Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
I’ve driven through many parts of northern Minnesota, from the boundary waters, down to Duluth, and over to Moorhead. I think a lot of us like exploring and seeing the beautiful things of nature that God has created. One thing that I always kept in my vehicle when I went for a long drive was a map of Minnesota. Back then, we didn’t have the internet. I couldn’t just whip out my cell phone and find a map online like many of the youngsters do today. I would occasionally pull over, reach into the glove box, unfold the map, and find out which direction to take. The more I used that map, the more familiar I got with the roads. It was pretty easy to find my way around, as long as I stayed within the boundaries of our state, but if I decided to venture across the border, into Wisconsin or even Michigan, my map would no longer do me any good. I would stop at the nearest gas station and buy a different one for a different state.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Just like driving around in your home state, each of us are born into this world and we eventually become very familiar with the territory. We learn the things of the world through our Earthly parents, friends and teachers from school. We accept them as the norm because everybody else does. Each of us have been raised and educated in the teachings and philosophies of this world since our youth. These carnal ideologies become so commonplace in our minds, that we don’t even question them, or give them a second thought. But if somebody wants to inherit eternal life, they will need to become born again In the Spirit. It’s kind of like moving to a different state, because at the very beginning, we need to get a new map to find where we are going. We need to unlearn what we have learned and be supplied with a different education which is found in God’s Holy Word. As we have learned the things of this world, we are certainly capable of learning the things of God’s Holy Spirit. This is going to require crossing over state lines, into new Spiritual territory. You will need to put away the things that you are so accustomed to doing in this world, and reach out for a new map as you begin your walk into a new area of service towards Christ. We need spiritual navigation in order to be born again.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Again, part of being born again means that you will need to reject certain things that you learned growing up. Many times, the things that you were raised in will be in direct conflict with biblical teachings. Those things that you learned in your past, that have been so deeply etched in your mind, need to be eradicated from your thoughts, just like a pencil eraser removes graphite from a page. Instead of allowing ourselves to trust and to believe the worldly concepts that we have been trained in all our lives, we must learn to reject them for the Spiritual things of God’s Word. It’s like an Air Force pilot who decides that he wants to fly helicopters instead. Certain aspects that he has become comfortable with while flying a jet, he will have to set aside, so that he doesn’t make any errors flying a helicopter. It’s a re-training of the mind. The older you get, the harder it can become to change or undo what you have learned, but nonetheless it must be done if you want to enter into eternal life. We must change the way that we think and we must change what we do. This is true repentance, resulting in a new life, a new attitude, and a new direction.
2 Peter 3:8-9 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
In order for any of us to enter into eternal life, we must place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was sent into this world to save us. We must turn over a new page in our lives, wiped clean by God’s grace, and become completely reborn in Spirit, through the teachings of the New Testament.
John 3:1-7 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 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. 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? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
If you’re going to learn how to fly a helicopter, it’s going to require some education and training. Many years ago I used to run a rack forklift in a large plant, having to take down pallets from five stories up in the air. Even though I had been trained for many months, there were a couple times that I dropped a pallet, watching as it came crashing down with thousands of pounds of material. After appropriately being chewed out, I eventually got better at what I did. Each day I patiently practiced the duties that were required of me, and after learning how to do it properly, I was chosen many times to lead and to work extra shifts. The more I practiced, the better I got. When I became a Christian, I quickly realized that this is very similar. Going from a simple forklift, to working the racks were two greatly different jobs. When we are born in this world and decide to become a Christian, they are two completely different walks. Just like learning the new processes of a new job, in order to become born again we must learn something new. We must learn the things of the Holy Spirit, contained in our instruction manual, the teachings of the New Testament. We must reject the lies of the world, and accept the truth of scripture, only then can we become pleasing unto God and walk in His perfect will.
Over the years I’ve heard some people say that when you become a Christian you become brainwashed. Do you want to know the truth? From our birth, we are brainwashed into believing the ungodly teachings of this world. That is the truth my friends. This is how brainwashed Lot’s wife was, that she turned back to Sodom and Gomorrah thinking that she’d find a better life in a place that God was going to destroy. Christianity is a process of re-educating the mind. Being born again is more than just saying that you believe in God. It is more than being baptized. It is a process of learning and obeying the will of God, rather than following the will of men. We must fill our minds with the knowledge and wisdom found in God’s Word, and humbly allow ourselves to go through a process of conversion and sanctification which happens through faithful obedience to its teachings.
Since our birth, we have been creatures of learning. We learn how to walk and we learn how to ride a bike. You might learn how to make a loaf of bread, or how to drive a car. You might learn how to paint or to play the piano. The Christian Life is also a process of learning. We are learning to walk perfectly in our faith, through the rejection of worldly concepts, and the application of Spiritual truth. We are learning how to be a Christian. All the things that we learn in this life is a temporary education that will eventually be forgotten. The only thing that will remain forever are the eternal teachings of scripture.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Remember, to learn the things of the Spirit, we must use a Spiritual map.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
In order to grow into what God wants us to become, we must faithfully and obediently apply the teachings of God’s word in our daily lives. The more we practice our faith the better we will get, replacing bad habits with good ones, and the wrong ones with the rights.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Sometimes I think I could drive around the Northern Minnesota woods with my eyes closed, but if you were to put me somewhere else, I would need assistance to find where I’m going. We can become very comfortable in this world by which we were trained, but when you become a Christian, we need to begin new training. It is like venturing into a new part of the country, one that you have never seen before. Scriptures have been given to us, so that we can find our way through this new life, instructed by His Holy Word and guided by His…..
…..Spiritual Navigation
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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