↓Audio link to the sermon: (If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS) One of the greatest mysteries in our faith is the Trinity. It is difficult to understand and difficult to explain. We say that we believe in one God. We also say that God is three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So is God one or three? How can he be both one God and three persons? Can’t we just simplify it and say “We believe in one God. That’s all.”? The purpose of my sermon today is not to explain the Trinity in a way that will fully satisfy you.
“Do not cry,” from Like 7:11-17
↓Audio link to the sermon:(Sunday worship recording) (If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS) Sorry, this post is no translate, only available in Japanese. [Like 7:11-17] 11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the
“living according to God’s calling”
↓Audio link to the sermon:(Sunday worship recording) (If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS) Good morning! There are many ways to ask about someone’s job in English. For example, you can say, “What do you do for a living?” That’s a common one. But there’s an easier one — “What is your job?” You can also say, “What is your occupation?” or “What is your profession?” Now, “profession” usually means a job that needs special knowledge — like a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, or a writer. But, there’s another word that’s very special. It’s the word “vocation.” Yes, “vocation.” It can mean a
“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely” (Hosea 14:4)
(The audio recording of this sermon will be uploaded here after the Sunday service.) We read Hosea chapter 6 during my previous message. The theme was returning to the Lord. Hosea 6:1-3 says, “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us
Stations of the Cross (Mark 14:55-16:8)
↓Audio link to the sermon: (If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS) Good morning, church. It is really good to be back at IBF and read God’s word with you. I have been preaching through Mark’s gospel for more than two years. Today is the last reading of Mark’s gospel, and it is about Jesus’ trial, death, and resurrection. However, I will not be preaching a traditional sermon. Rather, today I wat to guide us through a quiet meditation on Scripture. This meditation is based on a popular Christian practice called Stations of the Cross. If you visit Jerusalem today, you could walk through a road
“A Time for Everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1~6)
↓Audio link to the sermon:(Sunday worship recording) (If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS) Today I would like to share with you a message about “timing.” As we go through life, we all realize that timing is so important. In fact, we could even say, “Timing is everything.” No matter how hard we try, if it is not the right time, we cannot see fruit. No matter how much effort we put in, if the timing is not right, it will not succeed. That is how crucial timing is. The Roman philosopher Seneca (around 4 B.C.–A.D. 65) once said: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets
“What does it mean to believe?” (Luke 7:1-10)
↓Audio link to the sermon:(Sunday worship recording) (If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS) Sorry, this post is no translate, only available in Japanese. [Luke 7:1-10] 1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our