January 11th Kikugawa Church Sermon Title: “Free Ticket to Heaven”
Daily Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:13-17
Special Prayer
Heavenly Father, you baptized Jesus in the Jordan River and revealed him to be your Son through the Holy Spirit. Through baptism, make us your children and heirs of eternal life. We pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who reign forever and ever. Amen.
Hymn 21
278 (verses 1 and 2), 280 (verses 1 and 4), 451 (verses 1 and 2), 81, 88
January 6th is Epiphany in the Christian calendar. As I mentioned before, January 6th was originally Christmas. However, after Christianity spread from Israel in the Middle East to northern Europe, December 24th became Christmas Eve and December 25th became Christmas, in keeping with the winter solstice festival of the time. As the days get lighter after the winter solstice, it was probably thought appropriate for the birth of Jesus. Meanwhile, January 6th was named “Epiphany,” signifying that Jesus revealed his nature as the Son of God and Savior. Today’s Sunday is an important day in Christianity, as it is the first Sunday after Epiphany. The Bible reading for that day has remained the same for 2,000 years: the account of Jesus’ baptism.
Anyone familiar with Christian theology knows that baptism is received by those who are aware of their sins. Baptism is a baptism of repentance. However, the mystery is one of how Jesus, who was born as the Son of God and had no sins to repent of, received a baptism of repentance. Even I don’t know the answer. However, the Bible holds the answer. The passage that unravels this mystery is the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. Chapter 53 of Isaiah contains a prophecy about the Savior. Then, in chapter 53, verse 11, it says, “My servant bore their sins, that many might be declared righteous.” This is not the attitude of the religious leaders of that time. Temple priests and Bible scholars were content to simply point out people’s wrongdoings. I don’t think they had any intention of healing them. This is still true today. For example, it’s not difficult for teachers or parents to point out a child’s faults. However, as prophesied in Isaiah, it’s not easy to take the punishment that others deserve. Imagine your child committing a crime and receiving a death sentence. It’s like a parent pleading with the judge to please spare your child and execute you instead. I want to ask you: Why do parents feel this way? Is it out of duty? Is it out of pride? Is it out of a sense of responsibility? No. Parents sacrifice themselves for their children’s sins because they love them. Parents without love simply lament their children’s sins. It is because of love that we do not shy away from suffering in someone’s place.
Paul, a Bible scholar who in his youth was like a teacher who only scolded bad students, repented and became a Christian. He was eventually executed by the Roman army. However, he came to know the love of God shown in Jesus Christ. He wrote about love in this way, in 1 Corinthians chapter 13: “I teach you the best way: Without love man is nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. Love does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, does not keep a grudge. It does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” Also, in 1 John chapter 4 we read: “Love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. He sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” Jesus was baptized to demonstrate God’s love. One modern psychologist wrote about love: “If you possess everything this world has, and do not have love, you have nothing. And if you have nothing of this worldly possessions, but have love, you have everything.”
This love of God is given to those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the man of love. This is the meaning of Epiphany, and the revealing of the path to salvation.
However, humans are born into sin, ignorant of the God of love. What all humans have in common is low self-esteem and a constant need to read other people’s faces. Until they reach a certain age, they do not realize that they grew up in an unusual environment and that they grew up without knowing true love. To overcome this, it is important to first look at yourself objectively and realize that you lack love. This is the first step toward realizing your salvation. Rather than blaming your parents or your environment for the painful experiences of your past, understanding that you lacked love within yourself marks a new starting point.
One psychologist describes a life not freed from sin as follows: First, the person makes their own guesses about what is normal. Having never experienced true love, they lack confidence that “this is good enough” and act with constant anxiety. Second, they have difficulty completing things from start to finish. They may fail along the way to achieve their goals or abandon them just before completion. Third, they may lie even when telling the truth would be easier. This is a habit of self-defense, developed because they do not know the love that protects them. Fourth, they criticize themselves mercilessly. They are harsh on themselves and harshly criticize themselves for even the smallest failures. Fifth, they find it difficult to enjoy life. Because they had few experiences of being protected by love and playing freely in their childhood, they may feel guilty about having pure fun even as adults. Sixth, they tend to be overly serious. They live in a constant state of tension and have difficulty relaxing. Seventh, they find it very difficult to have intimate relationships. They have a strong fear of forming deep relationships with others and anxiety about being betrayed. Eighth, they overreact to changes that they perceive as beyond their control. They are prone to feeling strong anxiety and fear in the face of unexpected events. Ninth, they constantly seek affirmation and acceptance from others. Because they have low self-esteem, believing that they are unconditionally loved by God, they always seek external approval to confirm their self-worth. Tenth, they always feel different from others. They feel alienated, as if they do not belong wherever they are. Eleventh, they tend to go to two extremes: either taking on too much responsibility or not taking responsibility at all. They have difficulty finding a balance between taking responsibility. Twelveth, they are very loyal and tend to cling to things even when they should not. Sometimes we can’t leave an unhealthy relationship. Thirteenth, we can act impulsively, without considering other options or consequences.
All of these are the result of sin, a lack of knowledge of God’s love. We cannot cure this ourselves. 1 John 4:10, mentioned earlier, says, “Herein lies love: that God loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” The same message is found in the famous John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus’ baptism as a substitute for sinners and his crucifixion as a substitute for sinners were free tickets to heaven, offering God’s love and salvation. We don’t have to pay a price. The promise of salvation is given unconditionally simply by believing the teachings of the Bible. When we believe this, we will be able to hear God’s message, just as Jesus did at his baptism: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” From now on, no matter what happens, we will grow as people who are loved by God unconditionally, who have a free ticket to heaven, and who can love others, and live the rest of our lives without fear of death, without fear of other people’s criticism, without arrogance, but humbly, cheerfully, and with gratitude.
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