Good morning. So all of
these people of faith that the writer of Hebrews has been talking about made it
clear that they were seeking a country of their own. If they had been thinking
of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to
return. They kept their eyes on the prize. Remember the people of Israel in the
wilderness – when things got rough, they began to bemoan what they had left
behind in Egypt. These people of faith did not. They did not say "woe is
me – things are bad". They kept looking forward and not back. They did not
say "it is too hard – I'm going back". They desired a better country,
that is a heavenly one. And because of that God was not ashamed to be called their
God; for He has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested,
offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only
begotten son. It was a long and hard road to get Isaac. Now God was asking him
to give up his only hope for the promise. Could we do that? I doubt it. He
considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he
received him back as a type. Look at Adam with Eve. God told him that in the
day that you eat of the tree, you will die. Eve ate; but she didn't drop dead.
Adam should've said "if you die, you die – I believe God will give me
someone better than you". You might say that "Adam ate his
promise". He did not want to be separated from Eve. We have to have faith
that even though it looks like the promise has died; God will bring it back to
life again or give us something better! Father thank You that the reader trusts
in You to keep Your promises, even if they look dead.
Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God
Good morning. While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. Jesus was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. It doesn’t say, but I assume it is still during this time of the Passover. This man came to Jesus by night. Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do the signs that You do unless God is with him. It just said that the people believed in His name because of the signs He was doing; yet it does not say what those signs were. Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. That is why unbelievers cannot tell what is of the kingdom of God and what is not – they’re not born again. Nicodemus doesn’t have a clue. How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he? Unless one is born of water and the Spirit ...
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