Sermons

This passage points out that the complex emotions and expressions of human beings cannot be hidden before God, and deals with how Israel, which had received special love, betrayed that grace. God knows the human heart well, and a betrayal that rejects the love and grace he has shown is regarded as the ugliest of sins. The prophet Amos sees clearly that the chosen people, captured by worldly pleasure and greed, exploited the poor and abandoned God.

Through the failures of Judas Iscariot and Peter, the sermon points out how betrayal follows when emotion overcomes reason or faith. Judas lost his judgment as his hope turned to despair, and Peter's confession of love collapsed in the face of fear. God gave even such betrayers a chance to turn back and urged them to repent through hardship and rebuke, but Israel had already closed its ears and would not listen to his word. The sermon emphasizes that the judgment God sends is not mere punishment but an expression of deep love meant to bring them back to him.

Finally, the sermon urges believers to grasp God's deep love, not to betray their brothers and sisters in the faith, and to live honestly today. It leads us to consider why we must stay spiritually awake, never forgetting that judgment will surely come, and how a community of faith should be built in which comfort can be found even in hardship.

This passage delivers the stern warning God gave to Judah and Israel after he had judged the Gentile nations. It points out their sins one by one: in a time when they had gained prosperity and power, they oppressed their poor fellow countrymen, sold the righteous for silver, and persecuted the prophets and Nazirites devoted to God.

The passage treats it as a serious betrayal that God's people took the world's wealth and power for granted and committed the same sins as the Gentile nations. It makes clear that trusting in the power of money to trample the weak, blocking those who proclaim the truth, and approaching God with a formal faith become obstacles that keep the kingdom of God from growing. It also warns that when such sins pile up, unavoidable judgment comes, and that this judgment is an inevitable result that no worldly power or wealth can stop.

We must look back on whether wealth and fame have bred pride in us, so that we despise the poor and walk a path that goes against the truth. Each believer should ask whether they have forgotten the grace God has given, pursued only worldly success, and taken an attitude of mocking and persecuting those who condemn them.

This passage deals with the scene in which God, through Amos, declares that he will judge the surrounding Gentile nations, including Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, as well as Judah and Israel. When Israel was under the rule of great powers, it resolved to serve God, but the moment it enjoyed freedom and prosperity it grew proud instead, exploited the poor and powerless, and became corrupt. Before judging his beloved people, God first judged the Gentile nations and gave them a chance to repent, but they never came to understand.

The sermon emphasizes that God begins his judgment at the sanctuary and does not forgive even small injustices, discrimination, and idolatry. In particular, the sin of the chosen people, who ignored God's Law and trampled the weak, is treated as heavier than the sins of the Gentile nations. We must be careful not to believe our own thinking is right and judge others, or become a whip to the world. God is not one who is present only in the church; he is the Lord of justice, who watches over the sins of the whole world and judges them.

We must look back on whether we truly have a better faith than the Gentile nations, and whether we have become believers who are not proud but humbly fear God. Take this opportunity God has given to reflect seriously on whether there is any promise you have failed to keep, and whether you have been proud toward other believers.

Today's passage deals with the last blessing of the Beatitudes, the concluding part of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus proclaimed to his disciples: the blessing of those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. This passage makes us face the reality of the mockery and persecution believers inevitably meet when they fulfill their role as salt and light and proclaim the truth in the world. It proclaims that even when, as the light of the world, they are attacked by evil forces that hate having their filthy sin exposed, they can rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is their reward in heaven.

The sermon emphasizes that such suffering is not simply bad luck but a process of training, like God's furnace that refines believers into pure gold. Through the severe persecution and suffering that the apostle Paul and the prophets endured, it shows that if believers are to enjoy rest in the kingdom of heaven like the martyrs, they must endure the trials of this earth by faith. It also warns, through Isaiah's experience, that when we stand before God all our put-on devotion is laid bare, so we must truly repent and live honest and clean lives. Only by being filled with the fruit of the Spirit and becoming gentle and merciful can we fend off Satan's attacks and receive God's protection.

How will we receive and put into practice this amazing truth, that when believers lay down human righteousness and greed and live for God's righteousness, they will at last find true peace and the reward of heaven?

In this passage Jesus proclaims that the peacemakers will be called children of God, and he sets out a concrete way of life: loving one's enemies and praying for those who mistreat you. The passage emphasizes that such love and forgiveness, which seem impossible by human reason and feeling, become possible through the leading of the Holy Spirit, and it teaches that true peace begins with the humility that lays down pride and human righteousness and goes down to a low place.

The sermon points out that believers must first remove the beam from their own eye before they can see the speck in their brother's eye, and it shows that the way of the peacemaker is to repent of one's own shortcomings rather than criticize the faults of others. It also warns that formal, artificially polished worship or devotion is not accepted by God, and it stresses that offering a truly born-again heart as a living sacrifice is what matters. It explains that just as Jesus became the atoning sacrifice, believers too will be praised as children of God only when they embrace one another and take up the mission of restoring relationships.

The sermon asks what kind of people believers are, and whether they can be peacemakers who bring joy and hope rather than people who break the peace.

This passage deals with a spiritual state similar to the fear we feel when our hearts are dark and confused, and it emphasizes the spiritual battle believers must fight every day. Just as a beautiful view cannot be seen through a dirty window, if a believer's heart is not clean, it is hard to grasp God's glory and love clearly. So we need the training of brushing off the cobwebs of worldly worry and greed and of overcoming ourselves, and this means that faith has matured beyond mere goodness.

The sermon warns that words and actions shape character, and that a single mistake can bring down trust built up over time. Believers must gain gentleness and sound judgment through the training of putting God's word at the center and laying down their own thinking, and this is conduct that matters enough to expand or tear down the kingdom of God. A process of purifying a sinful heart through hardship and refining is also needed, and this is an essential condition for being faithful according to God's law rather than the world's standards, and for receiving the reward of eternal life.

In light of the words, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, the sermon asks how believers should purify their hearts and live pure lives.

Through the story of Jesus healing a sick man on the Sabbath and the event in which Jacob wrestles with God and has his name changed, this passage deals with the difference between God's time and the time we set. The sick man at the pool of Bethesda clung to ‘my time,’ based on his own experience, and turned away from Jesus' immediate healing, while Jacob was changed from a weak man who ran from his brother in fear into one who struggled with God and prevailed.

We often have an attitude of dealing with God according to our own plans and schedule, already fixed, rather than waiting for his answer. Because of this we put off obedience and delay sharing the gospel, and in the end we are in danger of going home spiritually empty-handed. God knows our weakness and waits patiently, yet when we try to stay in the time we have set for ourselves, we end up in the contradictory situation of missing out on greater grace.

What choices must we make so that, through prayer, we open God's heart, experience the power of the Holy Spirit, and live with a firm faith that rises above the fears of the world?

Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus told to his disciples and to an expert in the Law, this passage sheds light on the meaning of true love for one's neighbor. Unlike the priest and the Levite, who turned away from a dying man, the Samaritan appears as one who had compassion on him, treated his wounds, and cared for him. The sermon emphasizes that this parable is more than a model of good deeds; it calls us to abandon formal faith and to have a heart that truly knows God.

The priest and the Levite were so focused on their own safety and on formal worship that they left a life to perish, while the Samaritan embraced a suffering man without discrimination. This connects with the love of Jesus, who carried the cross to atone for the sins of humanity, and it shows that believers must not stay only in the Jerusalem of the church but go out into the Jericho of the world and have compassion on souls. The passage points out that what brings God joy is not formal worship and a self-centered religious life, but sincere worship and devotion offered in spirit and truth.

The sermon says that when believers humble themselves and live generous lives like the Samaritan, they can reveal God's love to the world. It promises that when we have a heart of compassion for souls who have not been saved, God will fill us with overflowing love. Now believers must put that love into practice with devotion and resolve, and become holy believers who head out toward Jericho.

In this passage Jesus proclaims the blessings that lie at the heart of the gospel, and in particular emphasizes the state of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The sermon points out the dark reality of a world that has fallen into wealth and materialism and is losing its morals and faith. It also criticizes churches and believers for leaning toward splendid buildings or formal worship and neglecting genuine truth and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Through the example of King Saul, who lost his throne when he tried to offer a sacrifice as a formality, it explains that God wants knowledge of him and obedience more than sacrifice itself. It emphasizes that just as believers fight for justice in the world, they must long earnestly for God's righteousness, even going through spiritual famine for it. The water of life that Jesus gives is an eternal spring after which one never thirsts again, and it comes from a spiritual thirst that is distinct from the world's temporary satisfactions.

The sermon asks believers to live as those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, drinking the water of life that Jesus gives rather than depending on the world's water. It also asks whether this spiritual thirst can become a channel through which the water of life is shared with other souls.

This passage deals with the turning point in the faith of the apostle Paul, when he boldly threw away his former legalistic pride and counted Christ alone as his boast. Paul regarded everything the world recognizes, including his education, his family background, and his Roman citizenship, as ‘refuse,’ and laid it all down for the gospel. This shows that salvation is not earned by works but given by grace, and that the Christian life is one of painting a picture of faith in response to that grace.

Through the examples of Rahab's scarlet cord and the salvation of Noah's family, the sermon explains that one person's right faith brings about the salvation of a whole household. Just as God chose special people and saved them out of a world guarded by Satan, believers too must overcome the darkness and answer the call of God, who loves souls. Paul preached the gospel even in hardship and persecution because he knew the torment of hell and because he had experienced the power of Christ's resurrection.

As those who have died and risen with Christ, believers must leave the body of sin behind and live holy lives. The sermon helps us see that the mission of believers is to become the light of the world and lead souls trapped in darkness. Believers must run toward the goal, the finish line, without looking back, and through this they receive the wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit. The sermon sets out that when believers run with their focus on God's call and the salvation of souls rather than on their own comfort, God will commend them.

This sermon finds a picture of the gentle in the way a river flows steadily toward the sea without wavering. Spiritual gentleness comes from a wide heart that embraces everything and from an unshakable faith, and it means quietly carrying out the work one has been given without being swayed by emotion. True maturity is not showing one's true colors at once like a small puddle, but enduring until hardship passes and becoming God's instrument.

Through the martyrdom of Stephen, the sermon shows how this gentleness is lived out. Even as he proclaimed the gospel to the people throwing stones at him, he did not lose the peace on his face, and to the very moment of his death he prayed for those who were killing him. This attitude goes beyond simple endurance; it includes the courage to face one's own sin squarely and to proclaim the truth as it is, without hiding it. Through the case of the apostle Paul, who was saved through Stephen's prayer and went on to walk the same road and enlarge its borders, the sermon also emphasizes that gentleness leads in the end to the growth of the kingdom of God.

When believers obey God's word rather than their feelings and endure hardship, God uses them as holy instruments to save many souls. The sermon asks believers to proclaim the gospel with a gentle heart like Stephen and Paul, unshaken by the world's temptations, and to enlarge the borders of the kingdom of God.

This passage proclaims that among those called blessed in the Sermon on the Mount are ‘those who mourn,’ and it sheds light on the meaning of spiritual mourning, which is different from worldly sorrow. The sermon points out that it is hard to accomplish God's will by human willpower, and that the grace of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary. When the Holy Spirit comes, a hardened heart is turned into a stream of life, and one comes to see the ugliness of sin and gains the wisdom to pursue God's righteousness.

Through the deep anguish the prophet Jeremiah went through as his people faced destruction, and the tears Jesus shed at the death of Lazarus, the sermon shows what true mourning is. Through Martha and Mary, whose confessions of faith stayed at the level of knowledge and did not show a faith for real life, it warns how powerless a faith known only in the head is. The sermon emphasizes that rather than complaining in the face of others' unbelief or one's own pain, we need to look at our own spiritual state and have a heart that truly mourns.

The sermon says that when believers mourn and pray for the salvation of souls, the Holy Spirit becomes their Comforter and pours out great grace. Finally, it asks whether believers are receiving true comfort from God, and whether they have become people who pray and mourn earnestly for their nation, their people, and the church.