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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Born Of Water And Of The Spirit


Bible Questions Answered:
“Pastor we are wondering if you would explain about “except a man be born of water and of the spirit” the meaning here.”
Mandisa/ Johannesburg, South Africa

Bible Answer:
(Confession and spiritual birth.)

Bible Text:
Acts 16:16-34 NLT (Paul and Silas imprisoned.)
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.
17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of The Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace.
20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials.
21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.
23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape.
24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.
26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!
27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.
28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in The Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
32 And they shared the word of The Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.
33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.
34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

Notice the order here! How does one become saved?
Paul and Silas told the Philippian jailer, …
31 Believe in The Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
(Notice Paul didn't say baptism!)

How does one come by faith to believe?
Romans 10:17 KJV
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So, what did Paul and Silas do?
32 And they shared the word of The Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.

And they believed, and as a result of their belief....they were baptized.
Baptism, is a Public Confession, that you believe in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ God's Son, the Savior.

Another example:

Acts 8:26-40 NLT (Philip in Ethiopia.)
26 As for Philip, an Angel Of The Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake (Candace KJV), the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.
32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a Sheep to the slaughter. And as a Lamb is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth.
33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of His descendants? For His life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”
35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.
36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”
38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, The Spirit Of The Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

The Ethiopian eunuch, read the scriptures of Isaiah, but did not understand them. Philip lead by
The Spirit Of God, explained them to him. Scriptures that prophetically spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once again, understanding had to come before faith could be found. Once the Ethiopian, had faith, he, himself remarked “and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”
And the answer was, no reason, and so Philip baptized a believing Christian that day.

First Order: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Word of God.
Second: Public Confession that you do so believe, and we call that Baptism.

No where in the Word of God, are we ever told the opposite to these truths!

Homily:
How absolute silly it would look to see coming down the street, a horse pushing a cart in front of him.
Yet this is exactly what some people would like to do!

Saying that baptism saves, and they do, because by saying so, they would not have to go to the precious Lord Jesus in repentance (for their sins), and faith!

No, the horse comes first and then the cart!

“Pastor what about I Peter 3:21?”
Yes, indeed!

I Peter 3:20-22 (Young's Literal Translation- YLT)
20 ...once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah -- an ark being preparing -- in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;
21 also to which an antitype doth now save us -- baptism, (not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the question of a good conscience in regard to God,) through the rising again of Jesus Christ,
22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone on to heaven -- messengers, and authorities, and powers, having been subjected to him.

Antitype: A person or thing that represents the opposite of someone or something else.

The same water that “slayed” all of wicked humanity in Noah's day, also “saved,” Noah and his family!
Noah's being “saved,” by water, was a demonstration of his, and his' families faith in God!

Genesis 6:8,9 KJV
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of The Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Genesis 7:1 KJV
And The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.

Noah a righteous man, listened and obeyed, before the flood!

Hebrews 11:7 NLT
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

The waters of baptism today, that separate Christian believers from a sinful lost world, are a open demonstration as in Noah's day of our faith and obedience to The Living God.

Was it the waters, by themselves that saved Noah? God saved obedient and faithful, Noah and his family.
Is it Baptism that saves people today? It is God who saves obedient men and women of faith.
Baptism is the (Spiritual Ship) demonstrating that we as Christian people, obey and, have faith in the loving Savior of the world!

Oh the inventions of men, so that they will “not,” have to bow their knees in repentance and faith in The Living God!

Putting the cart in front of the horse, making baptism the saving element, and thus negating repentance, obedience and, faith in The Living God.

Isaiah 45:22-25 KJV
22 Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
24 Surely, shall one say, in The Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed.
25 In The Lord shall all... be justified, and shall glory.

Psalm 62:1,2 KJV
1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my Rock and my salvation..."

John 1:12,13 KJV
12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.

Romans 5:1 KJV
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
St. Paul, you mean it is not by:
Baptism
Church membership
Dedication
Confirmation
Consecration
etc. etc. etc.?
Romans 5:1 KJV
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is The Gift Of God:
9 Not of works (religious works included), lest any man should boast.

Titus 3:4,5 KJV
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of The Holy Ghost;

Much more could be said.

Born Of The Spirit:

Ezekiel 11:19-20 NLT
19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new Spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,
20 so they will obey My decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be My people, and I will be their God.

John 3:6-8 KJV
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of The Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of The Spirit.

Romans 8:5-9 KJV
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after 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, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in The Spirit, if so be that The Spirit Of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not The Spirit Of Christ, he is none of His.

II Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Galatians 5:16-25 NLT
16 So I say, let The Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what The Spirit wants. And The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires (flesh and the Spirit). These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
18 But when you are directed by The Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by The Spirit, let us follow The Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned The Truth that comes from Him,
22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
23 Instead, let The Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Be sure to read the blog posting: Bible Lesson:   Baptism Formula