Part 3
THE NEW BIRTH
1. "Ye must be born again"
John 3:7
2. "Cleanse first that which is within" Matt. 23:26
3. "Make the tree good, and his fruit good" Matt. 12:33
4. "Abide in Me and I in you"
John 15:4
5. "Have salt in yourselves"
Mark 9:50
6. "Labor, for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life"
John 6:27
7. "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven"
Luke 10:20
Take for example, numbers 5 and 6 above, what do these verses actually mean? How does one accomplish their intent and purpose? Looking for a foundational verse for a sermon? Try one of those. Number seven should give everyone pause for doctrinal consideration. When, where and how does a person get their names written in heaven, or get it “blotted out” of the ‘book’?
Is anyone getting a little ‘stretched” yet?
So, for those who have been counting we are up to number twenty of the ‘instructions’ Jesus gave for righteous living. How many of those could you list – how many have you taught on or used in support of another teaching?
We still have about four of the ‘basics’ to go through, so next we will take a look at: RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT from the words of Christ.
Are you ready to continue on the journey?
Today we start with one of the more difficult instructions in righteousness with:
FOLLOWING JESUS
1. "Follow Me"
John 12:26
2. "Be baptized" Matt. 3:13-15; Matt. 28:19
3. "Take this?(communion) in remembrance of Me"
Luke 22:17-19
4. "Ye also ought to wash one another’s feet"
John 13:14-15
5. "If any man will come after Me let him take up his cross daily"
Luke 9:23
6. "Learn of Me" Matt. 11:29
7. "Continue ye in My love"
John 15:9
What does “follow Me” entail? What does it require of us?
To be baptized. How many of us know how Jesus and the Apostles viewed this ceremony? We can generally quote the verses that define what a baptism should result in – but how many of us actually understand what all of those word mean in a practical sense? For example “to take on Jesus Christ”, or to join with Him in His death, burial and resurrection?
What is the “communion”? Where did it come from and why is it we do not do it as the disciples did during the first three centuries of the ‘church age’?
What is the significance of “washing feet”? What does (did) it mean and what does it signify when Jesus performed the act?
What is the cross we are each to ‘pick up’? How do we do it and what are the expected results?
Then there is the command to ‘Learn of Me”. What is it He desire of us to learn? Once ’learned’, what do we do with that information?
Number seven is a nice short requirement, yet verse 10 continues the thought with, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” This should give everyone of us pause to ponder. Well, are we not in the process of identifying those commandments?
If you can’t get some good sermons out of these instructions you are trying very hard!