Title: To Keep Your Faith / Hebrews 10:19~25
I came back after a good lecture at the Thai seminary. During my stay, I went to the sea and snorkeled for a few hours to see the sea while wearing goggles. How wonderful it was and we had a really good time. For snorkeling, put on goggles, put your breathable lake in your mouth, submerge your head in the water and look into the sea. It's really surprising how loud my breathing is. I'm struggling to breathe, but I don't know how active the fish are. There is a truth I realized while looking at the fish in the sea. Fish cannot survive without water, man cannot live without air, and all things cannot survive without God's grace.
It is God's grace that fish play in the water, and it is God's grace that we can breathe air. The whole world knows how grateful they were when they realized that all things could not endure even a single moment apart from the grace of God.
In this way, not only all living things, but all things live by the grace of God, and there must be a human response to this grace. Man's response to grace must be expressed in faith toward God. Faith is man's response to God's grace.
parents love their children supplies everything you need To the child who was going on a picnic, the mother carefully wrapped the kimbap and gave it to the child. If a child looks at this kimbap and asks suspiciously, "Mom, didn't you put poison in this kimbap?" You can see these words in school. Teachers love students, and students can see texts that mean that they trust their teachers. God gives us grace, and the human response to that grace must be expressed through faith toward God.
In this way, the response of our faith to God's grace is pleasing to God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Faith is the way to please God.
In this way, faith is a response to God's grace, and when we respond in this way, God is pleased. It does not end with this, but through faith a way to live is opened for us. “By grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” We please God through faith, and because of our faith, the way to live is opened for us. The text was found on the walls of a dungeon in a Nazi concentration camp. “Even when the sun is not shining, I believe in the sun. I believe in love even when I cannot feel love. Even when I cannot see God, I believe in God.” open
Because faith is so important, we must keep our perfect faith well. But the age we live in does not allow us to keep our perfect faith. Jesus taught the parable of the sower. It falls on the roadside, it falls on stones, it falls on thorns.
Some people lead a life of faith, but there are those who keep their faith like a seed that fell by the roadside. The road can be this way or that way. There is no certainty about the truth. Is the truth only in the Bible? Does the truth exist only in Jesus? Are there really heaven and hell? The seeds of faith that fell on the roadside are difficult to grow with perfect faith. Thailand is a completely Buddhist culture. Everywhere he went, he set up a statue of fire. When I went to a place, a statue of Buddha was placed on one side and a statue of Mary on the opposite side. As we looked at each other, we thought a lot. How many people live in chaos without many people finding the right way and not finding the way of truth?
Seeds sown by the roadside do not understand the word of the kingdom even after hearing it. Without conviction of the truth, it is impossible to maintain complete faith.
The second is the seed of faith sown in the rocky ground. It is not easy for the roots to take root deeply in a stone field. It has no roots, so it endures for a while, and soon falls when tribulation or persecution arises. It's not easy to keep your faith when you're going through painful things. Some say this He says how hard it is to eat and live these days, but he says he is living a leisurely life of faith. Some church members were hard at work in their faith, but others could not keep their faith because their business did not go well. Some people have seen people in their family members get sick and suffer, but the sickness does not get better, so they go away to change their religion. It's really sad. When there are trials of tribulation and trials of persecution, it is difficult to keep perfect faith.
The third is the seed of faith sown among thorns. It is described as “the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, making it unfruitful.” If the stone field is the pain of bitter taste, thorns are the temptation of sweetness. There are people who cannot keep their full faith because of the temptation of sweetness.
When it comes to going to church, there are so many interesting things in the world, but I often see people asking the question, “What kind of fun do you have to go to church for?” These days, it is a five-day week, and on Saturdays, cars are very crowded. Many people go to the fields and mountains to play. If we do not overcome the temptation of sweetness, it is difficult for us to keep our complete faith.
There are factors that make it difficult to keep such perfect faith. So, how can we keep our perfect faith? The text gives us a clear message. “Let us not refrain from meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encourage them, and do all the more as we see the day drawing near.” In this verse, you can find elements that can keep your faith intact. It's about trying to get together. When we get together well, we can keep our complete faith.
Jesus told parables. The king's son is getting married. I had a party and invited people, but they didn't come. One goes to work in his field, one goes to business, one goes to marry, and one goes to buy cattle. The king was angry. Go out to the four-way street, and as soon as you meet someone, invite them to the wedding feast and bring them. Both the evil and the good are brought in wherever they meet. The wedding feast was filled with guests. Those who came in were given robes one by one. Those who did not wear robes were thrown out. Looking at this feast, you can see the happy heart of the king.
The robe can be interpreted in many ways, but it symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ. People of faith who confessed the blood of Jesus by faith gathered together. Jesus sees this and rejoices. This is one of the ways to keep the perfect faith.
After all, humans are social animals, so they cannot live alone. have to live together We have no choice but to live together, but there are various kinds of gatherings in this world. The same is true of the Bible. As they passed through the wilderness, there was no water, and some gathered to rebel against Moses. But the results are not good for everyone. Miracles happen where we gather to obey God's commands. In order to destroy Jericho, so many people went around Jericho together and built a shout, and the wall of Jericho fell. The Philistines gathered at Mizpah. When we prayed earnestly to God, God caused the Philistines to be destroyed.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, thousands of people waved palm branches and shouted Hosanna, Hosanna. This meeting was pleasing to God. But after a few days these men cried out, Crucify Jesus. cry out to be crucified It's not the meeting that matters, it's the kind of meeting that matters.
A meeting that is worthy of God's heart, a meeting that is good in God's sight is the driving force for maintaining our perfect faith. According to the Bible, there was a meeting where the word was heard. “Let this law be read when assembling in a chosen place, that all Israel may hear.” “We gathered in the square in front of the floodgates and asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. “Gather together, all ye, and hear, saith the LORD, when he has gathered Israel to himself.” If we look at what happened in Capernaum, “a large number of people were gathered and they could not stand at the door, but Jesus told them the way.” The word was proclaimed at the gathering place. We gathered together and listened to the word of God. This is the most basic thing to keep your faith intact.
When snorkeling looking into the sea, I broke bananas and gave them out. Hundreds of fish gather. I prepared a sermon in the sea. Why do they gather? Gather to eat This is the principle of life. Gather to eat When we gather to eat, the history of life takes place there. We get together on Sundays. Why are you meeting? They gather to eat spiritual food. This is the basis for maintaining spiritual vitality.
The two coachmen loaded their wagons and set out on a long journey. One person took a day off like a horse and worshiped on a Sunday. However, another thought, “How much damage would it cost to take a day off?” and continued to drive towards the destination. However, the driver with faith who worshiped while resting every Sunday until arriving at the destination arrived first. A few days later, the unbelieving driver arrived at his destination, without a horse, without a wagon, exhausted and empty. This coachman continued to drive his horse without a break, so the horse became ill, and the carriage broke down, so only the body arrived.
We must keep our full faith. The most important foundation is to gather together and listen to the word of God. I hope that you will understand clearly that gathering together to listen to the Word is the basis for keeping your complete faith and value the gathering of hearing the Word.