Sermons

This passage is Solomon's confession of the deep emptiness and the fleeting nature of life that he came to feel after enjoying all his wealth and glory. He realizes that all the riches and power of the world, and all human effort, mean nothing in the face of death, when everything returns to dust. The passage points out that although he had wisdom and wealth, a life apart from God is all show, like a puffed-up bun that is hollow inside, and it emphasizes that there is no new thing under the sun.

The sermon explains that this emptiness is a sign revealing that human beings, because of sin, cannot escape death. People constantly chase new things to fill their lives, but they must recognize that none of it lasts forever. It warns that when people lose their longing for God and live by the world's desires, they become unable to make wise judgments. So it teaches that, rather than clinging to temporary possessions or honor, we must receive Christ for eternal life and live a life that walks with God.

The sermon invites the reader to look back on whether their life is an empty one filled without God, or one moving toward an eternal hope. Rather than regretting time gone by and chances thrown away, it asks how we will offer this very moment to God.

In this passage the apostle Paul conveys to the believers in Philippi, through his own journey of faith and devotion, how precious citizenship in the kingdom of God is. Paul gave up all the world's wealth and honor and lived for Christ, because of his assurance of the eternal kingdom of heaven and the mission he had received from God. He stresses that believers should give up their citizenship in the world of their own accord and walk carefully toward their true home, the kingdom of God.

The sermon explains why believers should live confidently in the world rather than anxiously, like people staying somewhere illegally. Paul did not boast of his faith or seek people's approval; he sought approval from God alone. Yet it warns that many believers fall into their own righteousness, judge and complain about others, and can easily give in to Satan's temptations. True believers are ashamed of their shortcomings, strive every day to build a close relationship with God, and should keep an attitude of thankfulness for the grace they have been given.

What must believers put into practice to discern Satan's schemes and grow spiritually mature? As people who hold citizenship in the kingdom of God, we consider what decisions we must make in order to pursue the eternal reward rather than the passing pleasures of this earth.

This passage focuses on the different choices Jacob and Joseph made in their circumstances and the results of those choices. Jacob brought great suffering on his family and himself through human reasoning and selfishness, while Joseph trusted in God's will and in his dreams, kept away from sin, and lived faithfully. The lives of the two men show that the direction of a life can change completely depending on whether a person with free will chooses good or evil.

The sermon points out that a proud heart is the main cause that leads people to choose sin. People who keep repeating sin believe only their own thinking is right and do not listen to others' advice, but people who keep away from sin are humble, fear God, and respond sensitively to the voice of conscience. Even in the extreme situation of prison, Joseph did not complain; he waited for the time God had set and kept himself pure, and as a result he was led to the position of prime minister. This suggests that what brings about miracles is not human effort or a change of circumstances, but steadfast faith that does not harm one's relationship with God.

We must reflect deeply on how to live so that we respond keenly to the voice of our conscience and do not commit sins that bring shame on God. Under the warning that our earnest wishes may not be fulfilled if we stay in a place of sin, we are led to ask what decision we must make as God's true children.

Today's passage begins with the scene in which Jacob, having met Joseph, goes before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to greet him. When Pharaoh asks his age, Jacob sums up his life and confesses it as ‘one hundred thirty years … few and evil.’ This shows that what was stamped most deeply on him was not the glory of being an ancestor of faith specially chosen by God, but the life of a wanderer, pursued and drifting all his days.

The passage finds the reason Jacob's life was so hard in the way he made his judgments and decisions. Jacob deceived his brother to gain the firstborn's blessing, was deceived by his uncle Laban for twenty years, and put his family and a city in danger through what happened to his daughter Dinah; at every moment he put his own thinking and desires first. Even though God commanded him to go up to Bethel, he held on to human judgment and chose Shechem, which looked safe, and because of this his family had to go through great suffering and sin. God allowed hardship in order to correct his wrongs, but Jacob still chose human ways and could only live like a wanderer all his life.

We need to look back on whether we are living by our own righteousness and failing to see God's careful involvement in our lives. The sermon asks whether true faith means entrusting every judgment and decision to God within the peace and circumstances he has given, or whether we will live by our own thinking like Jacob and end with a sad confession.

This passage sheds light on the encounters of various people surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. It tells of Mary, who learned of the Messiah's coming through the angel's announcement; of the shepherds, who were keeping watch over their sheep through the night, heard the angel's news, and came to find him; and of the wise men, who followed a star from the east to come and worship Jesus. It also records the confession of Simeon, who, led by the Holy Spirit, met the baby Jesus in the temple.

The sermon points out the attitude these people had in common. Through a baby lying in a humble manger, they believed God's plan of salvation and offered worship and praise. In Simeon's case in particular, it explains that a life that went beyond a Law-centered faith, walked with the Holy Spirit, and put God first is what led him in the end to meet the Messiah. This shows how much more important it is to walk with the Holy Spirit, enjoying freedom in the truth, than to keep blind religious rituals.

The sermon emphasizes that when believers live righteous and devout lives like Simeon, they will meet Christ. It also points out that this faith must lead on to a holy hope that waits for his second coming. The sermon invites the reader to look back on whether their faith walks with the Holy Spirit and is centered on God, or is bound by the Law.

This passage deals with Israel's corruption, the judgment of God that followed, and the restoration brought about through the remnant. God declares a terrible judgment, the destruction of the temple and war, against Israel, which had treated his creation carelessly and worshiped idols. But this judgment is not mere destruction; it shows God's character, which hates sin, and at the same time his endless patience and love. God protects Israel so that it is not completely destroyed, and he makes a wonderful plan to raise up the tent of David that is fallen and to make even the Gentiles, Edom included, part of the inheritance of salvation.

The sermon reveals that Jesus Christ stands behind this judgment and restoration. The prophecy delivered by the prophet Amos points to Jesus, who came from David's line and became the land of blessing that saves both Jews and Gentiles. This word, which the apostle James quoted when he testified to the salvation of the Gentiles, gives us the assurance that by believing in Jesus we come to possess a share in the eternal kingdom. The abundant blessing and peace that come after judgment are a privilege enjoyed only when we fear God and live under his protection. Seeing through Israel's history how God's will is fulfilled, we must live wisely so that sin does not hinder the growth of the kingdom of God.

What is that heart of God, which rebukes the proud and yet shelters his repentant children as an eagle gathers its young?

This passage deals with how the people of Israel let their chance to repent slip away and in the end came under God's judgment. Through Amos, God shows the vision of ripe summer fruit and declares that they have reached a state in which they can no longer be forgiven. The people kept only the outward form of the feasts and the Sabbath, while exploiting their neighbors through deceit and greed and giving themselves to pleasure. Because of this pride and sin, God resolves no longer to answer when they call.

The sermon points out what the spiritual famine Israel would face really is. It warns that what is coming is not a physical famine in which people die for lack of bread or water, but the drying up of the soul because it cannot hear Yahweh's words. The people will stagger from the north even to the east seeking the word, but once the door of judgment has closed, they will not be able to obtain the word of truth. Formal religious rituals and false faith cannot quench the soul's thirst; true life and satisfaction can be found only in Jesus Christ.

The sermon asks how believers should prepare their souls now, while God's word can be heard so easily. Seeing God fall silent once the opportunity he gave has been missed, it leads us to reflect on what true repentance and a life centered on God's word are.

This passage deals with the scene in which Amos, who had received God's call to deliver a message of judgment, is persecuted by Amaziah the priest at the sanctuary in Bethel. Amaziah threatens him to stop prophesying at Bethel, the king's sanctuary and the royal house of the kingdom, and orders that Amos be driven out to the land of Judah. He sows division by claiming that Amos is cursing the king and bringing the nation to ruin, and he obstructs God's servant in order to protect his own power and position.

Amaziah looks down on Amos because of his outward appearance: he is not a trained, professional prophet but an ordinary herdsman and a farmer of sycamore figs. But Amos firmly declares that his calling comes not from human education or power but from God's direct call. Even though God himself called Amos and gave him his mission, Amaziah challenges God's authority with worldly standards and pride. This shows that mocking and obstructing those who proclaim the truth is the same as opposing God.

When Amaziah tried to stop God's servant, God judged him so that his family would be miserably ruined. We must not, by our human judgment, become stumbling blocks to pastors or believers who proclaim the truth. Through this story we must come to understand what outcome awaits us if we hinder God's work and insist on our own way of thinking.

Today's passage deals with the story of Aaron as he left Egypt with Moses. As Moses' spokesman, Aaron delivered God's word to the people and performed signs, yet his own name stayed hidden behind Moses'. Even when Moses received all the glory, he was not jealous but humbly served the leader God had appointed.

But Aaron too was a weak human being. While Moses was up on the mountain and the people wanted an idol, he gave in under threat and made a golden calf. This sinful act was a grave, unforgivable sin, but God saw the heart with which Aaron had quietly devoted himself without ever challenging Moses' authority. God covered Aaron's failure, appointed him high priest, and showed him amazing grace.

How should we regard the attitude of the heart that God sees, rather than visible results or recognition?

Today's passage deals with how the people of Israel grew proud in their prosperity, forgot God, and sank into worldly pleasure and ease. They turned the sacrifices that should have been offered in the temple into luxury and indulgence, and boasted of their power and wealth while mocking God. The spiritual confusion grew so deep that even the poor envied the lives of the wicked rulers and were ready to leave God.

The sermon points out that this attitude is not a simple mistake but a grave sin that betrays the covenant with God. In particular, it warns against ministers who use worldly methods to satisfy people's feelings, and against believers who, carried away by momentary emotion, live without restraint and without true repentance. Because God looks at the heart, he does not accept put-on zeal or formal worship. Instead he asks for a faith that obeys him with honesty and humility, and that grieves over the work of the gospel as one would grieve for the affliction of Joseph.

We consider what the judgment will finally bring upon those who forget God's grace and live in pride.

This passage deals with how the people of Israel clung only to formal worship and religious ritual while exploiting the vulnerable and not fearing God. God warns that the sacrifices and praise they offer in holy places such as Bethel and Gilgal are worthless if they are not sincere, and instead he demands that they let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Their attitude of judging happiness by worldly wealth and power and worshiping idols shows that they had reached a state in which judgment could not be avoided.

The sermon clearly points out the difference between seeking God and being absorbed in the world. Even among a corrupt people, God opens the way of life to those who sincerely seek him and seek good. But judgment comes upon those who set up their own righteousness through formal faith, or who mistreat their neighbors while enjoying religious privilege. It emphasizes that true worship comes not from the sound of splendid instruments or ritual feasts, but from a life that fears God, loves one's neighbor, and is lived honestly.

We need to look back on whether we have become spiritually blind through formal church attendance and neglect of God's word. We must examine whether we are living by the world's standards rather than with a heart that longs for God. How should we receive this important truth, that a life that truly seeks God, seeks good, and practices righteousness can protect us on the day of judgment?

This passage deals with how the people of Israel showed religious zeal through formal sacrifices and offerings, but in reality lived corrupt lives, oppressing the poor and indulging in luxury. God points out that their worship is hypocritical, lacking a contrite spirit, and rebukes them, saying that it only ends up piling up sin. It shows that the pride and injustice hidden behind a form of faith that looked perfect on the outside brought on God's wrath.

The sermon emphasizes the emptiness of people who chase wealth, power, and ideology, and how sin becomes a stumbling block in life. It warns that even believers can lose their salvation when they compromise God's law as it suits them and live as they please. It explains that God wants true faith and reverence rather than formal faith, and that a hardened attitude that sins without repenting leads in the end to a judgment from which there is no recovery.

God announced judgment through the prophet and gave them a chance to repent, but Israel missed that chance and in the end faced painful judgment. Through this lesson from history, we must look back on whether our faith has leaned only toward outward form. We must consider whether the chance to repent that we have now will stay open forever, and how we should prepare, given how serious the judgment on the corrupt will be.