Born Again = Born From Above

Your birthday is a special day that is all about you. It's a time of fun and celebration, a day to enjoy special treats and open presents. Can I ask you: 'How many birthdays you've had?' I don't mean how many times you have blown candles or gotten a year older. You see, the Lord Jesus talked about the need to be born twice, a physical birth and a spiritual birth. He made it clear in John chapter 3 that to be a possessor of eternal life one needs this new birth, a birth which comes from above, not like the first birth from below. Due to the fall, the Bible says that each of us enters this world as a sinner, plus we have all done our own sinning ... "For all have sinned and come short of God's standard" (Romans 3:23), and as a result, we are all spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). This is why being born again is absolutely necessary if you want to spend eternity with God in heaven (from: Moments With The Book).

All who welcome Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives are born spiritually, receiving new life from God, receiving forgiveness of all their sins. Through faith in Christ, this new birth will change us from the inside out (rearranging our attitudes, desires, and motives). God will implant within that person a new nature; a nature that hates sin and craves to please God. Immediately upon believing, the Holy Spirit dwells within, enabling that person to live a godly life (Ephesians 1:13). Such a person then begins to live by a new dimension and a new direction. He has a new disposition, a new nature, a new commitment, and a new purpose for living. Born in this world makes you physically alive and places you in your parent's family (John 1:3); being born of God makes you spiritually alive and puts you in God's family (John 1:12) ... simple yet profound! (Robert Surgenor)

Like Nicodemus (John chapter 3), we must examine Jesus Christ for ourselves (others cannot do it for us). Then if we believe He is who He says, we will want to trust Him, and live for Him. If you accept Jesus as only a prophet or teacher, you have to reject His teaching, for He claimed to be the Son of God, even God Himself. When we understand who Jesus is, we are compelled to believe what He said!

Knowledge is not salvation: The new birth experience can never be adequately explained, It is more than knowledge and mental assent. You should know the Bible, but even more important, you should understand the God whom the Bible reveals and the salvation that He offers.  Our salvation happens when we look up to Jesus believing His Word that He will save us in our great need, on the virtue of the work of His cross (Hebrew 9:28). God has provided this way for us to be forgiven of our sins! "Christ died for our sins ..." 1 Corinthians 15:3

"For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only Son

that whosoever believes in Him

should not perish but have

everlasting life."

John 3:16

When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment that we deserve for all of the sin we have done and will do. Then He arose from the dead to prove that He can save us and give us eternal life.

I have long withstood His grace,

Long provoked Him to His face,

Would not harken to His calls,

Grieved Him by a thousand falls

Now incline me to repent,

Let me now my sins lament;

Now my foul revolt, weep,

Believe, and sin no more.

Precious Pearls:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever." 1 Peter 1:23

-Once saved, always saved: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand." John 10:27-29

-"The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6:23. Eternal is something that never, never ends. If you think you lost your salvation, it wasn't God's salvation!

-Just like you are born only once into this world, in like manner you are only born once into the kingdom of God.

-We are saved by God's grace (undeserved kindness) without works and I am kept by God's grace without works as well. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, it is not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9

-Good works are important, don't take me wrong! Saved without good works but for good works! (see Ephesians 2:10) This is having the horse before the cart as it were, not the other way around!


' I am no longer the same; Jesus has made all the difference!'
Claudine

"I Am With You Alway"

Do you ever feel that your life is too complex for God to understand? Remember, God created the entire universe, and nothing is too difficult for Him. God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. What can possibly prevent Him from helping me in my misery?  As He says in Isaiah 43:12 'I will work, and who shall hinder it?" God created you; He is alive, and His love is bigger than any problem you may face.

"How priceless is your unfailing love!

Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings'

Psalm 36:7

We are not alone on the journey! We are strangers and sojourners with God (Ps. 39:12), a thought that makes the journey less troubling, less frightening, less worrisome. We pass through this world and into the next with a loving Father as our constant companion and guide. We're strangers here on earth, but we are never alone on the journey (Ps. 73:23-24). We have One who says, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen!" Matthew 28:20

We may loose sight of father, mother, spouse, and friends, but we always know that God is walking beside us!

'Soon shall we mount and soar away to the bright realms of endless day,

and sing, with rapture and surprise, His loving-kindness in the skies!'

Precious Pearl: 'His Name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

With Him I can have peace in the storms!

Claudine 

'Where is boasting then? It is excluded!' Romans 3:27

"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made."
John 1:3

When God created, He made something from nothing. Because we are created beings, we have no basis for pride. Remember that you exist only because God made you, and you have special gifts only because God gave them to you.

With God you are something valuable and unique; apart from God you are nothing, and if you try to live without Him, you will be abandoning the purpose for which you were made. (B.N.)

 

Hymn By: Matthias Claudius

 

We thank Thee, then O Father

For all things bright and good,

The seed-time and harvest,

 Our life, our health, our food;

No gifts have we to offer,

For all Thy love imparts,

But that which Thou desirest,

Our humble, thankful hearts.

 

 

'I am just a nobody trying to tell everybody about Somebody who can save anybody!'

(unknown author)

 

Claudine 

The Purpose of John's Gospel

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God."
John's Gospel 1:1

This is the truth about Jesus, and the foundation of all truth. If we cannot or do not believe this basic truth, we will not have enough faith to trust our eternal destiny to Him. If you accept Jesus as only a prophet or teacher, you have to reject His teaching, for He claimed to be God's Son, even God Himself. ( B.N.)

That is why John wrote this gospel, to build faith and confidence in Jesus Christ, so that we may believe that He truly was and is the Son of God.  Hope you will pick up your Bible and start reading , this would be a good spot to start, John's gospel.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." 1 Epistle of John 1:1-4

"If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater: for this is the testimony of God which He has testified of His Son. He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself: he that believes not God has made Him a liar; because he believes not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 Epistle of John 5:9-13



Precious Pearls:

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name."

John 20:31

More on John's gospel in the next blogs, D.V.

Claudine 

What Did He Die For?

On this Remembrance Day, I would like to start my blog by quoting a beautiful song by Twila Paris:

WHAT DID HE DIE FOR

He was twenty-one in 1944

He was hope and he was courage on a lonely shore

Sent there by a mother with love beyond her tears

Just a young 'Canadian' who chose to rise above his fears

And as I watch him struggle up that hill

Without a thought of turning back

I cannot help but wonder ...

What did he die for? When he died for you and me

Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free

I believe we will answer each to heaven

For the way we spend a priceless liberty

Look inside and ask the question

What did he die for?

When he died for me.

To the darkest day in A.D. 33

Came the mercy and compassion of eternity

Sent there by a Father with love beyond His tears

Blameless One, the only Son

To bear the guilt of all these years

And as I watch Him struggle up that hill

Without a thought of turning back

I cannot help but wonder ...

What did He die for? When He died for you and me

Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free

I believe we will answer each to heaven

For the way we spend a priceless liberty

Look inside and ask the question

What did He die for?

When He died for me.

In Luke 23 we read about Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion! This Barabbas had committed a crime and deserved death. I can see myself very clearly in this Barabbas, can you?  In Genesis chapter 3 we read how sin came into the world through Adam ... and the Bible tells us that, 'by the offence of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation ... (Romans 5:18a).

When we continue reading we find Barabbas released of his death penalty because Jesus took his place on that day. Like Barabbas, we too are criminals because we have ALL broken God's Holy law (Romans 3:23) and deserve to die (physically & spiritually) "For the wages of sin is DEATH" (Romans 6:23). But thanks be unto God, Jesus did take our place too when He suffered the sin judgment we all deserved on that cruel cross! "For Christ also has once suffered for sins, The Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.." 1 Peter 3:18

Then in this same chapter we come to another criminal; this one is not given physical freedom but is crucified along side the Lord (two of them actually)! But as this thief was about to die, he turned to Christ for forgiveness and said to the Lord: 'Remember me when you come into your Kingdom!' and Christ accepted him. This criminal received freedom from his sins and its eternal penalty!

I'm sure that we, like Barabbas, are all grateful for our physical freedom on this Remembrance Day but are we even more grateful for the spiritual freedom available to us through Christ's Work? How beautifully this hymn by William Horsley puts it:

There is a green hill far away,

Without a city wall,

Where the dear Lord was crucified,

Who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell

What pains He had to bear;

But we believe it was for us

He hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiven,

He died to make us good,

That we might go at last to heaven,

Saved by His precious blood.

There was no other good enough

To pay the price of sin;

He only could unlock the gate

Of heaven, and let us in.

O dearly, dearly has He loved,

And we must love Him too,

And trust in His redeeming blood,

And try His works to do!

Precious Pearl:
-Thankful for the second part of verse Romans 5:18 "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; EVEN SO, BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE THE FREE GIFT CAME UPON ALL MEN UNTO JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE."
-"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen of Peter (Cephas), then of the twelve: after that, He was seen of above 500 brethren at once..."

Remembering my freedoms, and being grateful beyond words,
Claudine