In You, we have Hope!

What do you say to someone who asks: “Because Japanese vocabulary in relation to Christianity is confusing, can we study the Bible in English?” If the Christian message is covered with cultural terms and meanings that make it difficult to understand, how can the true message be understood? I have been told since early years in the church that the message HAS to be in the heart language of the people. While I agree with that statement, but I continually find it hard to balance out what I know, or believe to be true, and what is reality—from what I hear from people who are either searching for the true or teaching it. 

One such person is Mark P., missionary to the deaf.  He said the sign for God is the same as the sign for kami but the real sign should be: “The One Who Is!”

That would be a good example: The term “kami” for God. The word kami was originally applied to any object worthy of “respect and fear.”  Does that term really reflect the Biblical meaning of the Creator God of the Bible?   

In some research I have done for today, I have found three areas of conflict. Norihisa Suzuki writes:

Comparing this concept with the Christian concept of God, we find first that the Christian God is the sole God, whereas there is a plurality of kami (in the Japanese context).

Second, the Christian God is a transcendental god (exist above and apart from the material world) who supercedes ....humans, plants, animals, and all other living things in the natural world as well as all phenomena; whereas (in the Japanese context) anything that derives from such beings and phenomena that is “out of the ordinary” is a kami.

Third, the Christian God is an omniscient (knowing everything) and omnipotent (all-powerful) (G)od, whereas “evil and queer things” and other dreadful beings are labeled kami. (We sang a song a few weeks ago that called out these qualities: Invincible, unstoppable, all-powerful.)

F(ourthly), whereas the Christian God is the creator of the universe, not all Japanese kami are understood as such. 

Suzuki is a preeminent scholar on Kanzo Uchimura (1861-1930). The 12 volumes of nichiroku describes the immediate world in which Uchimura lived. He has also written a comparative study of translation of the Bible into Japanese plus a number of other texts. He teaches at St. Paul’s University, Tokyo, Japan.

Is it as confusing to the local merchant today in Tokorozawa as it was to the local merchant in the city streets of Damascus, Syria, 2,000 years ago?  I believe it was and is. Even when you look at the early Hebrews, who followed ELOHIM: “One God of Israel”. In the usage of ELOHIM, it is a plural term, but it was meaning ONE GOD.  The Hebrews AND us had a problem identifying this One God as one because of the usage of the same term by those around us.  The polytheistic gods of the Mesopotamian and Semitic religions had a similar name for their gods.  “EL” The general understanding then and now was/is that YAHWEH was the Hebrew’s God as opposed to the gods of other peoples. The Jews and Christians later astounded other peoples of those cultures with their claim that YAHWEH alone was the one true God and all the rest were false gods, with a small ‘g’.

Paul faced these misunderstanding at Athens (Acts 17:19-21) when he spoke of God, because of the Greek misunderstanding of the term God.  “Who are these other gods you are talking about, Paul? The Father, Son and the, what? the Holy Spirit?” 

But, once the people got behind the truth of this Gospel that there is One God and He wants a relationship with His creation, the people began to believe and have Faith in this God. And find HOPE.

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The Nature of Hope: The character of Hope.

What do you have Hope in? Is our focus on God? A few verses to wet your appetite for today. 

Hebrews 6:17-20  Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the Hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this Hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us…

2 Thess 2:16 May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His Grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

Romans 5:5  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Romans 15:4-5 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.

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The Quality of our Hope.

We might have a POOR THEOLOGY on what Hope is…or is not.

A Zen priest from Fukushima, by the name of Abe, said: “Many locals are farmers, who are despairing about their contaminated soil. Young people are leaving. In the past six months, there has been an increase in suicides. There will be more. If you don't give people hope, they lose their reason for living."

He is right, of course.  But what kind of hope can a person get? It HAS to be of high standard and quality.  It needs to have passed the test of time.  It has to have been tested during hard times and during times of doubt and comes out on top!

Where is that kind of Hope? I believe it is only found in the Person of Jesus.

Also, in another news report, I found this—in part: 

"In one of the hardest hit coastal areas in Sendai, Japan, Hirofumi Ouchi is rebuilding his farm.

"Over 100 of my neighbors died here, yet my family and I were allowed to live. So I need to keep exerting effort, to stand firm and persist to get this area back to how it was." … "Most of the farmers from here that survived are much older than me," Ouchi said. "Their machines are broken or gone and it's hard for them to have the willpower to get going again. We face many challenges, so if someone doesn't take the lead and show them that this can be done, the others won't come back to this area."  …   "Some of the leafy vegetables are still very salty from the state of the soil, but here we have lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and cucumbers," he said. "I am not a Christian but the Bible verse, 'God will not give you more than you can bear,' stays with me. So even with this tsunami, it isn't something that we cannot overcome. As you can see, we've already come this far."   …   "We're all trying to be normal again and get our lives back," Ouchi said. "My job is to grow vegetables and by doing so I can give back to everyone who has helped me and show other farmers that it can be done. That is my hope."

That is the kind of hope we can hold on to!  Just the evidence of the Word of God’s power in this man’s life even to SAY “But the Bible…” is wonderful.  May he know the Lord in a personal way real soon.

1 Thess 5:11-24  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. 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. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

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The long lasting Hope:

Ps 119:114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your Word.

Ps 119:116 Sustain me according to Your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

Lamentations 3:21-27 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 

• It really depends on what we are looking at: there is a saying: sorrow looks to the past; worry looks around; Hope looks up.

Isaiah 26:8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

Ps 62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.

Ps 71:14 But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

The Last of the Galatians／ガラテヤ人への手紙の最後

Galatians 6:6-18 ・ガラテヤ6：6-18　

Coming to the end of our study in Galatians, what do you remember about the issues Paul was addressing?  How do those issues affect us today?

We want to close our study with looking at the last of Paul’s teachings---teachings that are very practical. 

Supporting the teachers: Reaping what you sow: Doing Good

1. Supporting Teachers of the Word (6:6) 教師に対する支援

The learning and blessing of being in a learning situation goes both ways. Paul wants the recipient of the Spiritual instruction to be sure to give back.  John said it right when he wrote: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:3-5

第３ヨハネの手紙1：3-5　兄弟たちが来ては、あなたが真理に歩んでいることを証ししてくれるので、わたしは非常に喜んでいます。実際、あなたは真理に歩んでいるのです。自分の子供たちが真理に歩んでいると聞くほど、うれしいことはありません。愛する者よ、あなたは、兄弟たち、それも、よそから来た人たちのために誠意をもって尽くしています。

Paul’s concern for the Believer—the one who is living out the Father’s given task—is to follow the Lord fully. There is a need to acknowledge that some who are doing JUST what the Lord commanded for them to do in the Local Church will need special support along the way from the Local Body.  The Christ-Follower now is following the Spirit’s lead by exercising one of the Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness.  Acting out sharing good things with those who teach you.
 

The early Church had a teaching ministry—much as it does today.  In some churches today, they still use the word CATECHISM, 教理問答. Or teaching.  Those who sit under a teacher are said to be receiving instruction or are in a catechism—formal teaching in basic Christian theology.  For a person to grow in the Christian life, that person HAS to be fed.  Our growth is dependent on sound Biblical instruction.  And that feeding cannot only be between 10:30-12:15 each Sunday.  Or whenever you decide to come to Church.  It truly needs to be an ongoing adventure.  These instructions Paul gives here are one of his ways to make sure it happens on the local level.  

•　Some of you SHOULD be doing the teaching.  Here at 9:30 or during the week.  You have a personal walk with Jesus and He is alive in your walk of Faith. Your spiritual gift is teaching—so you should be teaching. 

•　Some of you are very capable worshippers.  You will need to step up to the bat and join the worship team.  Some of them have been on this Worship team for a long time.  Give them a break, before they burn out and get discouraged.

•　Some of you need to join a Bible Study during the week.  Men especially need to set time aside during the week to break bread with another Brother over the Bible. Are we too busy for that? Your relationship with Jesus is THE most important relationship going on in your life. Your work for pay is important but you spend much more time with your work colleges than with your Believing Friends. The Hymn writer once penned: “Give of your best to the Master…” Are we? We all need to sharpen our serve.  We all need to give our best to Him who died for us.

True, we are tired.  And we will be forever tired. Don’t wait until you are 100% rested: that is called death.

Getting back to Galatians, Paul encourages us to give back to those who teach you.  Secondly, Paul gives some guidelines for those who are supported by the Church.  He did tentmaking but he also was in support of the other leaders of the church who received funds from the Fellowship. Paul went even so far as to say: 1 Cor 9:14 第１コリント９：１４　 同じように、主は、福音を宣べ伝える人たちには福音によって生活の資を得るようにと、指示されました。 and 1 Tim 5:17 第１テサロニケ５：１７. He put a deep value on the work of teaching the Word of God.  It is the basis for strong churches and even healthier Believers.

Thirdly, as we share good things with each other, the Body will be united.  It is the old Greek word for fellowship “KOINONIA” 神とクリスチャン間の交わり . Not only a written letter but the partnership, the coming together to support the growing Church could bring a complete resolution to the issues that faced that Church. Paul did more than suggest that the teachers of the Word receive enthusiastic, generous support for their work in the Gospel.

6:7-8  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.   

2. Reaping What is Sow. 種を蒔いたものを刈り取る

The two sides to these opposing ways of life are dramatic.  The Way of the Spirit- 聖霊による導き。-- and the way of the sinful nature 罪の性質による誘い。。。. Paul is encouraging them to take a side.  You can’t sit on a fence with these issues: either you take the Law of Moses and remain lost in the ritual practices of the Old Testament OR you hold on to the Life giving Message of the Gospel. You should not drift. You should not slide. You can’t remain neutral: You MUST decide whether you are going to walk by the Spirit or satisfy the desires of your sinful nature.  It is not a corporate challenge; each must decide.

There is room however for one thing and he teaches us that we are to beware of that: Do not be deceived.  God cannot be mocked.  Our very actions each day sets the course for where we will end up.  Remember A+A=A?

Righteous Actions + righteous Attitude = Righteous Accomplishments.

義なる行い＋義なる振る舞い＝義なる高みへの到達

The old proverb is true: "Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny." 考えをおこし、行いに至る：行いをなし、習いとする：習いとするなら、人柄となり：人柄となるなら、定めとなす

3. Doing Good  (6:9-10) 善を行う

Is it kind’a strange that we HAVE to be told to do good! Parents tell their children: “Now be good!”  The child answers, “Mom, I never sin in other people’s homes!” We need to be reminded to keep doing THE RIGHT thing!  There is a tendency to grow tired of doing the right thing.  There is something exciting about doing evil.  Walk on the wild side. Take a chance on life!  All these sayings can hurt and hinder Spiritual Growth. Paul was also concerned that the people would just forget what he had told them and the whole visit and letter would have been a waste of time and energy.  (4:11) Fatigue and discouragement MIGHT cause Believers to throw in the towel and quit.  The events over the last few years have left many tired and worn out.  We might be tempted to say: Forget the problems of others, I am hurting! What about Me!

Give help to the household of Faith FIRST!

神のもとにある家族を先に

The Good News is that HE knows all about your troubles.  He knows your needs—even before you are aware of them. He calls you by name and calls you to stand beside Him.  We have a great cloud of witnesses that are rooting for us and come along side us with the Holy Spirit of God to lift us up as does the wings of an eagle. For in proper time we will reap a HARVEST IF we do not give up.

Paul really believes that we are part of a Larger Family.  All members of this family are Children of Abraham by faith in Christ (3:6-29) and have the full right of the children of God (4:4-7). We are blessed because we Walk by Faith. 

In closing, Paul reminds us as well that what really counts is the new creation—not the rules of the past. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

And then he adds this warning:  17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Paul has the marks of suffering for Christ’ sake ON HIS VERY BODY so don’t mess with him! He has paid a heavy price for this honor to share. 

This Christianity Paul teaches is centered on Who this Jesus is!  Jesus is the Son of God.  He is God, part of the God-head: the Trinity. イエス/神格/三位一体。 Three in One. If Jesus is not God then He can’t represent God. We’d have no revelation and we’d have no redemption. But since the Cross, there was a grave and since the empty grave, there was a resurrection. 十字架＿＿＿空の墓＿＿＿生ける主＿＿＿。And because He is alive, He understands. He empathizes. He cares, and He cares to the fullest extent of caring. 

In Hebrews 2:18 Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. ヘブライ人への手紙 / 2章 18節　事実、御自身、試練を受けて苦しまれたからこそ、試練を受けている人たちを助けることがおできになるのです。 And later in Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. ヘブライ人への手紙 / 4章 15節。 この大祭司は、わたしたちの弱さに同情できない方ではなく、罪を犯されなかったが、あらゆる点において、わたしたちと同様に試練に遭われたのです。

The God of Christianity is not a god in an E-Z-chair, off sunning Himself.  He is The God of the Cross, the God of Action.  He is the God of down here AND of up there.  He is tangible.  He is reachable.  He is noble.  He is God who understands us.  He is God/He is Man.  That is His Claim!

And He calls us to Endure with Him…until He returns. 

Even so come Lord Jesus!

And I will close with the same line Paul closes his letter to us: 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.  

兄弟たちよ。わたしたちの主イエス・キリストの恵みが、あなたがたの霊と共にあるように、アァメン。

"What to do with the Family?" 「家族に対してどのように行動するのか」

Last week, we talked about when people fall into sin. What do we do with them (what do they do with us?)  Paul teaches us to restore that person GENTLY…to spiritual wholeness.            Question is: HOW to do this?            Is there a system in place?             

Yes. Fellowship is there. But, we are to be careful to watch your own walk.-as you may also be tempted.

Today, please turn in your own Bibles and read this passage.

ガラテヤ人への手紙　6：2-5 Galatians 6:2-5

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 2. 互いに重荷を担いなさい。そのようにしてこそ、キリストの律法を全うすることになるのです。3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 3. 実際には何者でもないのに、自分をひとかどの者だと思う人がいるなら、その人は自分自身を欺いています。4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 4. 各自で、自分の行いを吟味してみなさい。そうすれば、自分に対してだけは誇れるとしても、他人に対しては誇ることができないでしょう。5 for each one should carry his own load.  5. めいめいが、自分の重荷を担うべきです。

What to do with the Family of God?

2~5. Dealing with Them 家族に対して、and Dealing with Ourselves. 自分自身に対して

Once again, as we saw last week, the teachings of Paul move from the group to the individual.  Here, in this case, is the group, the fellowship, once again.  

Carry each other’s burdens. 互いに重荷を担う 

The Spirit-led-Believer is to CARRY OTHER’S BURDENS.  We are called upon to be a servant/leader.  To wait on people.  Look for ways to make their life better and to take care of any burdens they might have. “Burdens” here means the multitude of things: physical, emotional, mental, moral or spiritual burdens. (Things like financial woes, learning of cancer or the result of a divorce.)  If problems are around, then that is the burden Paul is addressing.  We all go though them but Paul wants the Believer to help carry these burdens for others.  We are called to be sensitive enough to understand even the unseen burdens one might be carrying.  Some hide the pain but we need to be sensitive with them to understand their heaviness.  

How do you know them?  As you are open and transparent, you will, as Paul puts it: “fulfill the law of Christ.” This is in contrast with keeping the Law of Moses.  That would have a preoccupation to the rules and systems that were set up to cloister or seclude (the Hebrew) People from outside influences.  Remember, we are to be IN the world but not OF the world.  The world System and all that it generates is one that rejects God’s Plan of Godly Love.  It, in effect, rejects the Eternal God of Love altogether.

Test your own actions. 自分の行いを検討してみるがよい

3-5. Paul moves us to consider our own walk.  Self-evaluation 自己評価is necessary because we could fall into the danger of self-deception 自己欺瞞.  We are not to look at how we are doing in comparison with other people but how we are doing with our own God-given mission in life.  As we live and move in our relationships, we are to be careful: to test our actions, to be sure we are walking in the Light of the Gospel.  If we are not-then we need to repent. 

Sin always has a kind of domino effect in people’s lives.  One downfall will bring on another.  One moral failure can reproduce itself very quickly, and once left un-checked, can destroy the person.  See in verse 4-5, Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Watch out for Pride 高ぶりに気を付けなさい Pride is crafty and shrewd as it will be the downfall of many.  

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a conceited spirit before a fall. 箴言 / 16章 18節 痛手に先立つのは驕り。つまずきに先立つのは高慢な霊。 

This character fault of pride hangs around arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.  This four-some can bring down a nation—never mind a person!  If there is strife in relationships: well, 

Proverbs 13:10 states: Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. 箴言13：10 高慢にふるまえば争いになるばかりだ。勧めを受け入れる人は知恵を得る。 

Please—as homework-read 2 Chronicles 32 for an excellent case study on how pride and success are dealt with in a Biblical manner…

So, don’t compare 比べてはならない yourself with others… if one thinks of himself so highly, they will not be able to be the servant the Lord is calling each of us to be.  That person will be unwilling or even unable to care for others.  Those in the Galatian churches who were so puffed up in following The Law of Moses, they could not lift a finger to help the Gentile sinners who were coming to Christ. 

 

Their life style did not follow Paul’s instruction that is found in 

1 Cor 13:2  “If I have … not love, I am nothing." 

If you don’t love…you need a change in heart—fast!

This type of self-testing is somewhat like the way a jeweler looks at a stone.  He puts it under a magnifying glass in very bright light to determine the stone’s value and grade.  The same goes with Christian character.  It is very good practice to—from time to time—scrutinize your actions and intent to determine their true worth before your Father.  The measurement used is the Word of God. Does it go along side the teachings of Jesus? Again—Paul asks us not to deceive ourselves.  Is it is our actions in line with the Love of Christ that was expressed in His life and death?  Is the life we now lead being actively lead by the Spirit of Christ?  See verse 5:6 "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love"  Is your life expressing itself out in a Christ-like manner?

Carry your own load. それぞれ自分自身の重荷を負いなさいThis would deal with the things that are ours to carry.  Our Cross we need to bear.  Not being a burden on others, we move along—without complaining.  The Pharisees had a problem with pride and comparisons and you will find it lived out in  

Luke 18:11-12. "God, I thank You that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get"  

His boasting was centered on comparing himself with others. 

“I’m better than that man because…”.  Paul forbids that in 6:4.  The life that is not self-seeking but self-sacrificing, ah, there is the difference!  The Christ-life is centered on Him and not on self.  Jesus sits on the throne of our lives and directs us to do what God had ordained us to do since before the world began.  Get back to the core of Faith! That is His plan for us.

In two places Paul talks about carrying your own load and burdens.  In verse 2, this word is associated with carrying the burdens of others who are unable to carry them as the result of the consequences of sin in their lives. Verse 5 is referencing the work given to us by our Master to use those talents and gifts He had already given to us. 

Do not be deceived! Be on top of your heart issues. What you give out will come back on you.  Sow garbage, get garbage back. Sow good actions, good comes back on you. 

As the door of opportunity is open, do good to those in the Faith and to all people but especially to those who belong to the family of Believers.  WHY?  A Biblical mandate! God’s people take care of God’s people and then they take care of those who are outside. When there was a famine in Jerusalem, what did the local churches do who were outside that region? They sent aid to the Believers in Jerusalem. Even when the Church was starting out, the local believers took care of the needs from within the Body…they did not get aid from outside the Family. The Family of God takes care of the Family of God. That is what He does!

Next week: we will be ending this section with three points:

Supporting the teachers:

Reaping what you sow:

Doing Good

And don't forget, please read 2 Chronicles 32 for a better understanding.

Coming soon to this Web Site

Dear Reader.  Thank you for coming to our web site. 

I know that there are lots of different places you could go but you come to us and return to our site time and time again.

We really am thankful for your visits.  We would like to know who you are.  Sometime, when you have the time, leave a short message letting us know what you like about the ICCS site or what you would like to see change.  One thing we want to change real soon is to have an updated information page.  (Some of the things you find here are not happening at ICCS and have not been happening for a long time.)  Forgive us.  We do not have a large staff putting this together.  In fact, we don't have a staff at all--just volunteers who love the Lord and want to serve Him.

This week I will post the new sermon that will cover Galatians 6:2-5. ガラテヤ人への手紙　6：2-5.   The title is: "What to do with the Family?"  「家族に対してどのように行動するのか」I hope that you will enjoy the sermon and that it will help you as you seek ways to better understand your place before a Mighty God and King.

It is my pleasure to serve you.  Hope to see many of you at ICCS this Sunday.  We will be celebrating the Lord's Table.  Join us if you can!

The Practical Side of the Teaching. 善を行う：教えの実践面

Galatians 6

Doing Good to All

 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

The Practical Side of the Teaching. 善を行う：教えの実践面

A couple who have been through Marital counseling breaks the silence with: "So where do we go from here? What practical steps can we take to resolve this crisis?" The couple asking these questions had taken a long time just to understand the calamity they were facing in their marriage. But now they had gained some insights into the reasons for their conflicts. They are now ready to work to put things right and get into the practical side of their healing.

So far Paul has led the Galatian believers to understand the historical background and theological background for the crisis in their fellowships. He then gave them general principles about life in the Spirit. Now he spells out specific responsibilities for those who are led by the Spirit so that they can rebuild their broken relationships and find God’s JOY in their Walk of Faith.

Here are some of the corporate responsibilities and individual accountabilities that are woven together in this section.

1. corporate: restore him gently: communal. 共同体：柔和な心をもって、その人を正しなさい

2. individual: watch yourself:   care for your own being. 個人：自分自身を反省しなさい

3. corporate: carry each other's burdens. 共同体:互に重荷を負い合いなさい。

4. individual: each one should test his own actions . . . each one should carry his own load. 個人：ひとりびとり、　自分の行いを検討してみるがよい・・・人はそれぞれ、自分自身の重荷を負うべきである。

5. corporate: share all good things with his instructor. 共同体:教える人と、すべて良いものを分け合いなさい。

6. individual: do not be deceived . . . a man reaps what he sows. 個人:神は侮られるようなかたではない。人は自分のまいたものを、刈り取ることになる。

7. corporate: do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 共同体：だれに対しても、とくに信仰の仲間に対して、善を行おうではないか。

We will not have time today to look at each of these sections. We will put flesh on two of them so that we could reflect them in our own Walk of Faith.

The problem might be: once we see these in action and alive in our lives, we might then look upon them as too high or too deep to really live under them.  We may even feel we could not really do enough for the Lord to really bless us.  After all, I am a sinner who deserves much, much less than what the Lord has promised to give me.  Facing the truth might be harder so we might be tempted to give up living a growing Christ-centered life. Living outside His ideal for us might seem to be the easy road to take.  PLEASE don’t take that easy road.  He will help us.

We tend to cut ourselves off from really living in the blessing. We have a knack at hurting ourselves.  We need to relax.  We need to believe what the Lord is teaching us and not look for ways to undermine or sabotage our own Spiritual Life.

Let’s get started then. Ready to scrap away at some deep hurts and find relief?  I hope so, because I am going for the jugular vein! 

The person who feels they are spiritual, they need to act in a mature way when sin is found in the Church. Paul talks about a situation where some Believers are behaving very poorly, indeed. They are “biting and devouring each other” (5:15 and in 5:26) “Provoking and envying each other.”  Some were forcing Believers to return to a system of belief that did not work to begin with: follow the Law and ALL it’s practices.  Some were zealous but they were zealously in the wrong.  That can happen, you know.  Being 100% convinced that you are 100% right but are 100% in the wrong!

We have a whole lot of freedom in our responsibilities of being a Follower of Christ. This interplay deals with a corporate and an individual response.  That is where we get this list of seven actions or responsibilities.

  1. corporate: restore him gently: a communal action of the Body!

It is a high probability that someone here today is in sin.  I will not try and weed you out but take it from one who has been in churches all his life: the possibility of sinners sitting next to you is very high. It is not a hypothetical possibility, it is a reality. What do we do with that?  Have a witch hunt?  Burn them out?  No!  Paul is concerned with how the Church deals with the sinner and not so much what the sin is.  There are people in the Church today that are feeling trapped by sin.  It could be any one of the "acts of the sinful nature” (5:19-21). But how to help them, that is Paul’s aim—and it should be for us as well.

When people in the church fall into sin, it should not be taken that the WHOLE system is at fault.  I have heard it said many times: “The church is filled with hypocrites,  I don’t want to go there.” 教会は偽善者で満ちている。 Friends, show me any group where there are not some who are hypocrites!  So when sin is found here among us, what is our proper response? Harsh condemnation? That kind of response would crush the fallen one and it could then divide the Church.  The one being a Zealot for the Things of God might show little or no mercy.  What Paul is looking for is a Spirit-filled person, who would demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit in order to convey healing to the sinner and unity and agreement to the Body of Christ.

We must be compassionate to the one who has fallen.  A while ago, there was a song that said : “Don’t shoot the wounded!” 痛んだ者を打ってはならない。 We tend to hurt the ones who are hurting. Not a Biblical way: not a healing way. It doesn’t matter what your cultural background is, being harsh with the one who is hurting is not Christ-like. And, we can’t wait for “them to grow up!” We need to be active in their return to the Fellowship.

Jesus speaks of the fact that “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34) ヨハネ8：34　罪の奴隷 Paul suggests that the sinner is trapped by sin.  We do not want to nor should we excuse them of personal responsibility for their sin. They had been overtaken, ensnared and apprehended by sin’s grip. Our response needs to reflect Jesus’ and that would be to have compassion toward them.  

Those who are spiritual are not an elite leadership group of professional Believers.  All believers have received the Holy Spirit so we all have the role of being Spiritual.  In other words, Paul is including all of us as we are Children of God and therefore agents of restoration.  It is another way to “keep in step with the Spirit” (5:25) as we all restore whose who have been trapped in sin.

The term ‘restore’ is as active as the mending of a broken bone or sewing a torn net.  The restoring is in line with spiritual maturity and of the equipping for service of the individual. 

 私たち皆が備える (2 Cor 13:11 Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace.; Eph 4:12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up; Heb 13:21 equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ... and 1 Thess 3:10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.).   

Here in Chapter 6, Paul is concerned for the well being of the entire Church Body. Remember that there were divisions. A united Church means a united Message. And Christ is the One who reconciled the World to Himself on the Cross.  He was the One who died for them. His Blood was shed to free us all from the entanglements of sin.  It is the ability of Christ’s Spirit to empower the fallen Believer to once again work properly and perform their vital tasks for the benefit of the whole Body. This has been His goal from eternity past!

The whole Body of Christ suffers when ANY member of that Body is broken. (Your pain should affect me.) When there is an amputation or a loss, all of us should feel it.  Such was the case with a family in our Fellowship who lost a son. So many of you have expressed your personal pain on their behalf.  There was not sin here but the illustration of one’s pain felt by others is worthy of noting.  Keep that kind of caring going. You are doing well. In the case of sin, the task is one of restoration.  The goal is to restore the fallen into a place of health and being productive once again. 

Eph 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

How the restoration is done is not the topic of interest here.  Each circumstance is different.  The key is to “restore him gently.” 柔和に彼を正しなさい “In the spirit of gentleness” as one of the Fruit of the Spirit. Gentleness is not weakness as some would hold. It requires GREAT strength under deep control! Even when the sin is outrageous, control is necessary for the fallen one to be brought all the way to total recovery.  The Holy Spirit of Christ is the only one who can do that in us.  We must allow that to rule in our thinking.

2. individual: watch yourself:   care for your own being. 個人：自分自身を反省しなさい。

  So now we move from seeking recovery for others to looking into one’s own heart, as “you may be tempted” yourself.  Watch out. Take care. “But watch yourself” less you become a victim. 

As Believers, we all need to understand our needs before our Heavenly Father. We need to be aware of our own vulnerability to moral failure and to allow our hearts to be gentle with those who are caught in it. I did not say permit.  Watch out because everyone is vulnerable to temptation. The sin spoken of here in this text might be dealing with the response of conceit 5:26 and their ‘fits of rage’ 5:20 and are looked upon as serious as any other sin. 

We who are being led by the Spirit of God realize, don’t we, that we are only sinners saved by Grace.  We all need to live our lives with personal insight of our own weakness and our full dependence on the redemptive Work of God in our hearts.  

Life by the Spirit. 御霊によって生きる

Gal 5:16-26. 

Paul continues his teaching as so will I.

“16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”  

わたしが言いたいのは、こういうことです。霊の導きに従って歩みなさい。そうすれば、決して肉の欲望を満足させるようなことはありません。

  

It has been the prayer of all of God’s People thought history to do just that: to walk blamelessly before the Father. Proverbs 11:20 “The LORD detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.”  Why is it so hard to do that? Why is there a struggle within all of us to fight the things of the Lord and, in effect, demand our own way? To desire the drives of our old nature might, at times, feel appropriate, as we have lived that way for so long.  We have had things our way for so long, the Way of the Lord might seem a real hindrance to growth.

Let’s be assured today that way of thinking is the way of error. The Scripture calls that line of thinking the Way of Balaam, son of Beor.  The way of error. Who was this character?  We read about him in Numbers 22:4-20~24:25.  Balaam loved gain from wrongdoing: see 2 Peter 2:15

See Jude 11. “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for the profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.”

ユダの手紙 11節

不幸な者たちです。彼らは「カインの道」をたどり、金もうけのために「バラムの迷い」に陥り、「コラの反逆」によって滅んでしまうのです。

(Numbers 16:1-3 1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent (or took men) 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?”)

Connect with John 14:6.

"I am the Way    わたしは道であり

  the Truth           真理であり

and the Life. "     命である。

Paul continues in verse

“17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

肉の望むところは、霊に反し、霊の望むところは、肉に反するからです。肉と霊とが対立し合っているので、あなたがたは、自分のしたいと思うことができないのです。

17 Both the Way of the Spirit and the Way of the Flesh are contrary to each other.

Both have major conflicts with each other. The battle goes on and we are aware of it! What we do with that is SO important.  It will not just go away. Some have allowed these small seeds of rebellion in their lives—thinking all along, it is not all that bad.  But once it takes root in our hearts, we are headed for some real sour times in our walk. Rebellion in any form is rebellion against the Lord. It was rebellion for those people who wanted it their own way when Moses was guiding them and it is still a way of destruction today.  Beware of the cold heart towards God and toward the things of the Lord--so that you will not do what is contrary or opposing with what the Lord wants or desires of you. So, even Paul had this problem and it is not the end of the world when it happens to us but it still feels not good! 

Romans 7:15-25  ローマの信徒への手紙 / 7章 25節

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature (my flesh). For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

How do we move from there? The key is attitude.  Paul ends this problem with 

25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!! わたしたちの主イエス・キリストを通して神に感謝いたします。!

Paul reminds the Churches in Galatia that only in Christ alone can one find that Hope for a better life.  In Christ alone!

19-21 Acts of the sinful nature are obvious-

“19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

肉の業は明らかです。それは、姦淫、わいせつ、好色, 偶像礼拝、魔術、敵意、争い、そねみ、怒り、利己心、不和、仲間争い、ねたみ、泥酔、酒宴、その他このたぐいのものです。以前言っておいたように、ここでも前もって言いますが、このようなことを行う者は、神の国を受け継ぐことはできません。

22-23 BUT the fruit of the Spirit is- 9 of them. No law against these.

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

これに対して、霊の結ぶ実は愛であり、喜び、平和、寛容、親切、善意、誠実、柔和、節制です。これらを禁じる掟はありません。

24 Look again at what Paul points to!

“24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

キリスト・イエスのものとなった人たちは、肉を欲情や欲望もろとも十字架につけてしまったのです。

Do you belong to Christ? Paul writes that the action was already done—have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Done in the past.  When in the past? At the Cross-it was paid for and at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus had sealed for all time. If we belong to Him, than the Spirit Life is ours in Christ Jesus. We MUST look to Him for it all to be realized and understood. By Faith. Not in works but by Faith!

25-26 Paul ends this section with some powerful words.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. もし、私たちが霊によって生きているのであれば、霊によって前進しましょう。

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” うぬぼれて、互いに挑み合ったり、ねたみ合ったりするのはやめましょう。 

Christ is looking for community! “We”—not just ‘you’!  It is a Family activity.  We encourage each other by living this way.  Watching each of us keeping in step with the wishes of the Lord.  See verse 15. If the opposite keeps up, we will destroy each other. The way of Balaam is not the road we are to walk on.  That way leads to destruction but the Way of Jesus leads to life and life eternal.   Let us live the Way of Christ.  Forgiving each other and have a Life by the Spirit of Christ.