You Must Be Born Again

Joh 3:1-36.   

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was one of the Jewish rulers.

He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. We know that God is with you. If he weren't, you couldn't do the miraculous signs you are doing."

Jesus replied, "What I'm about to tell you is true. No one can see God's kingdom without being born again."

"How can I be born when I am old?" Nicodemus asked. "I can't go back inside my mother! I can't be born a second time!"

Jesus answered, "What I'm about to tell you is true. No one can enter God's kingdom without being born through water and the Holy Spirit.

People give birth to people. But the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

You should not be surprised when I say, 'You must all be born again.'

"The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born through the Spirit."

"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus. "Don't you understand these things?

"What I'm about to tell you is true. We speak about what we know. We give witness to what we have seen. But still you people do not accept our witness.

I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you do not believe. So how will you believe if I speak about heavenly things?

"No one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven. He is the Son of Man.

Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. The Son of Man must be lifted up also.

Then everyone who believes in him can live with God forever.

For God So Loved the World

"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

"God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him.

Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

"Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil.

"Everyone who does evil things hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen.

But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. He does this so that it will be easy to see that what he has done is with God's help."

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside of Judea. There he spent some time with them. And he baptized people there.

John was also baptizing. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water. People were coming all the time to be baptized.

That was before John was put in prison.

Some of John's disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people "clean."

They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing people. He is the one you gave witness about. Everyone is going to him."

John replied, "A person can receive only what God gives him from heaven.

You yourselves are witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ. I was sent ahead of him.'

The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

Joh 3:30 He must become more important. I must become less important.

"The One who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above everything.

He gives witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says.

Anyone who has accepted it has said, 'Yes. God is truthful.'

The One whom God has sent speaks God's words. God gives the Holy Spirit without limit.

The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands.

Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who says no to the Son will not have life. God's anger remains on him."

Our Hope Amid Suffering

I have buried too many children in my ministry. I have watched helpless parents weep in torment. I have seen hopelessness face-to-face. I have seen cancer leave its calling card on ravaged bodies. I have seen dementia claim the lives of tortured souls. I have felt the destructive force of mental and physical abuse. I have seen and experienced suffering. It is a pitiless force of nature, sweeping aside all in its inexorable path. We can’t escape its grasp. We can never run fast enough. We can never shut our eyes tight enough. We know, if we live long enough, that one day it will come knock at our door.  

Our Hope amid Suffering

by Mez McConnell

Thankfully, the Bible is no stranger to these things. 

The Apostle Peter wrote a letter of encouragement thirty years after Christ’s death to the beleaguered Christians of Asia Minor. They were being abused by overbearing bosses (2:18), threatened by unbelieving spouses (3:1, 6), and ridiculed by skeptical neighbors and associates (4:14). On the horizon loomed the possibility of a much more violent form of persecution—a fiery ordeal (4:12–18). They were suffering, and they would suffer yet more. What were they to do?

Peter’s response in 1 Peter 1:3 sounds glib to the modern ear. “Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” How helpful is that to Jane battling cancer? Or what about John whose father was killed in an accident at work? Why should they, and we, be blessing God? What have we got to bless God for?

According to Peter, we ought to bless God because of His great mercy to us in rescuing us through Jesus. He has given us new birth. We may not feel it, but our salvation is an act of God’s great mercy. We deserve death, yet He gives us life. We deserve punishment, yet He has achieved a great reward for us. We should bless God that our souls are safe in His hands. That is something that far outweighs all of our slight and momentary troubles. We have a God who has rescued us, even when we don’t feel rescued.

But there’s more. Peter writes,

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1:13)

Some people fill in their lottery tickets, lie back on their sofa, and hope their numbers will finally come in. But such a hope is uncertain, and it is temporary even if it comes to pass. Our hope is so certain that it actually lives. Our joy and certain hope for the future are tied up in the fact that He rose again (1:20–21). Don’t forget, Peter was a guy whose whole life was crushed when Jesus was killed. All of Peter’s greatest hopes died with Jesus. But then he heard the news of the resurrection and went running to the tomb to see for himself. Despite Peter’s denial of Christ, our Lord came to Peter in the upper room and once again his hope rose with Him. Like Peter, we have a living hope that is:

Eternal

Can never be defiled

Will never fade

Kept in heaven for us

Compare that to our earthly experiences. We live for an age and then we die. Not so our inheritance from God. It never decays. It is completely indestructible. That’s why the Lord encourages us in (Matthew 6:19–20:)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Several years ago, a Scotsman won about six million British pounds from the lottery. Within ten years, it was gone, squandered on bad deals. As a result, he was left penniless. Our inheritance, on the other hand, can never be used up. It is an inexhaustible, eternal treasure trove. How so? Because what has been secured for us is stored in the safest and most secure place imaginable. It is impregnable. Even though we will only fully receive it on the last day, it is ready for us even now. It is finished, perfect, and unchangeable. And it is reserved for each of us who have been chosen according to His great foreknowledge and love.

Whatever else we lose in this life, we cannot lose our salvation. It is cancer proof. It is abuse proof. It is even death proof. These are the truths we run to when life kicks us in the teeth. When a relationship is shattered, when the dreams of what we wanted to be in life have been eaten away and eroded by the sands of time; when our health fails, when we feel like nobody cares anymore, when all seems lost—the Christian still has reasons to hope. We hang fast to Jesus. Keep our eyes fixed on Him. We have a wonderful Savior. He will never let us down. He’s done all the hard work and one day we will cash in—even if for a little while we have troubles.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10–11). But The God of all grace, who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that he have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you v11, To Him Be Glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen.

Our Caring and Able Father

Our Caring and Able Father

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2 Chronicles 20:1-4

Everyone faces challenges in life. Whether our struggles are financial, vocational, relational, or physical, we can be certain that nobody is exempt. Fortunately, we serve a God who is both interested in our problems and able to take care of them.

When trouble looms, prayer is always a good first step to take. But having a foundation upon which to build our prayers also makes a difference. Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, faced an enormous challenge. Three different tribes--the Moabites,Amonites, and Meunites--simultaneously waged war against him. Most leaders would have crumbled under such pressure, or at the very least taken drastic measures, but Jehoshaphat was a wise king. Though afraid, he did not strike out against his enemies.Instead, knowing that God was interested in his dilemma, he "turned his attention to seek the Lord" and proclaimed a fast throughout the land (2 Chron. 20:1-3).

Jehoshaphat also knew that God, who was greater than any earthly problem, had done miraculous things for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Daniel. That same God would help him, too, in his hour of need. We should never underestimate the Lord's interest in our affairs. He helped our ancestors in the Bible, and He can and will help His children today.

It's easy to think our problems are unimportant in the eyes of God, but He doesn't feel that way at all. Whatever concerns us concerns Him. If we, like Jehoshaphat, turn right to God and proclaim His power, He will intervene. And no matter how great our challenges are, God is greater.

If you haven’t invited Jesus Christ the only one who can save us from eternal damnation and make us new from the inside out from an incorruptible spiritual nature simply by asking Him for His free gift of Salvation and saying your sorry for leading a wayward life so far,

It’s a turning around and starting to think and do life from His Lordship and not from your own perspectives.  Allowing Him to be your Saviour and your Lord over all things. He promises that He will lead and guide us and never leave us but will permanently abide with us! It’s a personal relationship with a Spiritual God. Father Son and Holy Spirit 3 in one.

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-name-shaddai.html?utm_source=Daily%20Update&utm_campaign=Crosswalk%20Daily%20Update&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2533983

CHEERING PROMISES

"Whereby are given unto us great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature." — 2Pe 1:4.

PRECIOUS FAITH and precious promise are necessarily linked together (2Pe 1:1-4). The promises excite the faith, and faith reckons upon the fulfilment of promise. One is sometimes asked why it is that God's Word seems to fail, and that the righteous do appear to be forsaken! But surely the reason is, not that there is any failure on God's side to fulfil His promises, but that the promise is not claimed. It is possible to carry around a pocket-full of bank notes and cheques, and to die of starvation because they have not been cashed. When you have found a promise that just fits your need, do not rest content until you have laid it before God, and claimed its fulfilment.

Note that everything which is needed for life and godliness is already granted to us in Jesus our Lord (2Pe 1:3). We have not to pray to our Father for things which He has not anticipated, but to claim those which He has already given. The one purpose of God's preparation is that we should not only escape the corruption which is in the world, but become "partakers of His Divine Nature." What a marvellous promise is this, which almost passes human thought and comprehension, that we should become animated and filled by the very nature of God!

Note the recurrence of the phrase "these things" in the following verses. When they abound in us we cannot be idle or unfruitful. The octave of qualities enumerated reminds us of those Chinese boxes, each of which contains a smaller one, until we finally arrive at some precious article enclosed in the innermost. Faith apprehends everything else—manly courage, knowledge, sell-control, patience, godliness, kindness, and above all, love. To be deficient in "these things" is to be short-sighted (R.V.).

The Apostle says that the soul which has incorporated into itself these qualities of character will be welcomed into the Eternal Kingdom. It will enter the Harbour royally, with every sail set and pennant flying, and receive a choral entrance from the eager crowds that await its approach (2Pe 1:11). Let us be diligent in our appropriation of God's great and precious promises, so that we shall never fail.

PRAYER

Grant us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, always to seek Thy kingdom and righteousness; and of whatsoever Thou seest us to stand in need, mercifully grant us an abundant portion; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

https://www.answersbc.org/know-god/

Dream word – HUNG

https://youtu.be/D8HOOfTXmlg

2 Samuel 21:11-14

“And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.” NKJV

Rizpah and the hanging of red meat

Oxygen in the blood produces lactic acid. It is the work of this meat tenderising acid in game that has been hung for some time, that makes the meat more concentrate and full of flavour. The longer the meat is hung, the more tender and tasty the eating.

It is English poet Wordsworth whose poem “Rizpah” tells the story of a mother, mad with obsession concerning the bones of her dead son, Willy, who was sentenced and cursed to be hung on the gallows for simply robbing the mail. Eventually, she secretly buries the bones in a shallow grave on consecrated ground next to the church and in the poem she recounts her actions to a genteel lady sat at her side in the final hour of her life, saying:

Do you think I was scar’d by the bones? I kiss’d ’em, I buried ’em allI can’t dig deep, I am old—in the night by the churchyard wall.

My Willy ’ill rise up whole when the trumpet of judgment ’ill sound,

But I charge you never to say that I laid him in holy ground. They would scratch him up—they would hang him again on the cursed tree.

Sin? O, yes, we are sinners, I know—let all that be,

And read me a Bible verse of the Lord’s goodwill toward men—

“Full of compassion and mercy, the Lord”—let me hear it again;

“Full of compassion and mercy—long-suffering.” Yes, O, yes!

For the lawyer is born but to murder—the Saviour lives but to bless.

In our text for tonight, we are presented with the summary of one of the most sorriest of scenes ever recorded in Scripture. Rizpah, that grief consumed woman of old, has for five months been watching over seven hanging corpses, each one made black by the wind, dried in the sun, rotted all to a jerk chicken scarecrow consistency, two of which, were her own dear sons. By day Rizpah has kept away the birds and by the night the hungry jackals. Five sorry months of the attendant care of corpses, with time to contemplate some well hung meat.

A three year famine in the land had brought King David to seek the reason why, and it had been revealed to him, that it was because of Saul’s unlawful attempted genocide of the Gibeonites that this curse had come. The surviving Gibeonites were then consulted and refusing all bloody money, demanded seven of Saul’s sons, got them, killed them and hung them up for all to see. Now the law was very clear concerning capital crimes, in that the bodies should be buried at even time. These seven corpses however, no doubt under the command of David, were hung in the face of God, waiting for the curse to be lifted and the rain to come. Five months of well hung meat and still there was no rain, just the pain of a mother looking on endlessly.

Rizpah’s daily ritual, led eventually to make King David likewise “honour” the dead. So, sending for the remains of Saul and Jonathan, he gathered them with the bones of the seven corpses and interned them with dignity in the family grave. It was after this that God heeded the prayer for the land. It was after this. Selah.

Two thousand years ago, the Son of the King of the whole earth was hung on a tree, His mother looking on endlessly, her heart pierced through with a sword. Like a deep cut and tenderised scarecrow, He bled out is life down the wood of His cross for all the world to see. And there was made a curse for you and there was made a curse for me. God ate His own Son up in judgement on that most scandalous of crosses and as often as we eat that bread and drink that cup, we too remember the tenderness and tastiness of hanging meat, in that most terrible of sacrifices. The law of sin and death in the hands of lawyers can lead only to cursing and condemnation. He, the most merciful God however, He who was made your curse, can most truly set you free.

Listen: “The plain fact is that bull and goat blood can't get rid of sin. That is what is meant by this prophecy, put in the mouth of Christ: You don't want sacrifices and offerings year after year; you've prepared a body for me for a sacrifice. It's not fragrance and smoke from the altar that whet your appetite. So I said, ‘I'm here to do it your way, O God, the way it's described in your Book.’ When he said, ‘You don't want sacrifices and offerings,’ he was referring to practices according to the old plan. When he added, ‘I'm here to do it your way,’ he set aside the first in order to enact the new plan - God's way - by which we are made fit for God by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.” (Hebrews 10:4-14 from The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson.)

Pray: Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in, that wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin. Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon; the early dew of morning has passed away at noon. Tell me the story softly, with earnest tones and grave; remember I’m the sinner whom Jesus came to save. Tell me the story always, if you would really be, in any time of trouble, a comforter to me. Tell me the same old story when You have cause to fear that this world’s empty glory is costing me too dear. Yes, and when this world’s glory is dawning on my soul, tell me the old, old story: “Christ Jesus makes thee whole.” (From Katherine Hankey’s The Old, Old Story)

What does it mean to be a born-again Christian?

Have You Allowed God to Work in You?http://study.joycemeyer.org/

Today on Love Worth Finding, Pastor Adrian Rogers shows us the power of letting God work in your heart and in your life.

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What does it mean to be a born-again Christian? The classic passage from the Bible that answers this question is John 3:1-21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the ruling body of the Jews). Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night with some questions.

 As Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He said, "'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.' 'How can a man be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, "You must be born again"'" (John 3:3-7).

http://www.equip.org/bible_answers/what-must-i-do-to-be-saved-2/

The phrase "born again" literally means "born from above." Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart-a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12, 13 indicates that being "born again" also carries the idea of "becoming children of God" through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.

 The question logically comes, "Why does a person need to be born again?" The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (NKJV). To the Romans he wrote, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually "dead"; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.

How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be "born again." "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12-13).

If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and be born again, here is a sample prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. "God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness-the gift of eternal life! Amen!"

I cast the whole of my care ( all my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns, once and for all) on HIM, for HE cares for me affectionately and cares about me watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7

If you abide in My Word (hold Fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them), you are truly My disciples.   And you will know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH will set you free!  John 8:31b-32!

See http://www.gotquestions.org/born-again.html

Whoever Calls on The Name Above All Other Names!

Act 2:21 And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord--Christ] shall be saved. [Joe 2:28-32]

Jesus does not discriminate.  His arms are open to us all.   The only qualifier to receiving salvation is having an open heart.   If we ask for Him to be in our lives, He shows up.   Are you living like God’s salvation is something only for you?

Ask God how He is calling you to share the good news of salvation in your life.

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How Do I Find God’s Will for My Life? #askpastorjohn

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