Give Me the Bible

Born Again

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox

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Series Code: GMTB

Program Code: GMTB000005


00:21 Well good evening and welcome to Thompsonville, Illinois,
00:25 and to the Worship Center here
00:27 at Three Angels Broadcasting Network.
00:30 And from this site
00:32 we are bringing you Give Me The Bible
00:35 with Pastor Kenneth Cox.
00:37 And you know, the Bible is certainly where we find
00:41 the answers to all of the questions that we have
00:44 concerning life...
00:46 the most important questions, for sure.
00:48 And Pastor Cox is going to be covering some subjects
00:52 throughout this entire year one weekend a month
00:56 he'll be covering these subjects in depth.
00:59 So you will be having the opportunity
01:02 to really get into God's Word.
01:05 Tonight the subject is Born Again,
01:08 and this is a basic subject.
01:11 As someone has said this first weekend is Salvation 101
01:15 where we are explaining the basics of salvation.
01:18 It's especially good for those who are new Christians...
01:22 those who have never accepted Christ.
01:24 But those of us who have known the Lord for many years
01:28 find that this is a great review.
01:31 And tonight we invite you to join as Pastor Kenneth Cox
01:35 brings us this very important message.
01:38 But before we listen to Pastor Cox,
01:41 we're going to enjoy a song by Jim Rhodes and Dona Klein
01:46 entitled "Give The World A Smile. "
03:28 Amen, amen. Did you enjoy that?
03:32 Thank you. Thank you Jimmy; thank you Dona.
03:35 Appreciate it very, very much.
03:37 And good evening to each of you.
03:39 Very happy to welcome all of you
03:41 and to welcome all of our audience that is watching by
03:45 television or listening by radio.
03:47 We appreciate you being with us.
03:49 We hope this series has been
03:51 a blessing to you
03:52 in a special way.
03:53 We've been very, very happy
03:55 to have the opportunity to take a look at God's Word.
03:59 Give Me The Bible.
04:02 That's what we want to know about.
04:04 In this particular series we have looked at the question of
04:07 salvation. We've been taking it step by step
04:10 through the different points of salvation,
04:12 and tonight we're looking at Born Again.
04:16 Now we started out talking about the grace of God.
04:19 And we looked at the grace of God. Then we looked at
04:22 what the Bible had to say about repentance.
04:24 And then we found out how confession fit into it.
04:28 And then we looked at faith and acceptance.
04:31 A person that goes through that should understand how to
04:35 accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
04:39 Once you have done that, the scripture says,
04:42 you're born again.
04:43 When you're born again, certain things happen,
04:46 and that's what we're going to look at tonight.
04:48 And we hope that you'll watch for it as we talk about
04:51 what happens when you're born again.
04:53 What takes place? Does that change my life?
04:57 What happens to me?
04:58 Those are some of the questions we are going to be looking at
05:01 as we talk about born again.
05:04 But we want to know what the Bible has to say.
05:07 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible?
05:09 This my only question be.
05:13 The teachings of men so often mislead us.
05:16 What says the Bible to me?
05:18 That's what we're going to be looking at in our next series.
05:23 Our next series is going to be on the second coming
05:26 of Jesus Christ.
05:27 That what we're going to look at.
05:29 What does the Bible say about Jesus coming back?
05:32 The promises that are in God's Word
05:35 concerning the coming of Christ.
05:37 Want to see what that has to say.
05:39 We're going to take a look at the nearness of Christ's return.
05:43 We are going to take a look at the signs of Christ's return.
05:46 We are going to take a look at the manner in which Jesus Christ
05:49 is coming back.
05:51 All those we're going to be looking at.
05:53 And so we hope that you'll be blessed in a special way
05:56 as we take a look at God's Word.
05:58 And be sure and join us this next month as we go into this
06:04 new series on the second coming of Jesus Christ.
06:09 Appreciated so much having Jimmy and Pam Rhodes,
06:13 Dona Klein here playing and singing for us.
06:17 I know that you've been blessed in a special way.
06:19 And we hope that you will continue to be blessed
06:23 as Pam sings for you.
06:40 Everybody needs a little help
06:44 sometimes.
06:46 No one stands alone.
06:51 Makes no difference if you're just a child
06:56 like me, or a king upon a throne.
07:03 For there are no
07:06 exceptions,
07:10 we all stand in the night.
07:16 Everybody needs a friend,
07:21 let me tell you of mine.
07:28 He's my forever friend.
07:34 My leave-me-never friend.
07:40 From darkest night to rainbow's end
07:48 He's my forever friend.
07:56 Even when I turn away He cares for me.
08:02 His love no one can shake.
08:07 Even as I walk away He's by my side
08:14 with every breath I take.
08:19 And sometimes I forget Him,
08:25 my halo fails to shine.
08:31 Sometimes I'm not His friend
08:37 but He is always mine.
08:45 He's my forever friend.
08:51 My leave-me-never friend.
08:56 From darkest night
08:59 to rainbow's end
09:04 He's my forever friend.
09:12 If you still don't know the one I'm talking of,
09:18 I think it's time you knew.
09:24 Long ago and far away upon a cross
09:30 my friend died for you.
09:35 So if you'd like to meet Him
09:41 and don't know what to do.
09:48 Ask my friend into your heart
09:53 and He'll be your friend too.
10:01 He's my forever friend.
10:06 My leave-me-never friend.
10:12 From darkest night
10:15 to rainbow's end
10:20 He's my forever friend.
10:26 He's my forever
10:32 friend.
10:58 Heavenly Father, this evening we come to You
11:03 placing our lives in Your hands,
11:07 asking for Your guidance, Your direction.
11:11 Praying, Lord, that as we open Your Word
11:14 that You will give us understanding.
11:17 That the Holy Spirit will give us enlightenment.
11:22 That we each might understand and know
11:27 how to walk with You day by day.
11:30 This we pray in Christ's name, Amen.
11:39 Let's suppose tonight that you're very, very wealthy.
11:46 Not only are you very wealthy
11:49 but God has blessed you
11:52 and you have a very, very remarkable personality.
11:58 People are just drawn to you,
12:01 and you have a nice way of meeting people and all.
12:05 Not only that, but God has endowed you with a very high IQ.
12:11 You're very, very intelligent.
12:14 And because of your personality,
12:16 because of your wealth,
12:20 because of your intelligence
12:21 you have risen to one of the highest offices in the country.
12:26 At the same time that this is happening
12:29 that you've risen to that office
12:32 there's another person... same period of time...
12:36 He also has a magnetic personality
12:40 and people are attracted to Him.
12:43 And intelligent?
12:45 I mean, they come... they flock from everywhere
12:49 just to listen to Him talk.
12:52 Except there's a difference.
12:54 Uh, He's poor.
12:58 He doesn't have any money.
13:01 And also sometimes He says things
13:07 that just don't set right with the establishment.
13:11 They don't like it too well.
13:14 And because of this, some of your colleagues
13:18 have said: "Well, He's devil-possessed, " you know.
13:22 But you have been strangely drawn to Him,
13:25 and the things that you have heard Him say
13:28 just touched your heart
13:30 and you wanted to be able to find out more.
13:34 So now you know why Nicodemus went to Jesus by night.
13:39 Talked to Him. Said: "We know that You are a teacher
13:42 that's come from God. "
13:44 And as He talked with Nicodemus,
13:47 Jesus went right to the heart of the matter.
13:51 And He said here in John the third chapter:
14:04 He said: "Nicodemus, you have to be born again
14:08 or you can't see the kingdom of God. "
14:11 And Nicodemus said to Him:
14:13 "You know, what are You talking about? "
14:38 I hope you are putting together what Jesus is saying.
14:42 He said: "Unless you're born again,
14:46 you can't enter the kingdom of God. "
14:49 That is an absolute requirement.
14:51 You can't get in there unless you have been born again.
14:54 You can't get in there tonight, friend, by going to church.
15:00 Can't get there that way.
15:03 The only way you're going to get into the kingdom of God
15:06 is you've got to be born again.
15:10 That's clear, and we don't need to try to take it any other way.
15:14 You have to be born again to enter the kingdom of God.
15:18 Necessary.
15:28 Put that text down.
15:31 When Jesus said that, He was stating a truth
15:35 that you need to understand.
15:37 That "that which is born of flesh is flesh;
15:40 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "
15:51 Now, being born again, folks,
15:56 doesn't always mean that you're aware of it
16:01 because watch what Jesus has to say here:
16:22 They... doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be
16:28 struck by lightning.
16:32 That's what it's saying. Doesn't mean you necessarily
16:34 going to be struck by lightning
16:35 because sometimes it happens and people aren't even aware
16:41 that something has taken place.
16:43 Excuse me for getting to the vernacular in taking about it.
16:47 But we're talking about being born again.
16:50 Just like there's women that get pregnant and don't know it.
16:54 OK? There's people that are born again...
16:57 the same thing happens: they're born again.
17:00 They didn't have some fantastic feeling.
17:04 They weren't struck by lightning or anything like that,
17:08 but it took place and they were born again.
17:12 Same here is what Jesus is talking about.
17:14 If you want to understand what Jesus was talking about
17:18 when He was talking to Nicodemus and said:
17:20 "you must be born again, "
17:21 you kind of have to put yourself in the place of God.
17:26 What do I mean by that?
17:29 What I mean by that is let's say that you have the ability
17:34 to create.
17:37 OK? You can create.
17:39 Now if you have the ability to create,
17:43 you have to decide how you're going to create.
17:47 Because you have that ability, therefore, if you're going to
17:50 make something, you've got to decide
17:52 how you're going to make it.
17:55 So when God decided to make man
17:58 He had to make certain decisions how He was going to make us.
18:03 And it says this:
18:12 So the scripture is very clear.
18:14 God made a decision, said: "We're going to make man
18:17 in Our image, in Our likeness. "
18:28 God made them in His image.
18:32 Well if you tonight are in the image of God...
18:37 OK? That's what the scripture says it is...
18:40 Then what is God like?
18:43 You're created in the image of God, in His likeness.
18:48 What is God like?
18:49 Well the scripture tell us what He's like
18:52 because it says this:
19:03 So the scripture tell us clearly
19:05 that God is Spirit and that you and I must worship Him
19:09 in spirit and in truth.
19:11 But, God created man
19:14 and since God created man in God's likeness
19:19 and He created man to be able to communicate and talk with Him
19:24 therefore He had to give man a spiritual nature.
19:31 In order for man to communicate with God,
19:35 he had to have a spiritual nature.
19:37 So, He created man with a nature of flesh
19:41 and a spiritual nature BOTH.
19:43 Had both of them and, therefore, God could communicate
19:47 and talk with man... made him that way.
19:51 And so we read that he had flesh.
19:55 You and I don't have any trouble with that;
19:57 we know what that is. OK?
19:59 And He made him spiritual so that He could communicate.
20:03 And God came down in the Garden of Eden
20:08 in the cool of the evening and visited with man...
20:10 talked to him.
20:17 To care for it: tend it and keep it.
20:26 Said: "I've made everything here for you.
20:28 All yours. Take care of it.
20:31 Look after it. You can eat of anything in the garden you want
20:35 to BUT... "
20:50 God said: "Now, any tree here in the garden you want to eat of
20:54 you may. This one tree over here... you don't eat of it. "
20:58 "Thou shalt not eat... "
21:02 Folks, I think that's clear, isn't it?
21:06 "Thou shalt not eat... " Clear, you know?
21:11 Just like the commandments.
21:14 "Thou shalt not kill. " Clear!
21:16 Don't have any... You know, you ought to be able to
21:18 understand that when God says that type of thing
21:21 in His commandments.
21:22 So He said: "Thou shalt not eat... in the day that you
21:25 eat of it you're going to die. "
21:29 Well you remember, the serpent tempted Eve, right?
21:36 And Eve ate of the tree.
21:40 And she took the fruit and gave it to Adam,
21:44 her husband, and he ate.
21:46 Did they die?
21:51 Did they die that day?
21:55 This is a very important point!
21:57 Did they die that day?
22:00 Well, it says this:
22:13 Please notice: they ate. Now what are they doing?
22:16 Hiding.
22:20 What happened?
22:22 Let me tell you something. The moment... the moment that
22:25 Adam and Eve ate of that tree
22:29 that spiritual nature died.
22:34 Right there. Died.
22:37 So that when God came down in the cool of the evening
22:40 they hid themselves.
22:42 They didn't want to see God; they didn't want to talk to Him.
22:44 The spiritual nature had died right there.
22:48 And all that was left of Adam and Eve
22:53 was only flesh.
22:56 That's it... nothing else.
22:57 And thus it tells us:
23:12 And so the scripture says that death passed upon everybody.
23:16 In other words, that spiritual nature died and all that was
23:21 left of them was only flesh.
23:24 And then when Adam and Eve had children,
23:31 the only thing that Adam and Eve could pass on to their children
23:36 was only flesh.
23:41 And the only thing your parents
23:45 could pass on to you
23:48 was just flesh.
23:51 And the only thing you can pass on to your children
23:56 is only flesh.
24:01 You see, the spiritual nature died, and the only way
24:06 you can get it back is you have to be born again.
24:12 You see, I run onto parents who say:
24:14 "Well, I'm going to send my son off here to one of our colleges
24:19 to a Christian college.
24:20 Maybe he'll meet a nice
24:22 Christian girl
24:23 and he'll start serving the Lord. "
24:25 That isn't how it works, folks.
24:27 Doesn't work that way. You have to be born again.
24:32 It's what's required.
24:34 Won't work any other way.
24:36 Has to be born again.
24:38 And so, when you and I come into this world...
24:41 I'm sorry to have to tell you this...
24:44 but when we come into this world we are born half dead.
24:49 You are born only flesh,
24:52 and you have to be born again.
24:55 How?
24:56 How am I born again?
24:58 I've spent the last four presentations talking to you
25:02 about how to be born again.
25:05 I'm going to quickly give you a little review
25:08 of how to be born again.
25:10 And if there's some of you that are watching
25:12 by television or listening through the radio
25:15 and you haven't been involved in these other presentations,
25:19 tonight if you haven't been born again, listen carefully.
25:23 Take hold of what it says, because God is willing to
25:26 give you a spiritual nature
25:29 if you'll just reach out and accept it.
25:31 So let's see how we are born again.
25:34 1. We are born by the Word of God.
25:37 Now this may sound simple,
25:39 but that's exactly what the scripture says.
25:42 That you are born by the Word of God. Listen:
26:09 In other words it's telling me that in this book
26:13 I can find eternal life.
26:17 I can find a spiritual nature in the Word of God.
26:20 Through the Word of God I can be born again.
26:24 Let's look at another one.
26:31 Now listen carefully:
26:40 Where has been given us exceedingly great
26:42 and precious promises?
26:45 In the Word of God.
26:46 That's where we have exceeding great and precious promises.
26:50 All right?
27:05 So through the Word of God you and I can be born again.
27:11 This is how it takes place.
27:13 So, as I read the Word of God
27:17 I understand what Jesus Christ has done for me.
27:22 I understand the grace of God.
27:26 I understand His love,
27:28 His kindness, what He wants to do for me.
27:32 I can reach out in faith and believe.
27:44 OK, you're reading the Word... you're hearing the Word of God
27:48 and what?
27:56 Do you have everlasting life?
27:59 Dear friend, if you have taken God's Word
28:04 and you believe in Him,
28:06 He says He will give you everlasting life.
28:16 That's what God does for us.
28:18 Marvelous what He does for us!
28:21 Gives you a new nature... a spiritual nature.
28:25 Watch:
29:02 So it says that you and I by faith,
29:05 understanding what the Word of God says,
29:08 can reach out and accept that.
29:11 And when you do that, dear friend,
29:14 you are born again.
29:17 That's where you and I receive a new nature.
29:22 OK? Born again.
29:25 Given a new nature.
29:27 Please get something clear.
29:29 You are born again,
29:32 but you're born again as a baby.
29:37 You're not born again as an adult.
29:44 You don't come into God's kingdom as an adult...
29:48 you come in as a babe.
29:50 That's the way you're born again.
29:52 This is what it says about it:
30:06 I am born again, I have been given a spiritual nature,
30:10 but that spiritual nature is just a babe.
30:15 That's all... just a babe.
30:27 You have a new nature. You have been born again.
30:32 You have been given back a spiritual nature.
30:35 What many people don't understand
30:38 is this spiritual nature that God has given you.
30:42 Now folks, this is not something you earn.
30:44 Not something that you had anything to do with other than
30:47 God, out of His grace and His mercy,
30:50 has given you a new nature.
30:53 But that new nature cannot sin.
30:57 The new nature cannot sin.
31:01 I want you to listen to a couple of scriptures:
31:22 You see, that nature is a spiritual nature.
31:26 It cannot sin. It's impossible for it to sin.
31:30 The spiritual nature... Let's look at one more:
31:44 So that spiritual nature that God gives you
31:48 does not sin.
31:53 But at the same time, you've got an old nature.
31:58 The Bible calls that "the flesh. "
32:02 Let me tell you something: the old nature can sin.
32:06 In fact, it likes to.
32:09 That's part of the old nature.
32:11 Something else about the old nature, folks...
32:13 it's full grown.
32:15 Full grown... it's not a baby.
32:19 It's full grown.
32:32 Yeah, he's full grown.
32:35 He is absolutely contrary to God.
32:41 Understand that now folks.
32:43 I've run onto too many people who have accepted Christ
32:48 and they spend all their time trying to dress up the old man.
32:54 Trying to make him presentable.
32:56 Hoping that maybe some way, somehow,
32:59 he'll act like he ought to.
33:02 No, he's not going to act like he should.
33:05 It's an old man of sin. It won't ever happen.
33:10 Quit trying to dress up the old man.
33:18 You see folks, there's nothing wrong with God's law.
33:21 People that attack God's law don't know what they're doing.
33:24 God's law is spiritual.
33:31 Do you know what that word carnal means?
33:34 Huh? Yeah, you've eaten chile con carne.
33:37 Yeah. It means flesh; that's what it is.
33:42 I'm flesh.
33:43 The law is spiritual but I'm flesh.
33:46 I have to be born again.
33:53 talking about the spiritual nature...
34:19 See, the old man of sin...
34:22 he's not going to do what's right.
34:25 He's not going to follow that at all.
34:30 So you have a struggle for control.
34:33 Now dear friend put it down, because here's where many,
34:37 many Christians mess up
34:39 because there's a struggle for control.
34:44 BUT when you come to Christ and you accept Him
34:47 and He gives you a new nature, things are not equal.
34:53 Understand that.
34:55 The new nature is a babe.
34:59 The old nature is full grown.
35:03 Let me tell you something else:
35:04 the old nature doesn't like the baby.
35:07 Understand that. He doesn't like the baby.
35:11 He's going to stomp on it every chance he gets.
35:15 Just isn't equal at all here.
35:18 And that's why so many Christians have trouble
35:21 is because all of a sudden when the old man of sin
35:25 raises his ugly head, they don't understand what's going on.
35:30 And the baby... about all it can do is cry.
35:36 There's some things you've gotta do.
35:41 This is talking about Abraham's sons
35:47 Isaac and Ishmael... those two sons.
35:52 And you remember, one was born of the flesh.
35:55 What does that mean?
35:57 That was born out of Abraham's doing, OK?
36:01 The other was born out of promise. That was God's doing.
36:05 OK.
36:20 That means that the old man of sin is going to persecute
36:24 the baby.
36:27 It's what's going to happen. Might as well understand that
36:31 if you're going to grow.
36:42 You see, you and I have to learn to walk in the Spirit.
36:49 Because if you don't,
36:51 then all you're doing
36:53 is feeding the old man.
36:57 You're gettin' him stronger all the time;
36:59 the baby's gettin' weaker.
37:15 Like I told you, they don't like one another.
37:18 There's nothing compatible about 'em.
37:22 So you can't take the old man and say: "Well,
37:26 I'm going to take you to church. "
37:29 He doesn't want to go to church.
37:33 That's not where he wants to go.
37:36 It's the spiritual nature that wants to go to church...
37:40 not the old man.
37:43 And so you've got to learn there are certain things
37:46 you have to do.
38:02 You see the old man... he's got to die.
38:09 That's what's got to happen.
38:10 He's got to die.
38:12 And the new one, the new nature, needs to start growing.
38:18 Bigger, stronger, day by day.
38:22 This is what has to take place.
38:39 You see, that's all you can do to the old man is crucify him.
38:43 And you and I must every day
38:48 get up and crucify that old man of sin.
38:53 You've gotta... And you can't even just do it once, folks.
38:58 You gotta do it time, and time, and time again
39:02 because he'll raise his ugly head over, and over, and over.
39:06 And so you have to raise... you have to take him
39:09 and crucify him. And that's what Paul's talking about
39:13 when he says here:
39:14 "I have been" what?
39:16 "crucified with Christ. "
39:18 He's talking about the old, fleshly nature.
39:28 Now if you're wantin' to have a Christian life,
39:31 if you're wantin' to walk with the Lord,
39:33 if you want to know what it is to walk with the Lord,
39:36 then QUIT.
39:37 Quit walking in the flesh and start walking in the Spirit.
39:41 Take the old man of sin and crucify him
39:44 and walk in the Spirit day by day.
39:48 What a difference it will make in your life
39:52 when you learn to walk...
39:54 Oh, I'm not telling you that crucifying the old man of sin
39:58 will be a pleasant experience.
40:01 It's not going to be a very pleasant experience because
40:05 the old man of sin is going to fight you.
40:07 And it's going to be hard.
40:09 But you've got to crucify him and you have to do something
40:15 for the baby.
40:28 That's what you and I must do day by day.
40:33 So, how does the new nature grow?
40:38 What do I have to do?
40:39 This... this new nature's coming in as a baby.
40:44 What do I have to do? It's got to grow.
40:46 That is absolutely necessary
40:48 if you are going to find victory in your life.
41:03 A babe.
41:04 All right. The newborn babe desires the...
41:13 In other words, it's telling you that this is food
41:16 for the baby. Do you understand?
41:19 It's food for the baby. The problem is
41:22 is people accept Christ
41:24 and they're given a spiritual nature.
41:27 But it's given to them
41:29 as a babe, OK?
41:32 And the old man of sin
41:34 does not like the baby
41:38 and so he's going to fight you.
41:42 What do I mean by that?
41:44 Well, let's say you have a newborn baby in the home
41:48 and three o'clock in the morning it starts crying...
41:54 wants to eat.
41:57 So what do you do?
42:00 Huh?
42:01 Well you lay in the bed and say: "Ah, quit crying.
42:04 Just go back to sleep.
42:08 I don't want to get up.
42:10 I don't want to go in there and feed you.
42:12 Just... just go on back to sleep. "
42:16 No! You get up and you feed the baby.
42:21 OK. People become Christians, they accept Christ,
42:26 they are given a spiritual nature.
42:27 And the spiritual nature is crying to be fed,
42:31 and the old man of sin is saying:
42:33 "Go on to sleep; don't pay any attention to it. "
42:37 And it fights you.
42:39 Dear friend, I don't care what it is.
42:42 If you've accepted Christ and given your heart to Him,
42:45 I don't care whether you feel like it or whether you don't...
42:49 FEED THE BABY!
42:52 You've got to pick it up and feed it.
42:55 You've got to give it God's Word.
42:57 It has to have that to grow,
43:00 and it won't grow without it.
43:02 And you cannot, day in and day out,
43:05 starve that baby and expect it to live.
43:11 You've got to feed it,
43:14 and you feed it day by day by day
43:18 of God's Word.
43:20 And as you feed it, it'll grow stronger.
43:37 OK. So you feed the baby by the Word of God.
43:43 That's how you feed the baby.
43:46 The way the baby breathes is by prayer.
43:52 Prayer is the breath of the soul.
43:54 That's how the baby breathes,
43:57 and you've got to let it breathe.
44:02 Parents go to great expenses
44:05 to make sure that they know that that baby is breathing.
44:10 Same thing is true spiritually, dear friend.
44:13 If you don't let that baby breathe,
44:16 it's going to die.
44:19 Therefore prayer is absolutely vital
44:23 in the Christian experience.
44:25 That's what helps the baby grow.
44:29 And so if you feed the baby,
44:33 you let it breathe,
44:36 then what else do you have to do?
44:40 Hmmm?
44:42 Well, you've got to let the baby exercise.
44:46 You know? I'm sorry, but I've run onto too many
44:49 Christians that eat and breathe, and all they've done is
44:54 grown great big and fat.
44:59 You've got to exercise. Necessary.
45:03 And I exercise, the scripture tell me, by sharing God's Word.
45:09 That's how I exercise my faith.
45:12 Faith is like a muscle...
45:15 it has to be used to become stronger.
45:18 And so I must use it.
45:20 And as I do so, it will become stronger.
45:23 The baby will become stronger.
45:25 That is required for that child to grow.
45:28 If I do that, it makes a great, great difference.
45:33 Very important text here, folks:
45:57 Two things I want to tell you about this
46:00 because I run onto some people that make wrecks
46:04 of their Christian experience.
46:07 There was a man who walked into an Indian village.
46:15 Told the people that he could make gold.
46:19 They gathered around him, took out a bucket,
46:23 poured some water in the bucket,
46:25 took out a little sack of chemicals,
46:28 poured some chemicals in the water,
46:31 began to stir it with a stick and to repeat meaningless words.
46:35 And as he stirred the pot, something happened...
46:39 and the attention of the people was distracted.
46:43 And when their attention was drawn away,
46:46 he dropped into the pot two nuggets of gold.
46:49 Continued to stir it, and after stirring it for quite some time
46:53 he stopped and poured off the water
46:55 and lo and behold, in the bottom of that bucket
46:58 was two nuggets of gold.
47:01 And everybody oohed and aahed.
47:03 And the businessmen in the town offered him 1,500 rupees
47:08 if he would just tell them how to make gold...
47:11 which after some consideration he decided he would.
47:14 He gave them the bucket.
47:16 Told them how much water to put in it.
47:19 Gave them the sack of chemicals.
47:22 Told them what words to say
47:24 and how long they were to stir the pot.
47:26 And they gave him 1,500 rupees
47:30 and he turned and walked away from the crowd.
47:34 When he got out to the edge of the crowd he stopped
47:37 and he said:
47:38 "I forgot to tell you one thing.
47:40 When you stir the pot
47:43 you must not think of the red-faced monkey. "
47:49 But lo and behold, every time they stirred the pot
47:53 on the edge sat the red-faced money.
47:57 You see, there are a lot of people that wreck their
48:00 Christian experience because they focus on sin.
48:05 They spend all their time thinking about their sins
48:07 and that type of thing. No, dear friend.
48:10 Don't do that; get your mind off that.
48:12 The old man of sin would rather be thought of badly than
48:16 not be thought of at all.
48:19 Get your mind off of him.
48:21 Put your mind on spiritual things.
48:23 Walk with the Lord; follow Him in that respect.
48:26 Makes a great difference where you concentrate
48:29 and where you put your mind.
48:32 One other thing I want to mention about this
48:35 because it says here that we are
48:38 "being transformed into the same image. "
48:43 By beholding we are transformed into the same image.
48:52 Some while back, Maddy Couperus, who sang
48:56 with us for quite some time, handed me an article
49:00 she had clipped out of a book.
49:03 Or I should say photocopied
49:05 out of a book called
49:07 Chicken Soup for the Soul.
49:09 Anyhow, this little article was about a family
49:13 who had a little dog.
49:15 And this little dog was very, very dear to them
49:18 and they enjoyed it.
49:20 And on this particular day
49:24 they were out mowing the lawn.
49:26 And it had rained the night before,
49:29 and this little dog of theirs' was pregnant.
49:32 And many, many times when they mowed the lawn
49:36 she would just run around and bark but never got close enough
49:41 to the lawnmower to be a problem.
49:43 And so they didn't see a problem at all.
49:45 And they were mowing the lawn,
49:46 and she was running and barking after them.
49:48 And she came running towards the lawnmower,
49:52 and when she got ready to stop and turn, the grass was slick...
49:57 and not being able to stop, she slid
50:01 right up under the lawnmower and it cut off her two hind legs.
50:05 They grabbed her up; rushed her to the veterinarian.
50:11 And the veterinarian examined her and said:
50:14 "We've got two choices. "
50:16 He said: "I can put her to sleep. "
50:18 He said: "There's not anything wrong with the puppies.
50:22 She's fine. I can sew up the stubs.
50:26 You can take her home.
50:27 She'll probably be able to give birth without any problem
50:30 if you want to do that. "
50:32 Well the children begged the parents to have him just
50:35 sew up the stubs and take her home...
50:37 which they finally consented to do.
50:40 Well they took this little dog home, and to their absolute
50:43 surprise, in no time at all she learned to get around...
50:47 to walk. She'd take a couple steps with her front feet
50:51 and then she would flip those two hind stubs underneath her.
50:55 Take a couple more steps and flip behind...
50:56 and she could get around all over the house.
50:58 And she got around all over the house,
51:01 and she gave birth to the puppies.
51:04 And all the puppies were just fine.
51:06 And they were just, you know, like...
51:09 They were normal little puppies just in every way
51:13 just like little dogs except they had one problem.
51:18 They all walked like their mother.
51:23 You see, by beholding we become changed.
51:28 And so you and I are to behold Jesus Christ.
51:33 That we are to keep our eyes on Him.
51:37 And if we will do that, it says,
51:39 this will bring about the change that is necessary in our lives,
51:43 dear friend. I have to take the old man of sin
51:48 and crucify him,
51:49 and I have to keep my eyes on Jesus Christ.
51:55 It makes a great, great difference. It says:
52:14 See, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
52:31 You see, faith in the Lord... that's what overcomes.
52:35 And so dear friend, tonight
52:37 I hope you have been born again
52:42 to give your life to Him new.
52:44 And as you do so, walk... walk in the Spirit.
52:49 God will bless you. Listen as Pam sings.
53:02 Nothing between
53:06 my soul and the Savior,
53:11 Habits of life
53:14 though harmless they seem,
53:20 I have renounced
53:25 all sinful pleasure,
53:30 Jesus is mine;
53:34 there's nothing between.
53:40 Nothing between
53:43 my soul and the Savior,
53:48 So that His blessed
53:52 face may be seen;
53:58 Nothing preventing
54:01 the least of His favor,
54:06 Keep the way clear!
54:10 Let nothing
54:13 between.
54:18 If you haven't been born again,
54:22 won't you today?
54:24 Reach out simply in faith.
54:27 Accept Him. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior
54:32 and receive from Him a spiritual nature.
54:36 Oh, dear friend, that's what changes you.
54:40 That's what makes you different
54:42 is this new nature
54:43 that Christ gives you.
54:45 Won't you accept that today
54:47 simply by faith?
54:49 That's all you have to do. You just say: "Yes, Lord.
54:53 I'm accepting You into my heart
54:55 as my Savior. I'm giving my life to You.
54:58 Make me a new person in Christ Jesus. "
55:03 And if you do that in faith,
55:05 He in turn will accept you and give you a new life in Him.
55:10 This He promises to you and to me.
55:14 This is what it means to be born again.
55:17 And to be born again is absolutely necessary
55:22 if you and I are going to enter into the kingdom of God.
55:26 So I'm inviting you tonight... Reach out.
55:30 Accept Jesus Christ by faith
55:33 and receive a new nature from Him,
55:37 and it will change your life
55:39 and make you completely different in more ways
55:44 than you have any understanding.
55:48 Go to God. Follow what the Word says.
55:51 What says the Bible?
55:54 Jesus said in John the sixth chapter
55:57 "I am the living bread that cometh down from heaven
55:59 that a man may eat thereof and not die.
56:03 He who comes to Me will never hunger or never thirst. "
56:07 He went on to say: "The words that I speak unto you
56:11 they are spirit and they are life.
56:14 Just as the Father sent Me and I live because of the Father,
56:18 so he who eats of this bread will live because of Me. "
56:25 So many people in this world are literally starving and weak
56:29 because they do not feed on the Word of God.
56:32 Their minds are filled with matters of minor importance
56:36 instead of eating the bread which came down from heaven.
56:39 If they would only eat the Bread of Life,
56:42 they would be regenerated and renewed.
56:45 The bread sent down from heaven would give them new life.
56:48 The Holy Spirit would show them things of God.
56:51 As we feed upon the Word,
56:53 we would become new creatures in Christ.
56:58 Our whole ministry exists for one purpose only:
57:01 to bring the Bread of Life to those who are hungering
57:04 and thirsting for truth.
57:05 I wish you could see the eagerness with which they
57:08 take hold of the spiritual food that we offer them.
57:11 I wish you could see the light that comes on in their eyes
57:15 as they accept Him as their Savior.
57:17 Christ is able, Christ is willing,
57:20 Christ is longing to save all who will come unto Him.
57:25 Please pray for these souls.
57:27 And I hope you will consider supporting our ministry
57:31 as we continue to offer Jesus, the Bread of Life,
57:35 to all who are hungry and thirsty for new life.
57:39 We thank you for your support.
57:42 If the Holy Spirit impresses you to support this ministry,
57:45 please send your tax-deductible gifts to:
58:01 Thank you for helping us to bring the gift of salvation
58:04 to millions all over the world.


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Revised 2014-12-17