I have the privilege of preaching revival services at the Community Bible Church in Camden, SC. Pastor Jerry Peacock has opened this door every year that I have been traveling for our Lord Jesus Christ. I look forward to being with him once again.

Pastor David Cooper has asked me to preach their Homecoming on Sunday, July 21st, at Bible Baptist Church, Marietta, GA. He is also hosting a Baptist Heritage Conference that will run through Wednesday evening, July 24th. I look forward to the Homecoming services, as well as preaching several times during the conference days. You can contact the church for details.

Pastor Ronnie Waters has opened his pulpit for a Revival Meeting, Sunday, April 21st through Wednesday, April 24th. I look forward to being with Brother Waters once again. He and his dear wife are precious saints of God. Pray that I can be a help and a blessing to his congregation during these days.

Pastor Bill Vaughn and Highland Baptist Church will host the Sandhills Jubilee! A great meeting. Preaching every morning and evening. If you can come and be a part of this event, you will be blessed!

Tabernacle Baptist College is a ministry of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Greenville, SC. The Alumni meeting will begin in the Chapel on Monday, March 4th, at 2 p.m. Preachers will be called from among the alumni attending. The college has asked each alumnus to limit his preaching to 15 minutes, to allow for more speakers. Monday’s session will run to around 5 p.m. There is an evening service in the church auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m.

Tuesday is the main day, with sessions starting at 9 am in the chapel. They will break for lunch between noon and 2 pm. From 2 to 5, there will be a special Ladies Meeting. Preaching will resume in the chapel at 2 pm. An Alumni Business Meeting will be conducted around 4:30 pm. The college hosts an Alumni Banquet at 5 pm. The evening service begins at 7 pm.

On Wednesday morning, March 6th, at 9 am, all who wish to attend are invited to a dutch-breakfast (pay for your own) as a great time to say “good-bye” for a while. You can learn which restaurant by contacting the church or college offices.

Pastor Steve Lindsey has invited me to return for the December 2023 Mission Conference, held annually, at Blessed Hope Baptist Church, Alvarado, TX. The services this December of 2022 were a blessing to me. I appreciate the open door to preach each evening, as well as on opening Sunday morning. The many missionaries were a challenge and a blessing. Their lives challenged me to do more for our Lord and Saviour; and, their testimonies and messages thriledl the heart. I look forward to the coming Mission Conference, 2023.

Pastor Jerry Peacock, pastor of Community Bible Church, has opened his pulpit for a meeting, beginning Sunday, September 17th. Two services on Sunday, and evening services Monday thru Wednesday. All evening services will begin at 7 p.m. Community Bible Church in located in Camden, SC.

On April 21st of this year, I was preparing to travel to Blakely, GA, to start a four-day meeting on Sunday, April 23rd. That evening (the 21st), while moving a few things from the car to the house, I became nauseated. I found myself leaning against the garage, spitting up what fluid came to my mouth into a flower container near the entrance. After five minutes or so, it subsided, and I carried a few more things into the house.

When I neared the kitchen on my way back to the garage, it was as if an audible voice told me to sit down. I grabbed the closest chair and sat down at the table. My wife told me later that I was gasping for breathe. She took my blood pressure (180/100), gave me an aspirin and called our youngest son, a physician at a local hospital who was, fortunately, home at the time.

He came over immediately. After using an Apple watch to check my heart beat, he convinced me that I needed a full EKG before leaving town that next morning. I agreed. Vickie and I went to the emergency room at Hillcrest about 7 p.m. that evening.

Their initial blood work showed that my heart was under stress. They knew due to the presence of cardiac enzymes. We had to wait three more hours and have the test run again to know if the enzymes were increasing or decreasing. Their increase meant I was in the process of a heart attack.

By 4 a.m., I had been transferred to Prisma and in a room. That same morning, I underwent a cardiac catheterization. It was then that they discovered my four blockages. The doctor performing the procedure later told me he had to back out, knowing I needed by-pass surgery. He did say that, if I chose, he could try to place a shunt in the worst of the blockages, but that it would most likely not hold. I opted for the by-pass.

They kept me in the hospital, stabilized, until they could perform the surgery. The operation was Tuesday morning, April 25th. One week in ICU, one week in rehabilitation and then home. Tuesday, June 20th, marks the 8th week completed since the surgery. I am feeling stronger every day.

Doctors tell me it takes 12 weeks for the sternum to mend completely, on average. That does not mean I will be at full strength by then, but God knows. Anything is possible, with the Lord!

Thank you for your prayers I cannot express proper gratitude to so many who were there when I needed them. The doctors, nurses and staff were all amazing. If the Lord had not brought Vickie into my life, I would have slept that feeling off that Friday night and headed to south Georgia, where, no doubt, I would have suffered a major heart attack.

The Lord does work in mysterious ways. Through Vickie and our marriage, her youngest son becomes my youngest son; and God used him to set all else in motion by persisting on a full EKG..

God has extended my days, and I give him the praise!

A Promise & a Picture was a short challenge presented to the employees of The Hearing Healthcare Center, Greenville, SC, at their annual Christmas Banquet, 2022.

Although the world sees the presents and the commercializing of Christ’s birth, we who have come to trust in Jesus as the Christ understand that Christ’s birth marked the fulfillment of God’s promise. The promise is of a Deliverer, a Victor over the Devil, called by God, “her seed”: The Seed of the Woman (Genesis 3:15). Though his heel would be bruised (an amazing description of Christ’s death on the cross), he would bruise the serpent’s head.

This promise to Adam and Eve, picturing the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3) is not fulfilled in Christ’s birth. Men do not know the forgiveness of their sins because of the birth of our Lord. We know the forgiveness of our sins because of the blood he shed in his death on the cross. We preach, Christ crucified, the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:17-24).

His single act of death, once, for all time and for all people, sanctifies us by the taking away of our sins (Hebrews 10:9-18). His resurrection from the dead seals our victory over death; and, his being accepted by God the Father, seated at his right hand, guarantees our acceptance through Christ!

There is no more offering for sin; rather, there is a boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). Having an High Priest, Jesus Christ, over the house of God, let us draw near unto God, therefore, with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with the pure water of the Word of God (Hebrews 10:22; Ephesians 5:26).

Christ’s birth marked God’s intention to keep his promise. The mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but is now made manifest; and, by the scriptures of the prophets (according to the commandment of the everlasting God) made known to all nations for the obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-26), that mystery is now made known among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

To Adam & Eve & all who believe: The Seed of the woman is introduced.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:14-15).

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). The “coats of skins” refers to a lamb used for a covering.  Both Old and New Testaments agree: “Blessed is the man whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1; Romans 4:7).

To Abraham & Sarah & all who believe: The Promised Son

And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear (Genesis 17:15-17)?

And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife?  And he said, Behold, in the tent.  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.  And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.  Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?  

And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?  Is anything too hard for the LORD?  At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son (Genesis 18:9-14).

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-3).

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of (Genesis 22:1-2).

And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son.  And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together (Genesis 22:7-8).

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.  

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen (Genesis 22:10-14).

  The extreme age of both Sarah (90) and Abraham (100) demonstrated that God can give life out of death. We, being dead in our trespasses and our sins (Ephesians 2:1-9), need a Deliverer. The Seed of the woman would be a virgin-born Son (Isaiah 7:14). He would be offered for our sin as the Lamb of God, shedding his blood for our forgiveness ( John 1:29). His death and resurrection provide for us his righteousness as our covering before the Father (Romans 3:21-26).

To Moses & Israel and all who believe: The Passover Lamb

And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you (Exodus 12:1-2).

Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house (Exodus 12:3).  And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it (Exodus 12:6-7).

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you (Exodus 12:23).

The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel slew the sacrifice in the evening (Exodus 12:6).  It demonstrates two great truths: first, that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and, second, that Christ died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).

On the night of judgment, the night of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, all the firstborn in the land of Egypt would die, from the firstborn of Pharoah, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant behind the mill and all the firstborn of beasts.  But, against any of the children of Israel, not a dog moved his tongue, that ye may know the Lord puts a difference between the Egyptians and Israel (Exodus 11:5-7).  That difference was the blood of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).

To All who will believe: The Door of the Tabernacle pictures the Door who is God’s Passover Lamb

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD (Leviticus 17:1-5).

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep ( John 10:7-11).

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.  But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out ( John 6:35-37).

The Lord let Israel make him a sanctuary, that he may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8).  There, the Lord met with the children of Israel, sanctifying the tabernacle by his glory (Exodus 29:43).  But, they had to bring their sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle to be accepted of God.  Christ is that DOOR: no man can come unto the Father without coming through the Lord Jesus Christ by faith (John 14:6).

God’s promise as pictured:

We celebrate Christ’s birth each year because we have come to receive the Gift of God that the Lord Jesus represents.  He became flesh to take on our sin, to die in our place, that we might receive his love and accept the promises of God.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11)

As Peter told Cornelius and all of his household: The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.  To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins (Acts 11:36-43).

Christ came unto his own (the Jews), and his own received him not.  But as many as received him (Jew and Gentile), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:11-13).

Have you believed on His name?

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it?

The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:4-13).

Back in 2017, while my first wife, Shirley, was battling cancer, I placed a short sermon in print, entitled “Ye Must Be Born Again.” The sermon deals with our Lord Jesus’ command to Nicodemus on the night of his visit to the Saviour in Bethany. We used the booklet as a mean to extend our witness to others dealing with various forms of cancer. It was something they could take home and re-read, something the Spirit of God could use to convict men of their sin and turn to Christ for God’s forgiveness!

Ye Must Be BORN AGAIN

The statement, Ye must be born again, may seem strange to some, but it is understood by every saved person. The Bible does say, If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. The connection between the gospel of Jesus Christ and the new birth is faith. Faith, saving faith, comes from hearing the word of God.

Men can hear, that is, receive, portions of the Bible, believe statements from the Scriptures, and not be saved. Consider creation, for example. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Men have believed in the direct creative act of God and assumed he has left his creation to maintain itself, like a time piece the clock-smith sets upon a mantle. They call their faith Deism.

Judgment can be believed without receiving mercy. Those who hold that their good works will out-weigh their bad works at a final reckoning are counting on earning their salvation. Though judgment is eternal (Hebrews 6:2), Hell can be strangely tolerable to some who believe it is for a limited duration, either through a reprieve, as with purgatory, or for a limited duration, as in the Seventh-day Adventist's idea of soul annihilation. They have heard some things from the Bible, but they have missed the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have failed to see the second birth. They have ignored God's gift of salvation.

The Lord introduced Nicodemus to the new birth one night in Bethany, a small town outside Jerusalem, by making a general declaration. It applies to everyone, not just to Nicodemus. It applies to us: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The new birth is required before a man can see the kingdom of God. It is required in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5), and it is necessary to enjoy God's kingdom. The second birth grants us a life that Jesus terms as both everlasting (John 3:16) and eternal (John 3:15) with God.

The new birth is a spiritual birth. The flesh has no part in it. Jesus told Nicodemus, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). The Lord spoke of the Spirit of God. There are no markings on the outside of a saved man for men to see. But, there is a seal that God can see. That seal is the Holy Spirit himself. What men can see is the change in our lives that comes from God's Spirit within us.

Here is how the Apostle Paul describes this transformation in Ephesians 1:12-13 — [12] That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. [13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, [14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. His gospel is the gospel of salvation. Called glad tidings in Romans 10:15, it is the gospel of peace, peace between God and man. Jesus Christ, by the cross, reconciles all men: for, through him, we have access by one Spirit unto the Father (Ephesians 2:16-18).

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, declaring unto them the gospel which he preached, which they had received and in which they firmly stood. It is the gospel, Paul declares, by which also ye are saved (1Corinthians 15:2). This is what Paul preached: how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This is the gospel Paul himself received.

Christ was in the world. The world was made by him, and the world knew him not. The Lord, the Holy One of Israel, came unto his own, and his own received him not. Though their religious leadership demanded his crucifixion, as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).

All those who believe upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who receive him as the One whom God has sent, God in the flesh, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, are born of God. This birth is the result of receiving the person of Christ, of believing on his name. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). On that day of reckoning, we who have trusted Christ shall be saved from the wrath of God.

Whether our good works outweigh our bad deeds, salvation from Hell can be already settled by receiving who Jesus is and what Jesus did for us in shedding his blood, in laying down his life and in rising from the dead. It must be settled before we leave this life. It can be, by receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior. It is the Lord's own promise: He that believeth on me hath everlasting life (John 6:47).

Four births are introduced in John's Gospel. All are linked to belief. They are as follows: of blood, of the will of the flesh, of the will of man and of God (John 1:13). Of blood applies to such practices as the Old Testament sacrifices of bulls and of goats (Hebrews 9:12-14), which were only a type. They pictured the Lamb of God, whose blood takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Of the will of the flesh deals with man's feelings and lusts. What feels right, or what appeals to our emotions. This is the eat, drink and be merry philosophy men often call Epicureanism (Luke 12:19). Of the will of man looks to our intellect and to the strength of our will power, our discipline. It is the Stoic's will worship (Colossians 2:23). What will be will be. These first three are not the new birth. The last one is. The first three cannot save; the last one, of God, saves.

The Lord Jesus taught men to be obedient unto those in authority; yet, warned men not to do according to their works (Matthew 23:3). He described the activity of the religious leadership of his day as compassing sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves (Matthew 23:15). Men are not saved by man. Men are saved by God.

Being born of God (John 1:13) is the same as being born of the Spirit (John 3:6). This Spirit is God's Spirit. He is the Comforter, of whom Jesus later speaks in John's Gospel. Called the Spirit of truth, he abides with every believer, forever (John 14:16-17). Another name for the Spirit is the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). It is the Spirit of God that reproves the world of sin, because they believe not on Jesus, of righteousness, because Christ (whom men crucified) is received of the Father, and of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (John 16:7-11).

The unbelieving world cannot receive the Spirit of God (John 14:17). They cannot receive him because they cannot see him, neither do they know him. But all who place faith in Jesus Christ know the Spirit of God, for the Spirit dwells within them from the moment they receive Christ (Romans 8:9). He is God's seal (Ephesians 1:13) by which the Lord knows them that are his. These are they that name the name of Christ (2 Timothy 2:19).

Regarding the Lord's name, the Apostle Paul wrote to Rome, declaring that we are to confess Christ's name. He writes, If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

What was Jesus asking Nicodemus to do? The Lord was asking him to believe that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Christ was asking Nicodemus to believe that God sent his Son into the world that the world through him might be saved (John 3:14-17).

Why is this so important? Nicodemus was under condemnation. He was already condemned because he had not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). Was Nicodemus a religious man? Yes, he was among the Pharisees who prided themselves on their strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and on upholding their own oral traditions concerning the law. Nicodemus was even a ruler of the Jews. None of this mattered. By the offense of Adam, sin came into the world (Romans 5:12) and judgment came upon all men to condemnation (Romans 5:18).

Jesus Christ is man's only hope. By his righteousness, the free gift that leads to justification of life came upon all men, and by his obedience many shall be made righteous before God (Romans 5:18-19). His obedience was shown in his laying down his life on the cross of Calvary (Philippians 2:8) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).

God's free gift was his Son (John 3:16). Redemption has been provided, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). It came upon all men (Romans 5:18), but many is the term used to describe those that will be made righteous (Romans 5:19). Why? Because men must become obedient (Romans 10:21) to the gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). And the first man born of Adam walked away from God (Genesis 4:5-7).

God wanted Nicodemus to choose eternal life through faith in Jesus. He is the only begotten Son of God. The blood he shed cleanses us from sin. Called the Word, he was with God in the beginning, and he was God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1-3). He, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

God the Father manifested his love toward us by sending his Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10). Christ is our atoning sacrifice, our propitiation. By him, we receive the atonement (Romans 5:11): the one, eternal sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:28).

The daily sacrifices under the law of Moses could never make any man perfect before God (Hebrews 10:1). In contrast, by one offering, Jesus Christ has perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). How are men sanctified before God? By God's own will: through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once, for all (Hebrews 10:10).

God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Repentance from dead works and faith toward God is the first principle in the doctrine of Christ (Hebrew 6:1), what Jesus taught upon the earth. Our turning to God from idols, to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, is the hallmark of salvation (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). For the Jews, submitting themselves to the righteousness of God by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, rather than going about to establish their own righteousness, is the key (Romans 10:3-4).

God wanted Nicodemus to obey the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Lord Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so was the Son of man lifted up (John 3:14). As every man who was hung on a tree is cursed, so Christ was made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come on us through Jesus Christ: that is, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13-14).

We must be born again. We must receive the witness of the Spirit of God that we are sinners, having no hope and without God in the world: but, in Christ Jesus, we who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13). We must believe the gospel, like the Apostle Paul. Note his testimony:

[15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, [16] Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Galatians 2:15-16).

What will your testimony be? Will it be of the Lord Jesus Christ; or, will it be of some man, some theory of men, some group of men? You must make a choice. John the Apostle touches on the new birth once again in his first epistle. This is the simplicity of the second birth: [1] Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. [2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. [3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. [4] For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. [5] Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:1-5)

Will you recognize that you are a sinner before God and receive his gift of salvation through his only begotten Son? The Lord Jesus shed his blood for your sins. Turn to him. Believe in your heart and confess him before men.

Pastor Ronnie Waters has invited me to preach a meeting, starting on Sunday morning, April 23rd and running through Wednesday evening, April 26th. Nightly services, Monday through Wednesday, will begin at 7 p.m. Please be in prayer for this meeting.

Pastor Greg Little, Victory Baptist Church, Gaffney, SC, has invited me to speak at their Mission Conference in 2023. It begins Sunday morning, March 26th, and runs through Wednesday evening, March 29th.