The Book of Hebrews shows us in diverse ways how the prophets were able to endure, and overcome, persecution. So, when we study the Book of Hebrews, we can learn about the overall contours of the Bible, both from the New and the Old Testaments. The Book of Hebrews is therefore very important, but unfortunately what most people remember from Hebrews is basically just chapter 11, which describes the people of faith. However, the reason why the Book of Hebrews is so indispensable to us is because it was written for the Jews who had converted to Christianity.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

The Book of Hebrews is the Epistle written specifically to the dispersed Jews who believed in Jesus as their Savior. This is the reason for the title of the Epistle, namely, “The Book of Hebrews.” Why did God make His servant send the Epistle and say such things to them? The reason was to show them the greatness of Jesus Christ and lead them to Him since Jews by and large worshipped the angels. God said such things to them because the Hebrews were people who essentially and greatly sought after wonders and miracles. Although they did in a way believe in the Jehovah God, they were people who believed in this God as a God who divided the Red Sea, when manna fell from the sky as they crossed the desert, and when Moses hit the rock with his staff and water came out.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

These kinds of people are so resistant to put their faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the righteousness of God, even as they sit in the Church of God. Their disobedience troubles the hearts of God’s servants day after day. Although their ears always hear the gospel of the water and the Spirit, their hearts refuse to believe the gospel. Such people put God’s servants in great agony. I have no idea why they do not accept the plain truth in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. How did they become so stubborn to believe the Truth of salvation even though they have the knowledge of it?   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

Chapter 1 of this Book addresses the superiority of Jesus to angels as the Creator of the universe. Chapter 2 through to chapter 5 tells us that Jesus Christ is the High Priest in the New Testament. In chapter 6, the author tries to boost the faith of those who have fallen away, readdressing the fact that Jesus is the High Priest from heaven and that Jesus Christ is the Savior and our High Priest; who took away the sins of every person by His baptism, His death on the Cross, and Him being risen again from the dead. That is how our Lord removed all the sins away from His people. Even now there is enough evidence that the Lord saved all those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit once and for all. The author of the Book of Hebrews specially wrote these letters to the saints who weren’t making any spiritual progress.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

We have just read Hebrews 9:16 through to verse 28, which this sermon is based on. This morning I talked about how much more the work of Jesus Christ can cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God, when Jesus came to this earth, received baptism, died on the Cross, and rose again from the dead to put away all our sins. The Lord granted us a perfect salvation which cleanses us from dead works and sins so that we can stand before the Holy God our Father.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

I give thanks to our Lord for having saved you and me from all our sins. Everyone has a body and a soul, which is the inward man. But ordinary people look at the outward man and speak of that person as being righteous or not. However, the Bible speaks of human beings as essentially those created in the image of God. It tells us that all human beings ‘have a soul, that is, the inward man.’ Besides the flesh which can be seen outwardly, human beings have a soul living inside of them. The writer of the Book of Hebrews separated human being into parts: spirit, soul, and flesh. And what this means is that a human being is a spiritual being, not just a mere fleshly being.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

We just read Hebrews 10:1-18 for today’s Scripture reading. Most of us will agree that we don’t always have the full understanding of the will of God as written in the Bible. Given how thick and long the Scripture is, there is no way for us to grasp the will of God unless we approach it through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. As Hebrews chapter 10 is a particularly difficult passage, I’m sure that few people can understand the righteousness of God that’s explained in this passage when comparing it to the Law. If we were to tackle today’s reading without even understanding the righteousness of God, it would be even more difficult to comprehend. So, it’s a bit daunting for me to explain the righteousness of God to you fully in such a short time. As such, let me first explain to you the motive behind the Epistle to the Hebrews, and then explain to you what the righteousness of God is.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

Firstly, I want to look at Hebrews 10:19-20, it says, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” By giving us the gospel of the water and the Spirit, God the Father has granted us the role of a priest of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus gave up His body for us. He has opened the door of the Kingdom of Heaven. He has opened the door of the Kingdom of Heaven by the baptism He received with His body and the blood He shed on the Cross. We know that Jesus is the High Priest of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus blotted out all our sins at once, by the baptism He received from John the Baptist, and the blood He shed on the Cross. Actually, a person who truly believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit from the heart has received the cleansing of all sins.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

Our revival meeting is scheduled to begin tomorrow, and I ask everyone here to pray for this. It’s wonderful to see such a beautiful flower arrangement next to the pulpit. Every day, night and day, there is so much we need to do for God’s work.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

Autumn is now upon us and the crickets have begun singing, cicadas are chirping, and this season has come inside our doorsteps. Once we have finished our summer training conference the weather will have become cooler and refreshing. It would have been difficult if we only had one hot and humid summer season all year round; but it is nice that we have autumn, and also winter and spring and that is wonderful. Our faith also has its seasons and it’s great that we experience such variations. God, through this, gives us much wisdom, intelligence, and blessings. When we lack things or have worries, I believe the Lord will give us what we need and resolve these situations for us when we pray and seek the Lord who is on the side of the righteous.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

People lament saying, we are living in a time without a future which has become hopeless, despite the advance in technology and cultural development. Maybe this is why people today are indulging in eating, drinking, and living day to day, without any purpose. Dreams for our future make us gird ourselves through difficult times, but without any dreams for the future, people tend to give themselves up to utter despair. It dawned on me that there is nothing scarier than the absence of dreams or hopes. Sadly, many people are living in such despair. Hope cannot be found anywhere despite the fact that science and technology have made our lives so convenient. This is truly a dark age.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

God tells us that Noah became an heir of righteousness who did righteous work and left a legacy of righteousness. Noah’s faith was to trust God’s words utterly and to believe in the invisible God. Trusting and obeying God’s words is faith. Therefore, Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

I want to speak about how people who receive salvation from the sins of the world should live their lives. This is the Word God has spoken through the predecessors of faith to teach us how to live by faith. To answer the questions on how we must live after receiving salvation from the sins of the world by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and for what we must live for, God tells us that we must live by faith in Him and in His Word.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

This Wednesday evening, I will be preaching from the Book of Hebrews, and I will be speaking to you about having faith in God. As we all have read the Word of God together today, it is saying to us, “Faith is the evidence of things not seen.” It is telling us that “faith” is to lead a life of believing, by the faith in the Word of righteousness as spoken by God which isn’t visible to the naked eye. It is necessary for us to lead our lives of faith by properly knowing what it is. In other words, for us to lead this kind of life we must know what kind of faith is the true faith.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

A warm greeting to you all! We have just read Hebrews 11:1-12 for this evening’s service. As you all know, this passage speaks about having faith in God. The writer of the Epistles to the Hebrews defined faith succinctly as the following: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The words, “faith is the substance of things hoped for” means that if we believe God will give us what we hope for, then this will indeed come to pass. That is why our predecessors of faith believed in God wholeheartedly even though He was not visible to their naked eyes.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

Our Church has found it necessary to publish a book on heresy but I have some concerns regarding this. Many people think that Solomon was a great king. There are also those who do not know that King Jeroboam in the Old Testament, a prominent leader who spearheaded heresy, appeared all because of Solomon’s sin. The sin of Solomon was the sin of bringing idols into Israel and making God’s people worship them. Therefore, we can say with certainty that King Solomon brought about a revival of idols in Israel. I am really embarrassed to speak about Solomon.   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

The author of the Book of Hebrews spoke of many things, but in chapter 11 he especially speaks of the servants of God who lived by faith. He says, “If I were to talk about Moses, Jacob, Abraham, Isaac, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets among your ancestors, I would not have enough time to talk about all of them. Our ancestors of faith believed in God. And how many predecessors of faith have there been? Haven’t there been a great number of ancestors of faith? Although they suffered in order to keep their pure faith, did they not enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Did they not suffer hardships while they lived, all the while thinking of the glory they will share, in order to receive a more wonderful resurrection? So, rise up by faith again. In some ways, the cause of your suffering while the people of the world are persecuting you is because you have somehow lost Jesus Christ and have united with the world. Think of it as a disciplinary action from God the Father for His beloved child. The fact is that God disciplines every child He receives into His bosom.”   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35

During the early Christian period, having faith in Jesus as the Savior was the one and only spiritual armament the Jewish exiles had while being scattered by their Roman oppressors. Although they truly believed in Jesus as their Savior, they lived in constant fear while being pushed into a dead end. So, with this as backdrop some Jewish believers started to fall away out of fear, by things being imposed upon them, and by having the absence of true leaders. These believers who fell away stood a high chance of becoming the root of bitterness. Those who fell away while this root of bitterness started to sprout in their hearts, couldn’t help betraying their God and misleading other believers in the wrong way. Some of them would even justify their wickedness by saying, “Although we may have fallen short of the grace of God, we are so fortunate to be alive while living in a foreign country.”   https://www.bjnewlife.org/ https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35