Christmas is for everybody

Philippians 2:6-11
December 23rd 2018, 4th Holy Day of the month
Rev. Tadashi Nagae, pastor

Most people in Japan think that they have nothing to do with the religious aspect of Christmas. However, everybody has things to do with it.

Firstly, God loves you. He made us one by one, and also He loves us.

Secondly, our sin is an obstacle between God and humans. Because of the sin, we are in the position to be judged.

Thirdly, Jesus gave up His precious things. One is the equality with God. Jesus, the Son of God, considered the equality with God as nothing and came to this world as a flesh. That is Christmas. The other one is the life as God. Instead that we are judged, Jesus himself was judged and gave his life.

Fourthly as the result of it, one is that whoever believes in Jesus shall be given eternal life, and the other is that whoever trusts in the Lord shall be given help and encouragement.

Christmas, to celebrate the nativity of Christ, has a lot to do with everybody. Let us accept Him in our mind and walk our lives!

<The Verse of the Bible>

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death -- even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV)

Noah, who made mistakes and his sons

Genesis 9:18-29
December 16th 2018, 3rd Holy Day of the month
Rev. Tadashi Nagae, pastor

Let us see how Noah and his sons live their lives after the flood.

Firstly, Noah became drunk with wine and disgraced himself. Noah became a vineyard farmer and probably worked hard but he became drunk and exposed his nakedness. In spite of his righteous steps before the LORD, he did that. There is some risk also for us to fail and make mistakes if we are careless.

Secondly, Ham mocked his father and had a word of curse to his son from his father. It seems that Ham had a mocking feeling toward his father and told that to his brothers. As the result, a word of curse was given unto his son Canaan.

Thirdly, Shem and Japheth covered the sin of their father and had a word of blessing from him. Unlike Ham, they didn't try to see his father naked and covered him with a garment. Thus, they were able to have a word of blessing from God.

There should be no carelessness in our Christian lives of faith. Our steps in our lives decide whether we will have blessing from the LORD or miss it. Let us direct our mind to the LORD until the very end and finish our lives within the will of the LORD!

<The Verse of the Bible>

When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.

Genesis 9:21 (NIV)