LIFE IS BRIEF

James 4:14

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

The Cab Ride I’ll Never Forget – Kent Nerburn

The Cab Ride I’ll Never Forget – Kent Nerburn.

Life From Blood

WHAT!!!

Life From Blood.

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Genesis 9:4)

Creation Moments – Jun 2, 2008 – The Bible teaches us that our physical life is in our blood. It also teaches us that our spiritual and eternal life is dependent upon the blood of Jesus Christ.

Your heart pumps blood at a speed of more than three feet per second. This means that any given red blood cell will make a full circulatory trip from your lungs and back in only about a minute. But your heart is not the only hard working part of your circulatory system. Your re blood cells live only about 4 months. In that time, a red blood cell has make over 170,000 trips from your lungs to bring oxygen to every part of your body. That means your body must constantly replace red blood cells. So your body produces about 2 million new red blood cells every second. Your body does this most efficiently by recycling the iron from dead red blood cells into the new red blood cells. Iron, of course, gives the hemoglobin in red blood cells the ability to carry oxygen.

As we learn more about our circulatory systems, we see that physical life is a daily gift from God. Yet, it was the life-blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for us in His holy, innocent suffering and death that makes eternal life possible for us.

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Sinful, and first birth is Rejected

SINFUL, and first birth is REJECTED

JOHN 3:6

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

At this point in the conversation, Jesus makes the statement that there is a difference between the first birth and the second birth. The first birth is rejected as a means of salvation. There must be a second birth, a spiritual birth that must take place.

By this statement, Jesus rejects the idea that the first birth coupled with good works; or coupled with baptism; or coupled with communion; or coupled with church membership; or coupled with anything else will give a person eternal life and the portals of heaven.

Jesus couples eternal life with the New Birth by the Spirit and then an entrance to the eternal abode of heaven.

John 3:7 – Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. A very simple and clear statement that one cannot enter heaven when this life is over, without the New Birth. Have you been born again?

Our Predestined Appointment

OUR PREDESTINED APPOINTMENT

At the moment we were born, a countdown began on our lives. Every tick of the clock brings us one step closer to our inescapable appointment with God. Each of us will stand before Him as we are about to enter our eternal destination.

Tragically, there will be shocking disappointment for some. Jesus Himself warned, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name . . . ?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” ( Matt. 7:22 -23 ).

The only way to eternal life is through faith in Jesus. Truly, our sin has separated us from the Father. But God’s Son provided the solution to this universal problem: Christ lived a perfect life and then died a sinner’s death on the cross to pay the penalty each of us owed ( Rom. 6:23 ). After three days, He rose from the grave, defeating death and evil. By accepting His sacrifice on our behalf, we no longer have to live apart from God.

To receive this amazing gift, we must simply believe in Jesus and what He did. As a result, we become new creations ( 2 Cor. 5:17 ), are adopted as God’s children ( Eph. 1:5 ), and enter into a never-ending personal relationship with our Father.

Do you have confidence about where you will spend eternity? You may assume you have time to figure out this important issue, but let me give you some wise advice: Don’t wait another minute to settle the matter, because “later” may never come. Repent of your sin today, and follow Jesus.

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Helpless and Cannot Enter

John 3:5 – Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Jesus statement to Nicodemus is very clear in what it does not say. it does not say: you must be born of water and church membership to enter the kingdom; you must be good or perform good works to enter the kingdom; you must partake of the Lord’s Supper to enter the kingdom; you must be baptized to enter the kingdom. This passage very simply says; “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

The statement of Jesus that a man be born of water has already been shown to be the natural birth that all experience when being ushered into this world as a baby. Therefore we must address the statement, “…and of the Spirit….”

John 16:8 says that when the Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin. This conviction brings a response of acceptance or rejection. Acceptance brings the “New Birth” spoken of by Jesus. We experience a New Birth by the Spirit. This New Birth brings us into the family of God and ushers us into the kingdom of God.

Born Of Water

I will address the issue of Nicodemus again. In John 3:1-8; Nicodemus came to Jesus and made a statement that Jesus had come from God. The reply of Jesus is very important to every man – ye must be born again. Nicodemus did not understand and questioned Jesus about Nicodemus mother, physical being able to do this. Here is where many start going wrong in this passage. Jesus speaks spiritual things and Nicodemus is speaking physical things. Jesus said one must be born of water and of the Spirit. Don’t go wrong here now. Jesus addresses Nicodemus physical application and extends the spiritual application. Born of water is the physical birth that each of us experienced when we were ushered into this sin decayed world. In the womb we lived in a sack of water. Yes! I know it was not literal water, okay? We always say “her water broke.”

Now Jesus points Nicodemus to the Spiritual New Birth. Notice verse 6 – that which is born of the flesh is flesh. The physical birth that Nicodemus spoke of. “that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit,” the Spiritual birth that Jesus was referring to. Keeping everything in context and reading the context helps us to not make a false interpretation of God’s Word.

Ignorant and cannot Understand

IGNORANT AND CANNOT UNDERSTAND

Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

Nicodemus came to Jesus not understanding the way of life. He was religious. He knew the scriptures of the Old Testament and yet did not understand that Jesus was the way of life. Jesus proceeds to inform him of the new birth. Do not wrestle with the fact that the natural man cannot understand those things that are spiritual. Paul enlightens us on this subject.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Natural man will not understand. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict.

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

When the word is preached, the Holy Spirit convicts.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The preaching of the word brings the conviction of the Holy Spirit. This conviction is making known that there is a God that has sent a Savior. Now Jesus used the natural physical things of this world to compare to spiritual things so there would be understanding. Nicodemus now understood that he must be born again which is the birth from above.

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Blind and cannot See

BLIND and cannot SEE

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jesus was talking to Nicodemus at this time and answered a statement that Nicodemus had made. “…we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” Nicodemus was a religious man. He was a Pharisee, the dominant religion of the day and a ruler of the Jews. This means he was knowledgeable in the scriptures. From Genesis 3:15 through the rest of the Old Testament, the scriptures testified and prophesied that the Savior would come. Yet, at this juncture, Nicodemus only recognized that Jesus had come from God. Apparently not recognizing Him as the Savior that was prophesied. Jesus opens his eyes for later on we find him claiming the body of Jesus.

Jesus said to the Pharisees –

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Today, many are blind and cannot see Jesus and the payment that He has made for our redemption. Some believe that they must pay to gain heaven by being good or being baptized or becoming a church member. John chapter 3 is Jesus response to Nicodemus, “… ye must be born again.” What does one that is being born have to pay for his or her birth? We realize that this is a silly question. The birth mother pays the price. The uncomfortable bearing of the baby in the womb and the excruciating pain of birth is the payment made. This payment the mother experiences not the baby. Free to you but much agony and pain for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We must have our eyes opened to see Christ who bore it all on the cross.

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No Escape For Procrastinators

NO ESCAPE FOR PROCRASTINATORS

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

The question comes to mind, what are we escaping? Those that repent and believe are escaping the wrath to come. They are escaping that terrible judgment and condemnation of the unbeliever.

The salvation that is spoken of is called great. Why is this title used when so many think so little of the idea of salvation? It is great because of the one who provides it – Jesus Christ. It is great because of the method of provision – the crucifixion of Christ the innocent one on our behalf. It is great because of the means of provision – the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It is great because of the presentation of provision – Christ before the Father presenting His own precious, innocent blood to cleanse us from sin.

Why would we neglect this extraordinary gift offered to us freely? Would it be for the joy of a debilitating life of denial and debauchery? We crave the gifts of this world which come with a price. In this life there truly is nothing that is free. Each have a price tag of health that is harmed or wealth that is reduced. The only free gift is the one offered by Jesus Christ and paid for with His own innocent blood.

There is no escape. There is a payday someday for rejecting the blood of the Savior. We pay for rejection in this life and in the life to come. Why seek escape? Why not, rather, seek the Savior. He call and knocks with the invitation to repent and believe.