Worship Call 0622 the Gospel outside the Box

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NASB95) — 29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

Proverbs 25:2 (NASB95) — 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

Romans 11:33 (NASB95) — 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Charlie Clough bible teacher who teachers at friendship Baptist church in Jerrettsville Maryland has said; “God hides diamonds where one can find them.”

What did Jesus mean by Water and of the spirit? Does it mean this? or does it mean that? I know what it means by the spirit, but with any confidence I might not be conclusive about the water. This I was struggling with yesterday and working on throughout the day.

I thought that the lesson yesterday was a train wreck. But yet the Lord taught me and beautiful lesson.

I get a text from Mom with mention of the spirit.

Rebecca and I spoke at length over breakfast, and she gave me her thoughts from Ezekiel and confident with her findings of the issue of water.

Tim probably made his own notes and study on the water and pondered his own answers. He didn’t reply with nothing, but I’m sure Tim said to himself, “ah, he’ll figure it out.”

Steve Says all three or four possibilities of what the water and Spirit means are all right and all teacherable being edifying to the heart.

And I finished the day having learned a great lesson from the Lord.

The Lord hides diamonds where it takes some searching and turning over a leaf or two taking an extra effort to find them.

The lesson yesterday as bad as it may have been for me, resulted in at least five people maybe more to think about God’s word, to move around in their own thinking, scripture upon scripture, doctrine upon doctrine, to reach a conclusion. and by time that they had come to a comfortable conclusion in each of their own thinking, regardless of what position they may have taken on spirit and water, each of us built a closer intimacy with God’s word.

After all what does Hebrews tell us?

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (Chapter 4)

Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The word of God beckons us,

“Come search me, find my treasures.”

My ultimate goal as a trainer is not to get you to listen to me and learn something.

I hope you do.

My ultimate goal is for you to fall in Love with the Word of the Lord. To fall in love with his Word, you will fall in Love with Him.

I do not want you to look at the teacher and say, “What a wonderful and smart teacher,” but I want you to see past the teacher and know and say, “What a wonderful Lord we worship and a wonderful gift that He has given us, His written Word!”

Nicodemus left the meeting that night with maybe more questions that answers. first of all having recieved the Chastisement

John 3:10 (NASB95) — 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?

Nicodemus was no dumb man, having acquired the position which he sat as a member of the Sanhedrin. but just because you have a high degree of learning with diplomas on the wall and letters after your name and you have a title means that one is wise. Wisdom being proper application of Knowledge.

We are to grow in knowledge. Our growth comes through the scriptures. But it is not all about academics. Doctrine and theology can put you in a box where you come to think that you have all the clear answers in some organized file to the point being second nature, like 1, 2, 3, and yet be too stiff minded to think in broader terms.

is it not funny that The Samaritan woman at the well came to a quicker understanding of what Jesus was talking about than did Nicodemus.

I had not considered the Samaritan woman and about the water. Being a part of John’s Gospel and not so far away from our passage brings something else into the conversation.

and this came from Brother Mike.

John 4:7–14 (NASB95) — 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Nicodemus was full of Dogmatism and presuppositions and was stuck in a theological box. The woman’s heart heart was not boxed in. She was able to think and reason and came to a quicker understanding. Nicodemus apparently witnessed the signs, but was confused about what Jesus was teaching. The Lord told the woman about her husbands and learned about the water that Jesus offered.

Water and Spirit in this connection are essentially the same thing. Jesus is the Living water. While Jesus is the Living water He is the Logos, the word, which Saves and purifies. It the spirit of God that is the power of regeneration which is taking that which was formerly dead and making it alive; Body, Soul, and spirit.

with that Said

If you stand on the fact that Water means Physical birth, I by no means will argue with you. I see your point and I can build a case for it.

If you stand on the fact that Water is baptism and the doctrines that it supports, I by no means will argue with you. I see your point. and I can sit down and write a sermon for Sunday that will be well recieved.

And if you say that it is that the water is Judgment and it is that which my sins are forgiven which must take place before I am born again. I am happy to oblige the thought. I will give that an, “Amen,” and I will treasure it as truth.

What is so great is that those who love the Lord and God’s word have an interest enough to take a position and stand on it. And that which ever position from above you stand upon is Preachable and edifying to the soul.

Nicodemus is a man that we can love and admire. He will be willing to go outside of the box to find the truth, even facing ridicule from his contemporaries. and in the end I believe that we are going to be able to put Nicodemus’s picture up on the wall of faith.

John 3:6 (NASB95) — 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Considering the first birth, we are brought into this world as a progeny of Adam. We are connected to this world, and worldly we come to be, and worldly thinking we become.

Side point for parents. The best time to win your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren to the Lord is when they are young and not so polluted with world view.

it is never too early the little ones to learn about their God and of salvation. What a blessing it is for those who grow up knowing the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:24 In Adam all Die

we enter into this world universally lost. as this heavens and the earth will pass away so will all flesh, as did the judgement of the flood took it all away. What will remain is the spirit that is connected with the Lord.

while it is that soul connects man to his environment and other souls,

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (NASB95) — 14 But a natural man ψυχικός [psuchikos /psoo·khee·kos/] adj does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NASB95) — 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

It is the spirit that connects man to a relationship with his God.

What is being born of the spirit?

The relationship is built upon

Justification; that our crimes have been dismissed.

Propitiation; that God is satisfied with the work of His Son on the cross on our behalf.

Reconciliation: that the two parties in dispute which are; perfect God as party of the first part, and sinful man as the party of the second part, have been brought together by the work of the mediator on the cross

Redemption; the price was paid in full by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. Christ Died as a substitute for us.

Imputation; having the penalty of sin lifted, God is free without wavering his perfect Justice is to impute to us His very own righteousness.

Baptized in the spirit; For the Church age believer we are indwelt with the holy Spirit who seals the relationship. The third person of the God head is our teacher, our comforter, our mentor, our helper.

Adoption we are no long strangers but we have been brought close to the Lord having been brought into God’s family.

Predestined; That God’s plan for us goes beyond this current life into the life eternal.

can I get an Amen!

You see being born again, means so much much more than simply getting out of hell. Being born again in spirit means a life beyond anything we can ever ask or think.

John 3:7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.

You see, at this point all the learning and doctrine and theology with its dogmatism and presupposition (that he is leaning upon his own understanding) has him hemmed up in a box.

Nicodemus can only accept at this point what he can rationally come to understand through all of his training.

The Plural pronoun we and our I believe is both Jesus as the Living water and the Spirit of God working on the hearts of man in illumination leading the unbeliever to the point where he will he will yield or walk away from the truth.

Caution Nicodemus; You have the opportunity for life right this moment as you stand before Jesus. Walking away, you don’t know if you will get another chance. And by walking away, I mean to dismiss the words of the Lord. Nicodemus will leave, and probably as an unbeliever but one who will continue to ponder all that was said at this meeting.

Nicodemus was a religious person. probably very devout. but he was an unbeliever. I wonder how many Nicodemus one might find in any given church? even Pastors and deacons and Sunday school teachers who think that they are saved but are very much dead in their sin and trespasses like Nicodemus. When you are sharing the life given message of the Gospel, don’t forget to share with Church people.

Adam where are you when God asks a question it is to think

why is that God hides diamonds

intimacy with His word.

My holding back and contiplating all the possiblities lead to so much conversation yestarday as there were those working on what was and what is to be born of water and of spirit.

Mike talked about the living water

Mikes using the process of illimination

Steve spoke that Nic had to know something that he was not applying

Beka

what is all of this is spending time in the word for all of us as worked on and searched scripture in our own minds of the possibilities.

when God asks a question the disciples thinks ponders and explores and all the while it brings us closer to scriputer