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Subject 28 : If You Have Confusion and Emptiness in Your Heart, Seek the Light of the Truth
[28-12] Has the Lord Truly Given Us the Remission of Sins and Resurrection?
(John 11:1-42)
“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.””
“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.””
Today’s Sermon Is on the Resurrection of Jesus
When Jesus came to this world, He took upon the sins of this world once and for all by being baptized by John in the Jordan River at the age of 30, and He has thereby blotted out our sins. And at the age of 33, He was crucified, shed His blood, and rose from the dead again, and He has thus granted the blessing of resurrection to His believers. This blessing of resurrection is written in the Bible, and people can participate in the Lord’s resurrection by believing that Jesus shouldered the sins of this world by being baptized by John and rose again from His death on the Cross.
However, even among those who believe in Jesus, there are some people who cannot believe in the Lord’s resurrection, and as a result their hearts are troubled. There are some Christians who just can’t bring themselves to believe that the Lord rose from the dead again. Even though such people do believe in the Lord as their Savior, they are unable to believe in His resurrection, and therefore they doubt their own faith and struggle with it. These people are incapable of having the faith of resurrection no matter how hard they try, for they have not been delivered from their sins by believing in the Lord, and therefore they do not have the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
If you are such a person, I hope and pray that you will take this opportunity to attain the faith that will address your sins. To do so, you need to pay close attention to the mystery of the baptism that the Lord received from John, and receive true salvation into your heart. Anyone who still has not been born again from his sins has even more reason to study and believe in the Word of the baptism of the Lord. Those whose faith cannot enable them to be born again are in fact found widely in today’s church. The resurrection of the Lord is an incomprehensible truth if approached with human rationality and emotions. The truth that Jesus rose from the dead again can be understood only when one has faith in the Word of God.
Faith in Jesus’ resurrection from death is a blessing that can be had only after one is born again from his sins. This is because the Lord’s resurrection from death is beyond the realm of comprehension for human beings, who are mere creatures made by God, if they rely on their own reason.
Let’s turn to John 11:1-4 here from today’s Scripture reading: “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’”
I wonder what our first reaction would be if we heard that our loved ones were gravely ill. If it were you, wouldn’t you want to return to your loved ones as soon as possible to take care of them? However, the Lord said that the sickness of His beloved one was to reveal God’s glory. We can see here that it was quite befitting for the Lord to say this, since He is the Savior who came to solve the problem of our sins and death.
Our Lord Indeed Came to Solve the Problem of Our Death
Jesus knew Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, and they were all truly loved by the Lord. They understood the work of the baptism that Jesus received from John, and they were born again by believing in it with their hearts. Mary in today’s Scripture reading was the woman who anointed Jesus’ head with fragrant oil of spikenard and wiped His feet with her hair when He was having dinner with the disciples. Mary anointed Jesus with fragrant oil of spikenard as an act of expression showing her faith and beliefs. In those days, oil of spikenard was so costly that it would have been enough to pay for a wedding. Mary demonstrated her faith by anointing Jesus’ head with a bottle of such costly fragrant oil and washing His feet with her hair.
However, Mary was heartbroken that her brother Lazarus fell ill and was dying from it. So she sent a messenger to Jesus to let Him know that His loved one was sick and dying, and asked Him to come as soon as possible. This tells us that Lazarus was someone who believed in Jesus the Savior. Hearing the news of Lazarus, Jesus said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” He said that Lazarus’ sickness was to reveal the glory of God. Through the illness and death of Lazarus, whom He loved, Jesus was saying that He was the Lord of resurrection who would resurrect mankind from sin and death.
Not long after, Jesus heard the news that His beloved one was dead. He arrived at Lazarus’ town along with His disciples after four days had passed since Lazarus’ passing. Many people were already there, grieving with Lazarus’ family and comforting them. When Jesus arrived, Martha met the Lord and said to Him while crying in grief, “If You had been here, Lazarus would not have died.”
It is written: “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world’” (John 11:23-27). We can see from the conversation between the Lord and Martha that they were speaking from different perspectives.
Whereas Jesus was saying that He Himself would raise Lazarus from death, Martha was saying that the Lord would resurrect Lazarus on the last day of this world when He returns for the second time. We can see here that we all need to believe not only that Jesus Christ has saved all sinners through the baptism He received from John and His blood on the Cross, but also that He is the God who resurrected dead Lazarus. In other words, Jesus wants us to realize and believe that He is the Lord who will not only resurrect and lift up into the air those who are asleep after being born again by believing in the remission of the baptism of Jesus Christ and the shedding of His blood so that they may live with Him, but He is also the Lord who takes care of any and all problems that we might be facing now in the present world.
When we turn to John 11:23-27, we see Jesus trying to show Martha the fact that He is the God of resurrection. He wanted Martha to see that He was the Almighty who would bring dead Lazarus back to life, and to have the faith to give glory to God.
When someone passes away, the grief of the family is so great that the whole house is full of sadness. So, many visitors would come to the wake and try to comfort the bereaved family. Everyone is sorrowful before death, for everyone, once born, must die. As a result, while the people gathered at the wake are there to console the bereaved family, this provides them with an opportunity to think long and hard about their own death as well.
When human beings are born in this world, they are born with the sins of their ancestors inherited. Everyone is therefore made a sinner even without actually committing any sin. All human beings inherit sin when they are born in this world, and their death is also already predetermined. So they see that from the moment they were born, they have been running toward death. Like this, everyone’s life is rendered meaningless before his death, and therefore everyone must be washed from his sins by believing in the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist. The baptism of Jesus and His blood are absolutely indispensable to every human life, for all human beings are doomed to die and go to hell for their sins.
To be delivered from their sins and death, all people must find some time to look toward the Lord and come to have the faith of resurrection. This is because human beings can have the faith of resurrection only after addressing their sins by placing their faith in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit.
Do You Know How to Address the Problem of Your Sins and Death?
You need to think about where you can find the faith that solves away the problem of your sins and death now. If you want to have the faith of resurrection, it is indispensable for you to have the belief that Jesus shouldered your sins through the baptism He received from John, and that He was condemned for your sins in your place with the blood He shed on the Cross. You must believe with your heart that Jesus is the Savior God who has solved away the problem of your sins, death, and resurrection.
Now you must listen closely to the Word of the Almighty, placing your faith in the Lord who has taken care of mankind’s problem of sin, death, and resurrection. This is because it is Jesus Christ who can address the problem of your sins and death. Even though everyone born in this world wants to live joyously and happily, the reality is far removed from this. All human beings are living tragically as slaves to death only to perish, for their hearts have the sins they inherited from their ancestors. So, if you realize that the Lord of resurrection has solved away the problem of your sins and death, then you will come to truly believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior with thanksgiving. You ought to give glory to God by realizing and believing that Jesus Christ has taken care of the problem of your sins and death.
My wish for all human beings is to get the problem of their sins and death addressed while they are still living on this earth by believing that Jesus is their Savior who took away the sins of this world once and for all through the baptism He received from John, was crucified, and rose from the dead again. We need faith in the baptism of Jesus Christ, our Savior, and His blood on the Cross precisely because no one can solve the problem of his sins, death, and resurrection by himself. Once born, all human beings are bound to grow old, fall ill, and die in the end. Even though everyone born in this world is trying to live a happy life, anyone whose heart is sinful is destined to suffer over his sins only to perish.
Ultimately, those who are living with their sins remaining intact in their hearts will be a failure in life, for there is no future for anyone who has any sin. It is inexorable for all sinners to grieve over their sins, and therefore they must find Jesus through faith, who was baptized by John, shed His blood on the Cross in our place, and rose from the dead again to save mankind from sin. This is because Heaven, where God is, can be entered only by those whose hearts are sinless. All of us were born in this world as sinners, and those of us who have not been washed from their sins yet need Jesus, the Savior, even more.
Jesus was baptized by John, shed His precious blood on the Cross, and rose from the dead again. We can be washed from our sins only if we believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord who took away your sins and mine once and for all by being baptized by John the Baptist and solved them away by being crucified and shedding His blood. With the baptism He received from John the Baptist and His blood, the Lord has washed away our sins and solved away the problem of death for us, and we must believe in this Lord as our Savior. It is then that we can receive the new life of resurrection from the Lord to enjoy everlasting life.
However, those who fail to address their sins by faith through the baptism of Jesus and His blood will be imprisoned in darkness rather than living with the Lord, for their hearts remain sinful.
The Lord Has Given Us the Remission of Sins and Resurrection as Gifts
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Who in this world can ever say that he himself is the way to Heaven? We must realize and believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of sinners who grants salvation to whoever believes in Him. There is no Savior in this world apart from Jesus Christ who can deliver sinners from sin. Since Jesus Christ alone is the Savior of mankind, it is He who took away the sins of this world by being baptized by John the Baptist, was crucified, shed His blood on the Cross, died in our place, and rose from the dead again, thereby becoming the Savior.
Do you know that Jesus Christ is your true Savior? Do you know that He is the Lord of life who gives not only salvation to His believers but also resurrection from death? And do you believe in Him? Jesus told us that He Himself is the way for us to be saved from sin. When Jesus said to us that He is the way, He was saying it to all the sinners who are now dying because of their sins. This was made possible because Jesus accepted the sins of mankind on His own body once and for all by being baptized by John. He is telling us that we must become people of faith by believing that He shouldered the sins of this world by being baptized by John the Baptist and shed His blood on the Cross as a sacrifice for us.
The Lord is saying to us that to believe in His work of salvation that delivers us from the sins of the world is the way to receive the remission of our sins. As God Himself who has the power to solve away mankind’s problem of sin and death once and for all, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is telling us that we can now be saved by faith.
We were all born in this world as Adam’s descendants. Adam and Eve, the ancestors of mankind, became sinners when they fell into Satan’s temptation and sinned. Having been born in this world as the descendants of Adam, we are destined to live in sin until we go to hell, the final destination of death. As we have inherited our ancestors’ sins intact, we are sinners before God, and we are doomed to live as slaves to death. That is why human beings, who are all sinners, must be saved by believing in the Word of the baptism that Jesus, their Savior, received from John the Baptist and the blood He shed on the Cross. The human race must reach salvation by believing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shouldered the sins of this world through the baptism that He received from John the Baptist and shed His blood on the Cross according to the plan of the Triune God and His providence.
We must believe with our hearts that the Lord is our everlasting Savior, and we must thus receive true salvation by this faith. Whoever has any sin in his heart must be washed from his sins by believing in the baptism and blood of Jesus Christ, which constitute His work of salvation. Through faith, we must restore our relationship with God that had been estranged because of our ancestors. When we believe in the work of salvation that Jesus Christ carried out by being baptized and condemned for our sins, it is then that we can truly be washed from our sins before God.
It is absolutely imperative for us to believe that Jesus Christ, our Creator, shouldered the sins of this world by being baptized and shed His blood on the Cross in our place. Through Jesus’ work, we must grasp and believe in what He meant when He said to us that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus indeed carried out the work of His baptism and blood to save sinners from the sins of the world, and that is why He is telling us to believe now. He is saying to us that He fulfilled the work of salvation with His own body by coming to this earth, being baptized by John the Baptist to take upon the sins of sinners, shedding His blood on the Cross in our place, and rising from the dead again, and that He has thereby saved us, the believers, once and for all.
We must believe in the work of salvation that Jesus carried out with His baptism and blood, and by this faith, we must be saved now from all the sins that are in our hearts. We must believe in the fact that we can receive salvation from all our sins now through Jesus the Savior, who was baptized by John the Baptist, shed His blood on the Cross, and rose from the dead again. Faith in this truth is the way to be saved from sin. We must have the faith that Jesus is the true Savior, the real Truth, and the Messiah who gives us true life.
When we were dying for our sins, Jesus took them away once and for all through the baptism He received from John the Baptist and shed His precious blood on the Cross, and He is the Savior who has delivered us, the believers, from sin. By being baptized by John on this earth and shedding His blood on the Cross, Jesus became the Savior who not only washed away our sins once and for all, but also was condemned for them on the Cross in our place.
That is why the Lord said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Because we were perishing for our sins, the Lord had compassion for us, and He Himself became the Savior of the believers by being baptized, shedding His blood, and rising from the dead again. Even though we were destined to die for our sins and be condemned for them, our Lord came to this earth, was baptized by John the Baptist, died on the Cross, and rose from the dead again, all to fulfill the work of salvation once and for all to bring true deliverance to us.
We must be washed from our sins by realizing and believing that the Jesus who came to this earth is the Savior who shouldered our sins through baptism. To wash away our sins and be punished for them, Jesus shed His blood and died on the Cross in our place. He has thereby become our Savior, and we are now able to reach salvation by believing in this. So we thank the Lord, placing our faith in His love and sacrificial work. We ought to thank the Lord for His work of salvation, for He has breathed new life into our souls that had been dead because of sin. Those on this earth who are sinful will be judged justly for their sins and cast into hell. However, the Lord washed away the sins of the world by being baptized in our place, and He bore the condemnation of our sins by being crucified to death. Through this process, He has saved us from the sins of the world and judgment.
From the day we humans were born in this world, we had no choice but to die for our sins. However, because Jesus, the Savior of sinners, took away all our sins by being baptized by John in the Jordan River, He was crucified, shed His precious blood on the Cross, and rose from the dead again, thereby saving us, the believers. We are therefore able to be saved by believing wholeheartedly in the true Word of salvation that the Lord has given us, and so we thank our Lord with our faith. However, we need to realize here that if anyone leaves out and does not accept into his heart any of the work that the Lord carried out to save us from sin—that is, either the Word of the baptism that the Lord received from John the Baptist or the Word of the crucifixion by which He was condemned for our sins—then this person’s faith will be rendered in vain.
Even for those who have been saved and born again from their sins by faith, in time, they will face physical death. However, such people will be resurrected from their sins and death to live forever with the Lord, for they believe in the work of our resurrected Lord. Because the Lord came to this earth, was baptized, and bore the condemnation of our sins by being crucified to carry out the work of salvation that blots out our sins, we were able to be born again from sin and become God’s children by believing in His work with our hearts. The Lord will bless those of us who believe in His work to partake in the first resurrection. And He will lift us into the air to live with Him. As those who have received the remission of sins, we will be resurrected to enter and live in the Lord’s Kingdom. This is God’s blessing that is found in the resurrection and rapture that will unfold on the day the Lord returns to this world.
We had been dead in sin, but to save us from all sins, the Lord was baptized by John, shed His blood to death on the Cross, rose from the dead again, and has thereby given new life to those of us who now believe. The Lord is therefore our Savior God, and He is also the God who has given us new life and resurrection.
On account of our faith in the baptism that the Lord received from John and His blood, we have been saved from all our sins, and by believing in this Truth, we are able to enter the Kingdom of the Lord. Through the work of the baptism that He received from John the Baptist, the Lord accepted the sins of this world once and for all, He was crucified and shed His precious blood on the Cross, and He rose from the dead again; and by His power, He will resurrect those of us who believe in this. At the same time when we believe in the salvation of the remission of sins that the Lord has given us, we must also believe that He rose from the dead again on this earth. Because the Lord was baptized by John for us, died on the Cross in our place, and rose from the dead again for us, we believe that we will also rise from the dead again as we believe in His work.
Let Us Examine the Apostle Paul’s Faith
It is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17: “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
The passage here is speaking of the resurrection and rapture that will happen when the Lord returns. In the last days of this world, believers will be martyred, and this will be followed by the Second Coming of the Lord. At that time, majestic resurrection and rapture will come to those who are asleep in their tombs after being born again by believing in the righteousness of the Lord while on this earth and those who survive the end times.
Verse 16 says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” There are countless people living in this world, and some of them have been saved from their sins by realizing and believing in the Truth of the baptism and blood of Jesus. When the Second Coming of the Lord arrives, these people will partake in the first resurrection and be lifted up to the Lord’s Kingdom to live with Him. They have been saved from their sins by faith, for they believe that Jesus came to this earth, took upon the sins of this world once and for all by being baptized by John the Baptist at the age of 30, and went to the Cross. Since they believe in the fact that Jesus took away the sins of this world and was condemned for them by being crucified, they have reached salvation by faith. The Apostle Paul is telling us here that those in this world who have been born again by believing in Jesus will partake in the first resurrection and rapture.
What we should realize here is that martyrdom is something that those who have been saved from all their sins will face during the seven-year Great Tribulation that God spoke of. This will happen in the middle of the seven-year Great Tribulation near the end of this world. At that time, the righteous will experience bodily resurrection and rapture upon our Lord’s return. For those who will be resurrected and raptured by the Lord in the end times, their faith is placed in the baptism that Jesus received from John and His blood on the Cross as their salvation, and they are the ones who have received the remission of sins once and for all. With the trumpet sound of the Lord’s Second Coming, they will be lifted up to the air and live with Him.
For you to partake in this, your heart must have faith in the baptism and blood of the Lord. For those who have been saved and born again from their sins, resurrection and rapture will come at the same time as the Lord’s resurrection at the end of the seven-year Great Tribulation. And the born-again will be blessed to partake in our Lord’s wedding feast in Heaven. On the last day when the Lord returns, with the sound of His trumpet, the born-again will be blessedly taken away to the Lord’s Kingdom by His power of resurrection.
The Lord also speaks of those who will partake in the second resurrection, and these people will face the judgment of the white throne, for even though they believed in the Lord, they waited for Him while their hearts remained sinful. In contrast, for those who believe in the fact that the Lord took away the sins of this world once and for all by being baptized by John the Baptist in this world, was crucified, and shed His precious blood, they have been born again from their sins, and therefore the Lord will resurrect them from death and at the same time lift them up to the air, granting them the blessing to live with Him forever.
Therefore, even though we were once born in this world as sinners destined to hell for our sins, those of us who believe that the Lord came to this world and has saved us from all our sins through the baptism He received from John the Baptist and His blood on the Cross will be blessed to live again with our Lord. For us who had been sinners, the Lord was baptized by John the Baptist, paid off the wages of our sins once and for all with His precious blood on the Cross, and rose from the dead again; He has granted true salvation, true resurrection, and true rapture to those who believe in this; and we can’t help but thank Him with our faith.
We Are Rejoiced to Do What Pleases God on This Earth
We are living by faith, believing that the baptism that the Lord received from John the Baptist and the blood He shed on the Cross when He came to this world constitute our salvation. Seeing how iniquities are deepening in this world evermore, we are compelled to pay even more attention to the Word of resurrection that our Lord spoke. We can feel in our everyday lives, “Oh! We are all seeing the day nearing us when we will see the Lord! Even though our outward selves are aging, thanks to the salvation that the Lord has given us, not only have we been born again, but the hour is nearing when we will also be resurrected to enjoy new life.”
How blessed is it that we will rise from the dead again and meet our Lord? Our hearts and souls are filled with true hope, for the Lord’s resurrection will bring the blessings of true resurrection to you and me also. Because the blessings of resurrection that the Lord will give us are everlasting blessings waiting for us, we can’t help but thank the Lord. And our hearts are even more filled with joy, for the day is nearing us when the blessed Word that the Lord has given us will be fulfilled. Looking at the reality that confronts us now, we are reaching a more profound understanding of the prophecies written in the Word of God.
We believe that the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist and the blood He shed on the Cross constitute our salvation, and at the same time, we are grateful to the Lord that He will resurrect our bodies from death and give us new life. However, some of you still do not believe in the Word of the baptism and blood of Jesus with your heart, which is the Word of salvation that enables you to be born again from your sins. If you pass away without believing with your heart like this, then it will not end with just physical death, and instead you will face the eternal condemnation of sin. Realizing this, you must turn around and believe. Days of everlasting suffering are awaiting sinners, for they will be condemned for their sins after death.
What a tragedy would it be if you were punished forever for your sins for failing to realize and believe with your heart that the baptism that the Lord received from John the Baptist and His blood constitute your salvation? That is why you must be delivered from all your sins by believing in the baptism of the Lord and His blood on the Cross while you are still alive on this earth, and be ready to receive Him when He returns.
Even now, some people are perishing while clinging to their sins by refusing to accept that the baptism that the Lord received for us and the blood He shed on the Cross constitute their salvation. As a saying goes, “Better a live coward than a dead hero,” for those who have left their souls alone to be condemned for their sins, life in this world may be better for them, but they will be cast into hell in the end. Our goal, therefore, is to preach to such people that Jesus took away the sins of this world through the baptism He received from John the Baptist, so that they may come to have the faith to pass their sins to Jesus’ head. We have the duty to preach the gospel to them so that they can receive the remission of sins by believing with their hearts that Jesus shed His blood and died on the Cross in their place while shouldering their sins with the baptism that He received from John the Baptist. This is because no matter how wretched our lives in this world might be, what happens after we depart from the world is a far greater problem.
As such, we must accept the remission of sins into our hearts by believing in the baptism that the Lord received from John the Baptist and the shedding of His blood, and ensure that we can happily enter the Lord’s Kingdom. Had Jesus not been baptized, not shed His blood to death on the Cross, and not risen from the dead again, then there would have been no resurrection for us on this earth, either. We must therefore believe that Jesus came to this earth, washed away our sins by being baptized by John, and rose from the dead again. The Lord has blessed us to be saved from the sins of the world. We should realize that just as the Lord rose from the dead again, He will resurrect us, the born-again, to enjoy everlasting life. That is why we must believe in Jesus’ resurrection as our resurrection. By believing in the Word, we must receive salvation from our sins and new life.
All of us have now been saved from all sins by believing that Jesus Christ is our Savior who offered Himself as our propitiation through the baptism He received from John the Baptist and His blood on the Cross. And just as the baptized Jesus rose from the dead again, we, too, will rise from the dead again and live forever with the Lord amid everlasting blessings.
Since we have been remitted from our sins once and for all by believing in Jesus Christ’s baptism of redemption and His blood on the Cross, we are blessed to partake in the Lord’s resurrection also. It is by believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that we are made God’s children and receive the blessings of Heaven. Moreover, we will also rise from the dead again just like the Lord and enjoy everlasting life. Those who have become the Lord’s sheep by believing in the baptism that He received on this earth and His blood on the Cross are able to live with His protection, love, and blessings.
From where do the righteous’ blessings come? They come from faith in the baptism that the Lord received from John the Baptist and His blood. The Lord has saved us from all the sins of this world, and it is by believing in His baptism and blood that we are saved once and for all, become God’s children, and receive the boundless blessings of resurrection and eternal life from the Lord to live forever.
We are the true Christians who have been saved from all sins through our faith in the righteousness of the Lord. We are the happiest of all, for our hearts have faith in the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist and His blood on the Cross. Having received the remission of sins by believing in the righteousness of Jesus, we are to live for the gospel until the day we die, and we can endure countless difficulties by faith, for we will be resurrected to live again with our Lord.
The Lord came to this earth to bless us, the believers in His baptism and blood, to be born again and to give us life of resurrection. The Lord Himself was baptized by John the Baptist, and He rose again from His death on the Cross. Because our Lord rose from the dead again like this, those of us who believe in His work as the work of our salvation believe that we will also rise from the dead again. We are happy and rejoiced to live with the Lord on this earth, for we were able to be born again from our sins by faith. You and I will be resurrected from our bodily death and live forever with the Lord. We have faith in the salvation that Jesus Christ has given us to be born again. We believe in His resurrection, and as such believers, we are the happiest people in this world and the heavenly realm as well.
Everyone must receive the remission of sins and be born again by believing in the Word of the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist and the precious blood He shed on the Cross. The human body is bound to grow old, fall ill, and die. However, it is just our bodies in this world that are aging. In contrast, our hearts are always with the Lord, and thanks to our faith, we are living full of hope. The hearts of the righteous are always young. The righteous are rejoiced and grateful to live with the Lord, for they are living by believing in the Lord-spoken Word. We believe that the Lord is our Savior who shouldered our sins by being baptized, shed His blood on the Cross, and rose from the dead again; and therefore we are now able to live with hope for Heaven.
The Holy Spirit Is Always with Us, the Believers, in Our Hearts
Jesus Christ is the God who has saved us from the sins of this world, and the Holy Spirit is the God who, being always alive in our hearts, helps us, the redeemed. The Word of the baptism that the Lord received for us and the Cross that He bore is granting salvation to the hearts of those who believe in it now. Therefore, for those who have now been delivered from all their sins by faith, sadness has disappeared from their hearts and there is only everlasting peace. While living in this world, we are carrying out the Lord’s work, and on account of our faith, we will go to the presence of the Lord and live forever with Him. The righteous are living in peace, and after their death, they will be resurrected by the Lord to enjoy eternal life with Him. We do not have to worry and lament about falling into hell for our sins.
It is said that when one is about to pass away, he is visited by an emissary of death. Some people even wave their arms as though they were trying to resist him, perhaps because they see a terrifying figure right before their last breath. In my ministry, I have attended the deathbed of numerous believers, and their faces looked peaceful, like they were now meeting their beloved Lord after living a truly happy life before God. These people had faith in the baptism that the Lord received from John the Baptist and His blood on the Cross. Even at death, their faces showed they were at peace, like they were asleep in the Lord’s arms. Like these believers, those who are born again now and thereafter live for the Lord’s gospel will also be embraced into the Lord’s arms.
When we go to the presence of our Lord after living for the proclamation of the gospel on this earth, we will meet our Beloved and live happily forever. Until the last day of our lives in this world, we will do everything we can to preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit that our Lord has given us. This is because we believe that after laboring diligently to spread the gospel in our lives and enjoying the peace the Lord has given us, on the day when we finish the work that the Lord has entrusted to us, we will be embraced into His arms to live forever and enjoy everlasting blessings.
There are so many people in this world who remain unable to be washed from their sins because they still do not know the Word of the baptism that Jesus received from John, so we have much to do for these people. We must preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit to them, so that they may be saved from their sins. Among these people are many Christians who, despite professing to believe in Jesus as their Savior, are being spiritually defrauded because they do not know the proper meaning of the baptism that Jesus received from John. It is our hope and prayer that like us, these people will also come to live by placing their faith in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that the Lord has given them, and to thus receive His blessings.
The hearts and souls of the born-again are now at peace. This is because the Lord is our Savior even unto our bodily death, and He is also the Shepherd in our lives. The Lord promised us, “I will be with you until the end of this world.” The Lord is with us not only in this world, but He will also be with us forever after our bodily death. We are living without any fear, for the Lord told us that we will live with Him forever in His Kingdom even after we die in our flesh. With my faith, I thank our Lord for giving us such blessed Word of regeneration.
There is so much that we need to do to spread the gospel while living on this earth. We are now living in the age of famine. The global economy is deteriorating more and more. Every nation is gripped by the fear of war. The fact that the economy is in trouble now shows us that everyday life will only get harder in many ways. Living in such an age, we still have much work that remains to be done to spread the gospel. We must therefore devote every ounce of our strength to the Lord and complete all the work that He wants us to complete before going to His presence. As times become harder and harder like this, I have even more compassion for those who still have not met the Lord. The shadow of death is casting over their faces even deeper. I feel so sad whenever I see such people. That is why we are trying to preach the gospel to every soul throughout the whole world. These days there are so many church leaders in this world who are exploiting their congregation for their money and souls to pursue their own greedy desires. Even though these Christians are being exploited so much both materially and spiritually, they are the only ones who do not realize it. Unless people believe wholeheartedly in the Word of regeneration that Jesus has given them and hold steadfast to it, they are bound to be defrauded both in body and spirit.
Therefore, we must preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit throughout the whole world. To do so, we must live out our faith in our everyday lives so that the Lord’s gospel may be spread. Together with our coworkers from around the world, we are now preaching the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that holds the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist and His blood on the Cross. The gospel Word that we are preaching enables everyone to be born again of water and the Spirit, and I am grateful that this gospel Word is now reaching people all over the world through our paper books, e-books, and audiobooks.
Many of the people who received and read our books have found the true gospel Word of regeneration and reached salvation from their sins by faith, and they are sending us their testimonies of salvation. Sadly, however, there still are many people who have never heard of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, not even once, through any books or other means. For the sake of such people, we need to bring the news of salvation to every corner of the world through various means, from video sermons that preach the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit to ministry newsletters and paper books. We need to work with the realization that the Triune God wants people living all over the whole world to be saved from all their sins by faith through the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that you and I are spreading.
Today in this hour, we have worshiped the Lord with thanksgiving, believing above all else that He has washed away our sins and granted us the resurrection of our bodies. Having the faith that pleases the Lord, we ought to live in obedience to the preaching of the gospel, and we ought to also live by faith, giving thanks and glory to the Lord. With my faith, I give all thanks and praises to Jesus Christ our Savior, His Father, and the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!
Copyright © 2021 by The New Life Mission