused with all sorts of mixed messages and the message is misunderstood in so many areas of the questions of what is meant. Words are used to proclaim the Gospel. The Word became flesh…and the Word lives among us …

  Remember that your kids were not the ones who saw God’s Hand in your life. They will only know of that WHEN and IF you tell them. A while ago, while visiting a family over New Year’s Holiday, the parents took out their wedding albums to show us. We loved looking them over but the thing that shocked us the most was that their adult children had never seen them before! Never had they even shared that part of their own family history. I didn’t understand why--most likely never will, but there were some interesting stories around that wedding that their kids needed to hear about as some of them were looking at marriage in a few years. How did they meet? The kids did not know that part of the family history. What were their dreams? Unknown. We shared about our engagement to the delight of all their family. Our own family had heard it SO many times over the years—they could tell it with 99.9% accurately.

  How you met the ONE who changed your very life needs to be shared with those who are closest to you. It is not a culture issue; it is for the sake of the Gospel! An eternal issue. Between life and death.

  Moses reminded the Nation that because THEY experienced the Glory Days of Moses, the rest of the people who would follow would need to hear of the wonders of His might Hand themselves! It wasn’t the kids who saw this! The parents did! And they need to tell the next generation those stories! Not in a bragging, self-centered way but a bragging God-way. THIS IS WHAT HE DID IN MY LIFE! This is why I am the way I am today! These stories of God’s Mercy and action in our lives are not only for our kids, they are for our grandchildren.

  They need to know. 彼らは知る必要がある

  A sad fact for the tribe of Israel, the generation after Joshua did not know these stories. Why? They were never told! Even sadder to know that the pagan peoples of the land around them knew of them and they were afraid BECAUSE THEY WERE aware of what this God of Israel could do!

  As we are in our 21st year of ICCS, it is the role, the task, the responsibility to pass on what we saw the Lord do among us to the new people who come and join us in the Walk of Faith. If we don’t, it will be lost--forever! Verse 7: “But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.”

  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! 主が仰せになるように贖われなさい

  With some help a while ago, we had put together a REMEMBER sheet of verses for our families: How to pray for the Families.  In our Church Family, we have only 9 couples. There are 56 people who come on a regular basis. A large number of our people are the only Jesus Followers in their families. (We need to pray for them--in a deep and real way, as we pray for the country that rejects the Gospel and makes it hard for the Gospel to be preached within their borders, there are families RIGHT among us that are having problems like that on a day-to-day basis. We need to pray for them.)

  So, if we do this reporting to our families, what will happen? Some will get saved. I believe that. Some will reject the message. But ALL will have heard. This is our Jerusalem.  This is where it begins. The message of God’s Grace will be heard. The Word of God will not return void. Someday, in the lives of those who might have rejected your Word to them, will open their hearts to the Lord.

  But if we do not tell them, they may never hear. If they never hear, they will never know. If they never know, they will be lost for ever. Vs 13 “So if you faithfully obey もし従うなら the commands I am giving you today--to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with al your heart and with all your soul--then I will send 私は送ろう rain on your land--I will bring blessings to you. I will provide 私は与えようgrass and you will eat and be satisfied. あなたは食し満足するであろう。” Sounds good to me! We need to be faithful.

  Vs 16 “Be careful, 注意しなさい! or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.” You might not see yourselves, in truth and practice-- bowing down to idols, but our hearts will allow all sorts of stuff in there--to corrode and confuse our hearts to do evil or to non-practice. When we neglect His ways, we are not doing what the Lord says, therefore it is sin and that sin needs to be taken to the Lord and confessed and forgiveness being sought after, looking to the finished work of Christ on the Cross for that very salvation--which He will give willingly BUT it needs to be confessed and turned from.

 Vs 18 Fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds; 私のことばを直しなさいtie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children教えなさい, talking 話しなさい about them when you sit 座り at home and when you walk歩き along the road, when you lie down 横になり and when you get up起き上がる. 20 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land あなたの日々は多い that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

  Our role and responsibility to our families is clearly explained in the passage. We are to be active in the telling.  Even if they reject the message, they still need to be told. And then, once they know and have heard the message of life and of promise, they are to open their own hearts and believe.  It is God’s will that all should come to know Him. But, He has also given our children and our spouces the will to make a choice.  We pray they make the right choice.  Deut 30:19~20  19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.