Sermons

This passage tells how Jesus met and rescued a madman in the region of Gerasa who was tormented by many demons and wandered among the tombs. People had driven him out of the village because of his uncontrollable strength and destructive behaviour, but Jesus had compassion on him, a man enslaved to Satan, drew out the demons' commands and set him free. The demons acknowledged Jesus' authority yet made sophistic arguments to push their own plans through, and in the end they entered a herd of pigs and perished.

Through this event the sermon points out how Satan takes away a person's reason and will and destroys their life, and that a church that does not stand together can easily fall to Satan's attacks. It also criticizes how the demons hinder Jesus' work of saving souls, and how people treat the loss of property as more important than the salvation of a soul. Just as Jesus gave up a great many pigs to save one soul, it stresses that God is doing his utmost for the salvation of each person.

The sermon asks why believers must not be taken in by Satan's sophistry and must stand united within the church community. It also leads us to stand before Jesus' salvation, look back on our lives, and consider how we will carry out the mission of sharing the gospel with our families and neighbours on the strength of the freedom restored to us.

Through the parable of the mustard seed and the storm on the sea, this passage deals with the nature and growth of faith. It explains what faith is that looks like a small mustard seed yet can grow into a great tree, and how that faith leads the expansion of the kingdom of God. Through the fear and failure the disciples went through, it also shows that faith can grow by the power of the Holy Spirit even in suffering.

The sermon stresses that the doubts and worries that come when faith is weak are in fact tests for spiritual growth. Rather than turning away from the Word as Judas Iscariot did, the disciples gained assurance of the truth through suffering, repented and grew; through them it leads us to reflect on where our faith is rooted now. It also points out that we need the mission of lifting up the lamp to light the darkness, and the attitude of trusting the Lord's presence and facing things calmly even in the storm.

We consider how the small faith we have can grow into a great tree, and how we can grow in spiritual discernment through suffering.

Through the parable of the seed that fell on the ground, which Jesus told by the sea, and the parable of the weeds, this passage explains how the state of the listener's heart affects spiritual fruit. The seed the farmer sows falls on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns and on good soil, and this pictures how hard or shallow the listeners' hearts are, and how blocked they are by the worries and desires of the world. In particular, a heart like rocky ground looks zealous at first but easily collapses in the face of hardship or testing, while the thorns stand for a state that has life but cannot grow.

The sermon stresses that we must go beyond simply hearing the Word: we must apply it to our lives, persevere and bear fruit. It points out that many people neglect to plough up their own hearts and clear away the world's thorns before they ask for God's grace. Through the parable of the weeds it also notes that the weeds sown by the evil one grow together with the wheat until the harvest but are finally separated on the day of judgment, and it conveys the need for believers to keep their faith and persevere to the end. This means living a life that is not swayed by one's own feelings or circumstances, but serves God as Lord and gives him glory.

The sermon asks the reader to reflect on whether their heart is now like the hard path that cannot receive the Word, like shallow rocky ground whose passion is only for a moment, or like the thorns, blocked and unable to grow. It also leads us to think deeply about how we must first make an effort and devote ourselves to overcome these states of heart, and how we must persevere to the end and hold on to God's promises.

This passage deals with the difficulty Jesus faced from his family's unbelief even while he was proclaiming the truth, when his mother and brothers accused him of being out of his mind and tried to take him away by force. When the scribes accused Jesus of acting by the power of Beelzebul, Jesus pointed out, by reasoning that Satan cannot cast out Satan, that their words were a contradiction that fell short of common sense.

The sermon points out specifically what the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is. It warns that slandering pastors and teachers, setting people against one another and hindering the church, as well as complaining constantly even while serving, amount to the sin of resisting the Holy Spirit. Using the examples of the king of Tyre and the fallen angel, it also explains that when people oppose God in pride amid his special grace and abundance, they are judged in the end. Because Satan has no mercy and tempts people and drags them into darkness, believers must give up their own righteousness and humbly depend on the Holy Spirit.

The sermon declares that those who do God's will, rather than blood relations, are true family. Because Satan is watching for an opening to divide the church, believers must bear with one another, love one another and not give Satan a gap to attack. It asks what kind of heart we must have to be believers who put Satan to shame, giving thanks for the grace God has given and keeping an unchanging faith in a lowly place.

Today's passage describes how Jesus called his disciples, lived with them, and appointed them as preachers and as apostles with authority. At the time, the Pharisees were fixated on the formal keeping of the Law and ignored love and mercy, the true meaning of the Sabbath; they condemned Jesus' good deeds and looked for a chance to kill him. But Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, declared that it is right to do good and save life, and broke through their stubborn preconceptions.

Jesus appointed the disciples so that they would be with him, so that he could send them into the world to preach the gospel, and so that he could give them authority to drive out demons. Peter and Judas Iscariot were both called as apostles, yet because of their own greed and fear they came to completely different ends. Peter went through deep repentance after his failure and became a foundation of the church, but Judas did not repent and in the end fell from his place of mission. This shows how important humble faith and obedience to the truth are, rather than position or power.

We need to ask ourselves whether we are trapped in our own thoughts and feelings and turning away from the truth, and whether we fall to Satan's temptations and easily throw away what is precious. As the lives of Peter and Judas Iscariot warn us, we must not forget that the choices we make now determine eternal outcomes. Today's passage asks how we should set our hearts so that we can live as believers who stay with Jesus and boldly proclaim the gospel.

This passage covers Jesus healing a paralyzed man, calling Levi (Matthew) the tax collector to be his disciple, and his conflict with the Pharisees. It shows that seeing miracles or hearing the Word is not enough; a true relationship is decided by a person's own choice and decision. In particular, Jesus came to the sick and to sinners, and opened the way of salvation through their repentance and faith.

The sermon warns against hypocritical faith and formalism, and emphasizes a sincere faith that truly worships God. It points out that fasting and religious practices must not become a source of pride or a mere habit, but are only for deep fellowship with God. It also urges us to prepare new wineskins that can hold the life of the gospel, rather than a faith trapped in old traditions and forms.

As those who have been set free from the chains of sin and saved, how should we carry out the mission of seeking out sinners who cannot repent and sharing the gospel with them? We also need to think about what concrete attitudes will let us live as people of faith built on the word of truth, not bound by form and tradition.

This passage shows Jesus calling disciples by the Sea of Galilee and meeting a man possessed by a demon in the synagogue in Capernaum. Peter, who had caught nothing all night, obeys Jesus' word, experiences a miracle, and confesses him as Lord; this is set against the demon, which knows who Jesus is and fears him, yet opposes him to the end.

The sermon points out that Satan does not rule people by force; he exercises spiritual control by slowly deceiving people's hearts and persuading them to push God away. It also warns that false spiritual phenomena such as past lives or fortune-telling are nothing but Satan's tricks, imitating God to lead people astray, and that faith can be shaken if we cannot discern the truth. It stresses that believers must not give in to Satan's threats and lies but stand firm in the Word and in faith, and wash their unclean hearts clean through repentance.

How should we obey the Word and fight the spiritual battle, so that we can be free from Satan's attacks and enjoy the life of the kingdom of heaven?

Today's passage covers how Jesus, after being baptized by John, was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and tempted by Satan. Jesus was baptized in order to bear the sins of humanity and become the atoning sacrifice, and this is the starting point that leads to suffering and the cross. John the Baptist knew that his mission was to transfer sin onto Jesus, yet seeing Jesus' holiness, he did not want to baptize him. But Jesus said that he must do this in order to fulfill all righteousness, and he was baptized.

Afterward, when the Holy Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness, Satan set three temptations before him: making bread, putting on a miracle, and the offer of the glory of all the kingdoms of the world. Satan tried to use Jesus' identity to put God to the test, demanded a miracle to draw people's attention, and tried to make him covet worldly power. But Jesus drove off every temptation with God's word, and made clear that God alone is to be worshiped and served. This shows that the heart of salvation is a relationship with God and following the truth, more than miracles or worldly glory.

We must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and worship in spirit and truth, not be deceived by Satan's cunning temptations, and obey the Word. Take time to reflect deeply on what it means to drive back evil spirits with the boldness the Holy Spirit gives, and to live relying on the truth rather than on what can be seen.

This passage deals with how the gospel of Jesus Christ began. Drawing on the spiritual knowledge he gained as Peter's interpreter, the writer vividly recounts the deeds of Jesus, who came to this earth as a lowly servant. In particular, the scene at Jesus' baptism, when the Holy Spirit comes down like a dove and a voice is heard from heaven, shows the triune God working together. It stresses that this is not simply one individual's ministry but the moment God's plan of salvation is fulfilled.

Through the life and ministry of John the Baptist, the sermon points to the meaning of true repentance. Though John came from a distinguished family, he lived simply in the wilderness, laid himself aside, and prepared the way for the Messiah. He called not for formal religious ritual but for a repentance that confesses sin and restores one's relationship with God. The sermon also explains the difference between baptism with water and baptism with the Holy Spirit, emphasizing that faith is not mere ritual but a time of decision in which the old self dies and is born again as a new self.

The sermon points out that the church today is losing the truth as it leans toward form and pretense. It warns that boasting of one's own righteousness and refusing to repent, as the Pharisees did, is like being offspring of vipers, and says that believers must admit their weakness and keep laying themselves aside. Since growth in faith takes time, it asks what it looks like for a community to wait for weaker brothers and sisters with love and consideration.

On Palm Sunday, today's passage deals with the scene of Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey. At the time the crowds spread their cloaks on the road, waved palm branches, and cried out ‘Hosanna.’ This word was not simply praise but an earnest plea meaning ‘Please save us,’ yet the salvation they hoped for was to escape Roman oppression and gain worldly power. By contrast, the salvation Jesus truly brought was to give life to souls by dealing with human sin and separation from God.

The sermon points to the gap between the crowd's expectations and Jesus' mission, and asks whether we today are repeating a similar mistake. We live paying more attention to success and prosperity on this earth than to the salvation of our souls, which God wants to give us. Pointing out a situation in which thanksgiving and life are separated, so that God's grace has no effect on our actual lives, it urges us to hold up a mirror and see how far our thinking and outlook have drifted from God.

We must follow the path of humility and obedience that Jesus walked to bear the cross. Yet we still want high positions and try to live chasing the satisfaction of the flesh. When we realise that our hearts toward God can change as easily as turning over a hand, what choice will we make?

Today's passage is the scene in which people bring to Jesus a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and beg him to heal him. Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd, put his fingers into his ears, spat and touched his tongue, and then, looking up to heaven, sighed and commanded, 'Ephphatha', that is, be opened. At that moment the man's ears were opened and his tongue was released so that he spoke plainly, and a miracle took place.

This miracle goes beyond simply healing a physical illness, showing that only when our spiritual eyes and ears are opened can we recognize the Messiah and proclaim the word of truth. People wanted only to see miracles and did not hear the word, so they failed to recognize Jesus, and Jesus sighed as he saw their foolishness. Only when we become believers who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, deny ourselves, and take up the cross can we understand God's will and carry out the mission of saving souls. And because we know the power of the tongue, we must live lives that build up the church and bring life to our neighbors through good words and wise judgment.

If God has called us out of darkness into light and given us ears to hear and eyes to see, what should we now choose? We are led to look back on whether we are living with our spiritual ears closed, swept along by the noise and judgments of the world, and whether, as those who have experienced the miracle of Ephphatha, we are living lives that proclaim the word of truth.

This passage deals with the scene in which Jesus, after his resurrection, appears to his disciples and leaves his final words. It sets side by side the women, including Mary Magdalene, who went to the tomb, found it already empty, and heard the news of the resurrection from the angel but could not easily accept it, and the disciples, shut in by fear and doubt. People have the weakness of finding it hard to believe God's work and the fact of the resurrection unless they see it with their own eyes or touch it with their own hands.

The sermon points out that this human attitude comes not simply from ignorance, but from a stubbornness that wants to be true only to one's own experience and feelings. The women took spices with them because they had forgotten the promise of the resurrection and stayed within the customs for the dead, and the disciples had locked their doors out of fear. Even so, Jesus, while rebuking their foolishness, kept appearing to them to the end, gave them peace, and poured out the Holy Spirit on them. This shows God's deep love and patience, so that they would believe the unseen spiritual reality and carry out the mission of the gospel.

We already hear the promise of the resurrection and the second coming through Scripture, yet we look back on whether we still live bound to the reality we can see. We should live believing in the authority to forgive sins and the protection of the Holy Spirit given by the risen Jesus, and trusting his promise to be with us to the end of the age. Today, though we have not seen the resurrection with our own eyes, we must choose whether to hold firmly to that promise and carry out the mission of sharing the gospel, or to remain in doubt and fear.