ABANDONED At BIRTH-III—John 3:1-21
Concessions For New Birth
Attention:
The environment of the womb—Life there is very different from that outside the womb.
The womb must be abandoned by the baby in order to experience life as intended.
Likewise, when you are saved/born again/born from above, you must abandon everything ‘you’ are holding onto for whatever reason. You must let go in order to be & have what God wants you to be & have. Unless you surrender your hold on the things of earth, you are not allowing God to give you the Kingdom of Heaven.
In God’s scheme of life for mankind, New Birth—being born again— is the only means of...growing close to God, finding power in prayer, being faithful in service, finding God’s purpose in life, becoming dedicated to His direction.
Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus yielded the essentials of being born again.
Being born again is essential to God’s plan.
What is essential to achieve new birth?
What is essential to be born again?
6 Concessions we all must make to achieve a new birth.
6 things abandoned at birth.
‘Concede’—“To admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.”—“To surrender or yield(something that one possesses)”
‘Concession’—“A thing that is granted, especially in response to demands.”—Something surrendered or given up.
We have already found that
Those born from above, Abandon their previous...
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2. LIMITING WISDOM(:3-7)
3—Those born from above, Abandon their previous...
DIRECTION(:8)
Explanation: (:8)
:8—“The wind blows where it wishes, & you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from & where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.””
In the same manner that the wind blows/moves so is everyone who is re-born of the Spirit. The wind blows without its multitudinous currents & directions being foreseen. Its sound(a tell-tale sign of its presence) is detected yet it can neither be seen by the eye & thus none of its paths anticipated.
The actions(as is the sound of the wind) of those born of the Spirit are detectable yet their direction is unknown & ever changing(“cannot tell where it comes from & where it goes”)as the Spirit Himself drives them inwardly according to His perfect will & not according to the fleshly will of the individual.
The Spirit goes about, apart from the control of man. One can observe when the Spirit goes about & hear His voice, but you cannot determine His starting point or end.
In the same manner, are people who are born again. i.e., One cannot see, with the eye(He is invisible), the Spirit’s starting point in another’s life(one’s being born again) or where He will ultimately lead one in his life(in the Spirit), but one can always see the Spirit’s work/movement/influence on their lives.
Nicodemus didn’t understand that the Spirit works in the manner Jesus described, complementary to the flesh & not separate from it.
‘Certainly the conclusion "of the Spirit" is a direct reference to the Holy Spirit who works his own way beyond our comprehension even as men even yet do not know the law of the wind.’—RWP
Folks, This is very difficult & very very telling, for anyone who gets saved after their flesh-driven commitment to a career path. It will set the tone for one’s freedom in Christ. It will set the tone for one’s commitments in the world. It will set the tone for one’s friendships in the world. It will set the tone for one’s reputation in the world. It will set the tone for one’s involvement in the workings of the church. It will set the tone for one’s love’s in general.
It’s not so much whether you can bring God to your workplace, but rather whether you are doing the work God wants you to do in the first place.
“Wind”(See :5—“Spirit”)—pneuma—Strong—A current of air, i.e. Breath(blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively--A spirit, i.e. human--The rational soul, by implication--Vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or superhuman--An angel, demon, or divine--God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit.
—‘“The Spirit” is the use of pneuma as metaphor’—RWP
“Blows”—pnew—Verb—1) To breathe, to blow—1a) Of the wind. Strong—To breathe hard, i.e. Breeze:-- Blow.
“Wishes”—yelw—1) To will, have in mind, intend. yelw is the stronger word of two. It denotes the active resolution, the will urging on to action, while boulomai is rather to have in thought, to intend, to be determined.
“Hear”—akouw—To hear(in various senses).
“Sound”—fwnh—Strong—A tone(articulate, bestial or artificial); by implication--An address(for any purpose), saying or language.
“Tell”(See :11)—oida(variant of eidw—See :3)—1) To see—1a) To perceive with the eyes, 1b) To perceive by any of the senses, 1c) To perceive, notice, discern, discover, 1d) To see—1d1) i.e. To turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything, 1d2) To pay attention, observe, 1d3) To see about something—1d31) i.e. to ascertain what must be done about it, 1d4) To inspect, examine, 1d5) To look at, behold, 1e) To experience any state or condition, 1f) To see i.e. have an interview with, to visit; 2) To know—2a) To know of anything, 2b) To know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive—2b1) Of any fact, 2b2) the force & meaning of something which has definite meaning, 2b3) To know how, to be skilled in, 2c) To have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to(1Th 5:12). To see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception.
Argumentation:
**Jer. 10:23—O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Ps.119:133—Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
—We all must know the written word of God, so our lives will be ordered rightly. However, we must also give ourselves up to not only that ‘distanced’ knowledge but also must surrender ourselves to the ‘personal momentary’ knowledge of the Holy Spirit of God who indwells us. There is vastly more than God’s law that the Israelites really needed. They & you needed a heart to follow it!
—Moses, who heard & penned God’s word, also met with God & needed to hear God’s voice personally momentarily at the Mercy Seat in the Tabernacle...& in prayer!
Lk. 10:1 -2—“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, & sent them two by two before His face into every city & place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
—And what happens?....the Holy Spirit Himself, convicts us of our part in God’s plan—the who, what, when, where, why & how of it all—& we thereby submit ourselves to His DIRECTION.
**1Cor. 2:9-11—“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”
**Acts 8:26-40—[Of Philip’s obedience to/in the Spirit]“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise & go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose & went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, & had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near & overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, & heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, & said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up & sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip & said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, & beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered & said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip & the eunuch went down into the water, & he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; & he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.”
Illustration:
Detecting the movement of a hurricane/It’s path can only be guessed at-reasoned-deduced/Its power can only be assumed/It’s fear can only be based on the past/Weathermen base their calculations on outwardly, physically measurable things such as wind speed & atmospheric pressure & heat & temperature of water & air/Men can only DEDUCE where God will move it or allow it to moveWeathermen Abandon DIRECTION
Unregenerate men can only DEDUCE(from reasoning) where God will move it or allow it to move!
Mark Twain on Conjecture:
In the space of one hundred & seventy-six years the Lower Mississippi has shortened itself two hundred & forty-two miles. That is an average of a trifle over one mile & a third per year. Therefore, any calm person, who is not blind or idiotic, can see that in the Old Oolitic Silurian Period, just a million years ago next November, the Lower Mississippi River was upwards of one million three hundred thousand miles long, & stuck out over the Gulf of Mexico like a fishing-rod. And by the same token any person can see that seven hundred & forty-two years from now the Lower Mississippi will be only a mile & three-quarters long, & Cairo[, IL(the confluence of the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers)] & New Orleans will have joined their streets together, & be plodding comfortably along under a single mayor & a mutual board of aldermen. There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.
from his book:- ‘Life on the Mississippi’-1883
If you use deductive reasoning(conjecture) ONLY, to determine your Direction, then you have entirely missed the boat!
Application:
?Did you Abandon DIRECTION at birth?
?What did you Abandon at birth?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The environment of the womb—Very different from that outside the womb.
Action:
Those born from above, Abandon their previous...
3. DIRECTION(:8)
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2. LIMITING WISDOM(:3-7)
Pt. 3 only! Presented 10/02/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave SE(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-3 Presented 01/02/2011am(no evening services) to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
