Posts Tagged ‘sheep’
Why You Must First Be Born Again
John 3:3 KJV
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:4,7-10,12 KJV
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? [7] (Jesus answered) 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. [9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? [10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? [12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Did you ever wonder why Jesus answered Nicodemus the way He did, jumping right in to the need to be born again? I mean, should He have not told Him about accepting Jesus as Savior in order to be saved?
You see, Jesus knew about how the natural (unsaved) man could not understand the things of the Spirit of God unless he was first born again. Actually Jesus hinted at this very need in a number of conversations with the Scribes and Pharisees.
This small conversation with Nicodemus should be enough proof of the need for anyone, who wants to hear and understand the words of Jesus, being born again is the first thing needed. Want more scriptural proof? OK, read the following scriptures.
Speaking to scribes and Pharisees in chapter 8, the conversation goes like this…
John 8:25-27,42-47 KJV
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. [26] I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. [27] They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. [42] Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. [43] Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. [44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. [45] And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. [46] Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? [47] He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Then in chapter 10…
John 10:24-27 KJV
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. [25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. [26] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. [27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
The only way one can belong to God, to be a sheep in His flock, is by being born again. Only then will you hear, understand and believe on Jesus.
Simply put, one must first be born again to belong to God, to be able to hear, understand and believe the words of Jesus, to be known by Him and to follow Him having answered the call of the gospel.
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, nor hear and understand what Jesus says, and be able to believe on Him to be Lord and Savior. How about you, have you truly been born again?
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Have You Heard The Shepherds Voice?
The 23rd Psalm begins with “The Lord is my shepherd”. Pretty much everyone knows that but have you ever heard the Shepherd’s voice?
I am sure that if you believe you are a Christian you will most likely say that you answered a call to accept Jesus and be saved. So, now that you have “accepted” Jesus as savior, you are now saved; right?
What if I told you that unless you have heard the Shepherd call you by name the chances are that you might not be saved! Scary thought is it not.
There was a moment when Jesus was talking with some Pharisees. At one point He made this statement found in John 10:
Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3 To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
Joh 10:4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Read carefully what Jesus is saying, especially in verse 3. He says that being the Shepherd, His sheep will hear His voice and He calls His own sheep by name. Did you get that? Jesus states that He knows all His sheep and He calls them by name.
In verse 4, Jesus tells us that He will go before His sheep and as He calls them by their name, they will follow Him: for they know His voice. Only Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will they follow.
Later on, the Pharisees ask Jesus this question in John 10: 24.
Joh 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long do you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Here is the response that Jesus gave:
Joh 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
Joh 10:26 But you believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Jesus tells them plainly that the reason they do not believe is that they are not of His sheep. The only way they would believe on Jesus would be if they were of His sheep and He has called them by name to follow Him.
If they are not one of His sheep, He will not call them to follow Him and they will not believe on Him no matter what He says because they are not of His sheepfold.
You see, we are to “believe” on the Lord Jesus as we hear Him call our name to follow Him, and as we hear Jesus call our name, we will believe on Him as our Lord, our Shepherd, and we will follow Him willingly.
At this point you might be wondering whom it is who gave us to Jesus to be our Shepherd and us His sheep, to follow Him. In John 10: 29, 30 we read:
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one. (Jesus is God)
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