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Psalms 105:1-22 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing
psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the
hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek
His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders,
and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of
Jacob, His chosen ones! He is
the LORD our God; His judgments are
in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand
generations, The covenant which
He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And confirmed it to Jacob for a
statute, To Israel as an
everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As
the allotment of your inheritance," When they were few in number, Indeed
very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, From one kingdom to another people, He
permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, "Do not touch My
anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." Moreover He called for a
famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man
before them— Joseph—who was
sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until
the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him. The king
sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him
lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his
pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom.
Father God we praise you and give you
thanks. Open the hearts of all that read this lesson so they can understand
what Born Again is and how to obtain it. Amen!
BORN AGAIN
I’m
going to deviate from the Revelation study for this week to explain what Born
Again is, what is required to be Born Again, and what it is not. Why am I doing
this? It is because over the past year there are many new readers around the
world and if they haven’t gone to Volume 1 on my blog they may not understand
what being Born Again is all about.
As you
notice last week I ended the lesson, as well as this week, with an example of
the Sinners Prayer or some refer to it as the Prayer of Salvation. This prayer
goes along with the verses that I always use in closing especially John
3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say
to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." As stated on other occasions it is
not the prayer that will save a person (being Born Again), it is what’s in your
heart. You can say the prayer until you are exhausted and a Spiritual Birth
will not happen if you continue to live the same life. Jesus calls this type of
prayer vain repetition, it is just words coming out of your mouth. Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do
not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
There
are several things that must take place in your heart in order to be Born
Again:
1. You
have to come to the realization that you are a sinner in God’s eyes and believe
this. You must
understand what the sin nature is, where it came from, and that all human
beings are born with it because of Adam and Eve disobeying God. This sin nature
resulted in a separation of a close relationship with God. Before they
disobeyed God, Adam and Eve walked with God, meaning a close relationship. Because
of this disobedience they were kicked out of God’s Kingdom, the Garden of Eden.
This act of disobedience has put hostility between all mankind and God, and the
only way to get that close relationship back with God it through a Spiritual
Birth, in other words, by being Born Again. Romans 8:5-8 For those
who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but
those who live according to the
Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God,
nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please
God.
2. You
have to open your mouth and tell Jesus you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive
you. Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved. 10
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. This
means confessing your sins to our Lord Jesus and not man. We live according to
the New Testament now and not the Old Testament. In the Old Testament a priest
was required to be the intercessor between God and the sinner, in other words
take the blood of the sacrificed animal in to God (the inner temple) once a
year for sin atonement. Life for us is in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it
to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. The priest was just a messenger, he was the
only one allowed to enter into the inner temple, the Holy of Holies, he didn’t forgive
the sinners sins, God did. The scribes and Pharisees knew only God can forgive
sins, that is why they had a problem with Jesus when He told individuals their
sins were forgiven. Luke
5:21 And the scribes and the
Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
We
live according to the New Testament and a priest is not needed as a messenger for
the forgiveness of sins like it was in the Old Testament because when Jesus
died on the Cross, the inner temple veil was ripped from top to bottom. This
ripping of the veil tells us we no longer need man in the ritual of sin
forgiveness. We go directly to Jesus who is our high priest. The Book of
Hebrews teaches all about priest and high priest. Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then
that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. 15
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but
was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us
therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.
3. You
have to repent of your sinful lifestyle. This doesn’t mean being sorry for your sinful ways, it means
a heart desire to live a new life
modeled after Jesus. It means turning 180 degrees from your rituals,
manmade religious laws, what false beliefs you were raised up in, the customs
of your religion that you have been practicing, etc. We are to live according
to the teachings of the New Testament. Is everything you practice in religion
verified in the New Testament? Don’t get caught up in the ritualistic acts of
man like the Pharisees did in the Old Testament. They clung tight to their
customs for salvation, which is religion. Be open minded and step out in faith
to obtain a new life in Jesus. Don’t worry about what man will think about you,
think about what God sees and thinks about you if you’re not saved (walking
sinful flesh). Anyone practicing mans
religion will not find salvation and will descend instead of rising at death.
It is your eternal life at stake here, Heaven or Hell for eternity. The Ten
Commandments and religion are supposed to lead a person to salvation through
teachings and not away from salvation. Many times people get confused and place
their faith in religion. It is the acts of the Cross and fully understanding
why Jesus died on the Cross for us so that we will have a chance at accepting
Jesus as our Saviour. Paul explains this to his kinsman in Romans 9:3-7 For I could wish that I myself were accursed
from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are
Israelites, to whom pertain the
adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom,
according to the flesh, Christ came,
who is over all, the eternally
blessed God. Amen. 6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no
effect. For they are not all
Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they
are the seed of Abraham; but, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED." Romans 9:30-32 What shall we say then? That Gentiles,
who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the
righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has
not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For
they stumbled at that stumbling stone. Paul is preaching to his fellow Jewish kinsman that just
because they are Jews that doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to go to Heaven.
They are living a life of trying to keep the law and perform religious rituals.
Their faith was in the Laws. He is trying to explain to them they have to live
a life of faith in what Jesus did at the Cross for them. Go to my blog and read
the study of Romans Chapter 9 for more detail.
4. Finally
ask Jesus to come into your life to rule and reign and believe in what He did
for you. Have faith that He will.
You have to be sincere and mean it with your heart (have faith) that you will
be committed to a new life with Jesus in charge,
not you. You can’t give any of this lip service and think you are saved because
you recited a prayer. That’s what the Pharisees and Scribes did. They honored
God with their lips and not their hearts. They lived by works, meaning
religious laws and rituals. Jesus knows what is in your heart. Mark 7:6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is
written: this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me”.
Romans 3:13 "Their throat is an
open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "the
poison of asps is under their lips";
You have to believe that Jesus
died to set us free from our sinful lifestyle, the inherited sin nature, and He
rose from the dead to give us eternal life, and right now He is seated at the
Right Hand of God Almighty. You have to believe Jesus is the Son of God; the
only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, our Savior, and only through Him by
faith one can see the Kingdom of God. John 14:6 Jesus said
to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me. You have to believe this and have
faith Jesus will make a new person out of you by sending the Holy Spirit to
dwell in your heart and lead you in a new life, He tells us he will in; John 14:16-18 And I will pray the
Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you
forever— 17
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with
you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you
orphans; I will come to you.
Start reading the New Testament seeking the truth by asking the Holy Spirit to
reveal the treasures of scripture.
For a
person to be Born Again they must experience a change in their life. A person
cannot be Born Again if they continue living the same lifestyle. If a change is
not experienced, then that person needs to examine their life and see what they
are still clinging to that does not please God. Maybe when they recited the
prayer the thought in their mind was I’m not going to change my religion or
what my religion teaches, I’ve practice this religion all my life and I’m not
about to change. If this is the case then the recital of the prayer was only
with their lips. This person isn’t willing to let Jesus rule their life, in
other words submit to the workings of the Holy Spirit, they still want to rule their
own life. Some people receive a Spiritual Birth and God allows them to stay in
a religion, but convicts them of the false rituals and customs and they turn
from the false doctrine. Most likely if the religion is not based on the New
Testament the person will leave because the Holy Spirit points out the
unscriptural dogma of the religion.
Maybe
they tried to cut a deal with Jesus before reciting the prayer like, “Jesus I’m
not giving up my love of sports, drinking, materialistic things, the way I
pray, the way live, the weekend revelries, pornography, being a busy body, etc.
In God’s eyes this is idolatry. Anything a person places above God is viewed as
idolatry. If a person puts the things of this world first and God fits in
someplace after them, if there is time for God, then they practice idolatry in
God’s eyes and the prayer is from their lips and mind and not their heart.
What
I’m trying to say is if one is sincere about giving their life to Jesus, they
need to be willing to let the Holy Spirit come into their heart and place
conviction upon them of their sinful lifestyle and turn from it. If a person is
not willing to do this, then they are not repentant. A life style change in a
person will be evident when they are Born Again.
Testimonies from Born Again Believers:
Joymarie; As far as I can remember I believed...as a
little girl I knew that Jesus would take care of me and that he had a plan...I
have traveled a few paths to walk closer
with Jesus and along the way many people have touched my heart....as far as
Born Again...I don't remember a radical conversion... just a stronger
understanding and deep belief that Jesus died for my sins and he loves me and
he will take care of all my needs...It’s like a light bulb was turned on...and
I get it....of course it wasn't a 15 watt bulb but a 600 watt GROW LIGHT...I feel that I have
changed but there is always an ongoing struggle.
Every time I have given a problem to the
Lord.....he has resolved it ...maybe not the way I wanted... but it would be the best way in
the end. He is an awesome Lord
But for me...it is very hard to live in the
world and not be of the world....struggle, struggle. I guess you can say the
devil is working overtime. Thank
God...he is a forgiving and a loving Lord...
Jeremy; I was driving home late one Sunday night
when I gave my heart to the Lord. Things I notice in order; Strong desire to
learn scripture and study the Bible; Bad language stopped immediately; Stopped
drinking 3 months later; Stopped chewing 6 months later.
Even though I still have
worries from time to time, I know Jesus is there in control which is very
comforting.
Kate; I was saved/born again in the summer of
2007, after seeking information pertaining to prophesy and end time events.
Salvation wise, I thought that I was O.K. with God, but in the process of
researching end time events, I stumbled across info. and verses in the Bible
that caused me to either choose and believe in the thoughts and ways in which I
was raised, or believe in the Word of God. When I finally saw myself as a
sinner who deserved to go to Hell, and not as a righteous (self-righteous)
person, who was hoping to get to Heaven by living a "good" life and
being a "good" person, I asked God to forgive me and save me from
Hell, and He did! (I Jn.1:9) I had to see and admit that I was lost and
deserved to go to Hell before I could be saved. Ignorance of the Bible caused
me to have faith in my own thoughts and ideas, rather than in the truth of the
Word. I did not realize that the punishment for even just one sin was eternal
death. (Rom.6:23, James 2:10, Rom. 2:12, II Thess.1:7-9, Ezek.18:20, Eccl.7:20,
Rom.3:23) When I came to terms with my inability to live up to God's standard
of righteousness (Jesus Christ, Rom.2:16, Acts 17:31) I only had 2 choices to
make: Either A. to not believe the Bible and continue to ease my mind by having
faith in my own self-righteousness, or B. Repent of my shortcomings
(sins)/self-righteousness and place my faith in the righteousness of Christ,
which is then imputed to a believing soul. Rom. 4:3,5,6,11,20-24, Rom.3:22,28,
II Cor.5:21, Phillip.3:9) I was very much like the religious Jews of Jesus’
day, was ignorant of God's righteousness (Jesus) and went about going and
trying to establish my own righteousness by how I acted and lived.(Rom.10:2-4)
Once I decided to place my faith in the Bible and what it said (faith in who
Jesus is, and faith in what Jesus has done at the Cross. Rom.3:24-25) and
forsook all of my own righteousness and my own ability to get to Heaven, I had
no choice, but to cling to Jesus and place all my faith in his substitutionary
death and atonement upon the Cross for the forgiveness of MY sins, and receive
his imputed righteousness deposited to my account.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to
him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God."
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe it with
your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord Jesus I know I
am a sinner. I confess my sins to you; I
am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a sinful
lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all of my
sins. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.” (John 3:16,17;
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
