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 he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. So one
must be born again just to see the kingdom of God; and he must be born of water
and the Spirit to enter it. There are different beliefs about what it means to
be born of water. Some say it means physical birth (you can’t be an angel and enter
into the kingdom); Some say it means water baptism. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. That is like in
genesis where each being comes from its own species. Father thank You that we
are born again. Help us to share that blessing with others.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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