The Gospel of St. John - Chapter 3, Part 1 - Bro. John "Ernie" Perez

Bro. Ernie continues this deep dive into The Gospel of St. John - hold on tight!  Get your Bibles, your notebooks and your highlighters ready!

Jesus doesn’t tiptoe around the big questions, and neither do we. From the moment He steps into the temple at Passover to the late-night meeting with Nicodemus, the Gospel of John shows a Messiah who confronts false worship, reads the heart, and calls people to real transformation.

We sit down with Brother Ernie to pick up our John Bible study in chapter 2 and move into John 3: the temple cleansing, the shocking line “Destroy this temple,” and why the disciples only understood it after the resurrection. Along the way, we talk about sanctification as an ongoing process, why the Spirit brings truth to remembrance only when we actually learn and apply the Word, and why worship is always for an audience of one.

Then we slow down on the phrase that has sparked questions for centuries: “You must be born again.” We unpack what it means to see the kingdom of God as spiritual perception, not just information, and why Jesus connects the new birth to water and Spirit. We also tie John 3 to Acts 2:38, the parable of the sower and the seed, and the reality that spiritual growth is a process that should produce fruit. The closing story hits home: kindness can become the loudest testimony when people are watching for something real.

Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share this with someone studying John 3, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: what does “born again” mean to you today? (*Recorded on 7/13/2026)

Ways to Give at https://m3mi.org...Thank you for your seed!  :)

Transcript

Welcome And Roundtable Greetings

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Thank you so much for joining me to the welcome to Simple Simple Ship Unfiltered. I'm your host, Sister Diana. So glad to have you joining us today. How y'all doing? I thought your bellies are full and all that. Like a tick.

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Like a tick. And I didn't let it go yet.

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Yes. Yes. We're back together today because we're gonna continue our study into the Gospel of St. John with Brother Ernie. Round the table, we got Sister Audia.

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Good afternoon.

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Sister Ann. Hello. Mama's reclined to the couch.

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Yes.

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Brother Ernie.

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Hello, hello.

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Sister Sandy.

unknown 1:14

Hello.

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Sister Tammy.

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Hello.

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Sister Joyce.

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Hello.

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I think Helen scooted on out too. So anyway, we're here this afternoon, and I'm so excited to go and continue the study into the Gospel of St. John. Here we go, brother.

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All right. So we would completed John chapter 2. And we notice that the writer documented in chapter 2 the Passover. And this gospel is the first Passover in the life of Jesus. Jesus' presence at the temple for the Passover is only logical. If you take a note here, go out and check Matthew chapter 5, verse 17. Here Jesus plainly states he came to fulfill the law. So Jesus didn't come to violate the law. Jesus would not fail to keep

Passover And Jesus Fulfills The Law

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the law because he is the perfect sacrifice. And he was tempted in all points, like as we are tempted, yet without sin. And so we know that in Leviticus 23 and in Deuteronomy 16, Moses wrote down or established for Israel the seven-yearly feast of the Lord. All the males of Israel were commanded to appear before the Lord at these feasts. And they were celebrated at the Jesus' time at the temple of Jerusalem. In the beginning, they were celebrated in Shiloh at the tabernacle that was built in the wilderness. And once the temple in Jerusalem was built, then they celebrated all the feasts there. Jesus would not have failed to keep the laws in any capacity as he was the perfect sacrifice. If you had a Hebrews 10 and 14 in front of you, you could comment on that. And so him being the perfect sacrifice, he would have kept every feast. And you'll notice in your studies through the book of Acts. Christians, once you get into Paul's missionary journeys, disciples going back to Jerusalem for Pentecost or for the feast, they didn't stop being Jews. But they were learning to walk in the covenant of Jesus Christ, and they were being prepared for when temple worship would come to an end. So Hebrews 10 and 14, who has that? Okay, go ahead.

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For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

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Our perfection, our sanctification is fulfilled in Christ. You know, our our sanctification begins with repentance. And you remember Jesus said, He that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved. So it's not like I was sanctified. No, sanctification began as a work in my life. When we say I was sanctified, we're saying I repented and I started following Jesus. But he that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved. Sanctification is an ongoing process. And this is why we needed Jesus, because in him our sanctification is perfected. So he would have kept all the laws. Otherwise, he couldn't have been the perfect sacrifice. And he wouldn't have been the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for us if he had done different. Excuse me. Jesus' presence at the temple during the Passover was indeed memorable. The priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, etc., were all shocked out of their minds when Jesus took what appeared to be ownership of the temple. With just a scourge of small courts, Jesus utterly destroyed the merchant area of the temple complex. He physically drove out all the merchants, including the money changers. He overturned their tables. Both the merchants and all their animals were literally driven out of the temple complex by one man. Can you imagine the terror of the Lord that must have come over the guards? The temple guards didn't make a move toward Jesus from everything we read. One man. And you should go back and read this account and see what the disciples have to say about this also. When he finally looked at them and bringing his response to an end, he says, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The significance of that statement was not recognized

Temple Cleansing And Holy Fear

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by the Jews. They did not understand the temple Jesus spoke of was his body. Here we witness Jesus acknowledging already that there are Jews who wanted to kill him because he said, destroy this body. And in three days I will raise it up. He's prophesying, this is what you're going to do. But I'm telling you what I'm going to do. In three days I'll raise it up again. Now, John writes that it was not until after Jesus had risen that the disciples remembered and understood what Jesus had said. And I think Luke corroborates for us why things happen that way. So these are probably not in your notes. So go to Luke 24, a scripture you're very familiar with, Luke chapter 24, and you can just write this one in. And we're looking at, we'll start with verse. Verse 40. Jesus had appeared. Let's see, my hands, my feet, etc. Verse 40, he's talking to the disciples that are gathered there. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, Have you hear any meat? They are looking at him. They know he's risen. It's kind of like they're saying to themselves, I see it, but I don't believe it. I don't understand it. I know it's real. I can't comprehend it. And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and an honeycomb. Because he asked him, Do you have any meat? Let me eat something. You'll see it's me. Verse 43. And he took it and did eat before them. Verse 44 is so important. This is cooperation of what we read in John chapter 3. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. What we read there in the Gospel of Saint John in chapter three. Let me go back to that. I'm sorry. Ending up chapter 2 is that Jesus' disciples remembered when he was risen from the dead in John chapter 2 that he had said this, destroy this temple in three days. It's because the Lord had opened their understanding. Remember, he said the Spirit is going to bring all things to your remembrance. What if I don't apply myself to learn all things? What if I don't pay attention when God is teaching me? There'll be nothing to bring to remembrance. Do you understand that? Did I make that clear? Okay, so Jesus writes, or John writes, that it was not until after Jesus had risen that the disciples remembered and understood what Jesus had said, closing out John chapter 2. Now, during this Passover, it appears Jesus performed more miracles than that. Read it to the end of the chapter. These are just the ones things John wrote about. St. John closes out chapter 2 by affirming Jesus was well aware of the thoughts and the intents of the hearts of the people. And in the other gospels, Jesus will say, right, the writers will write down where Jesus looked at someone and said, Why are you thinking this way? See, if if Jesus came to church, would

Destroy This Temple And Raise It

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he look at somebody and say, Why are you thinking about the Dallas Cowboys when the Word of God is going forth? Why are you thinking about that movie you went to see last night? Why are you thinking about everything but me? Here's a little plug for wherever you worship. When we go to church, we're so focused, the worship team. Do we have great musicians? And we hope we do. That's not a bad thing. Do we have great singers? And we hope we do. That's not a bad thing. But we're not going there to be an audience for them. We are all there to entertain and to cater to and to lavish our affection on an audience of one. And his name is Jesus. So whether you have the world's greatest worship team or not, the audience remains the same. And we come to lavish our affection upon him with one heart, one mind, one accord. Somebody say amen. See, I feel like preaching. So we're going to get to chapter three now. And we're just going to read the first seven verses. And then we're going to go back and talk about those seven verses and try to bring some perspective. 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. Cannot. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, You must be born again. So let me dive into my simple commentary. All right, 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. The next event John records is of great significance because it's about a Pharisee and not just any Pharisee. This Pharisee is called a ruler of the Jews. So among the Pharisees, he has a status that he is considered a ruler, a person of divine authority. He wasn't a Levite that we know of. He wasn't a priest. Nonetheless, he was a ruler of the Jews in that culture. This is a man of substance and authority. He meets with Jesus. But he comes to Jesus in the dark of the night. This indicates he sought a secret meeting. Considering what a commotion Jesus had just created at the Passover feast, we are not surprised at Nicodemus's approach. Does he want the Levites and the other scribes and the Pharisees and the priests to know that the man who overturned the temples and run everybody out of the tables in the temples and scattered everything? That he's going to go and have coffee with him in the evening? They're already

Remembering Scripture After Resurrection

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wanting to kill Jesus. Nick is playing his cards close to his vest. So he goes at night. And when he meets Jesus, he says, Rabbi, we know. Verse 2, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. Hey, I'm a ruler of the Jews, and it's settled with me. You are heaven sent. No man can do these miracles. You remember we said we didn't know how many miracles were done when Jesus was at the temple. We only knew a few things that were done that John wrote about, but he did many other miracles that are not written. And remember, at the end of this gospel, John writes that there were so many miracles and things and wonders and signs that Jesus did that if everything had been written down, not all the books and all the libraries of the world would contain the information. What we are getting is a small narrative to give us a picture of John's intimate relationship with the Christ. So we don't know how many miracles he did, but Nicodemus is so impressed by probably the number of miracles and the power of the miracles that thou doest. The end of verse 2. Except God be with him. Nicodemus is more than a scholar. And with his knowledge of prophecy and of psalms and of creation and of Israeli history, he says to himself, This is from God. But he's smart enough to know I can't afford to be seen with him. So sometimes revelation puts us in a place of struggle. We come to a knowledge of what God wants from us, and we know that everybody else is not going to be happy with that. But who is our allegiance to, first and foremost? I remember telling y'all, I'm sure, because I've testified about it many times, that the wife and I weren't married, maybe six weeks at the most. And she pointed at me one day. I was, I guess, standing by the kitchen, and she was in the living room. She pointed at me and she said, You know that if it ever comes to be a choice between you and Jesus, you know it's Jesus, right? I'm suffering from honeymoonitis. I don't want to hear that. Yes, I know it's true. But you don't have to point at me like that and say it like that. But yes, she did. Yes, she did. And I had to feel the same way. Because if we're gonna take up our cross and follow him, there's some places you can't go when you're carrying a cross. And you know, when a man walked through the streets of Jerusalem carrying a cross, everybody knew he wasn't coming back. The commitment to his journey, whether he meant it or not, he was committed to the end of the journey. If we are taking up our cross to follow him, there's some places the cross won't fit. It won't go. There's some places where you can't carry that cross. That cross is for sin to be nailed to the cross by the blood of the Lamb and sin to be eradicated, not for sin to be embraced and enjoyed. So Nicodemus, understanding, I don't know how big his revelation was, but understanding that yes, this is of God, understanding already that there are people who want to kill Jesus because he's worse than John the Baptist, he's getting even more attention. Nicodemus confesses his own confidence in Jesus, being a legitimate rabbi from God, and this is due to everything that Nicodemus has seen about Jesus, everything that he's experienced. And before Nicodemus can even ask a question, verse 3, Jesus answered and said, What? Nick ain't asked a question yet. Why didn't you just put Jesus replied to the statement? But it said, Jesus answered and said, That makes me

Worship As An Audience Of One

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think Jesus knew the question Nicodemus had. Like when he said to the people, Why reason ye these things in your heart? Whether it is easier for me to say, take up your bed and walk, or your sins be forgiven. See, I know what you're thinking. I know it. So 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. See, that for the mind of Nicodemus and the mind of the overwhelming majority of the Jews, the kingdom of God means re-establishing Solomon's throne, the Davidic throne. But if you read prophecy about the suffering Messiah, if you read it in the Psalms and in the book of Isaiah, you know that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. Luke said, Jesus said, Don't look for the kingdom of God like that. The kingdom of God is within you. If it ain't within you, you're missing it. If it hasn't absorbed you and you absorbed it, you're missing it. There will be a day when Jesus sets up a kingdom on earth. But you'll find in the book of Acts, he told the disciples, why are you asking me about that? That's not your business. That's not, see, that kingdom, that's like I heard a very wise older pastor. Jeepers, he was probably my age when he said it, and I'm calling him older. This was probably 40 years ago. He said he was saddened by a testimony he heard in church. One of the saints stood up and testified and said, My only hope is to make heaven my home. And it dawned on him. Wow. Her hope is only in heaven. What's going on in this life? How sad is that that you don't have anything in this life to hang some hope on. Your only hope is to go to heaven. What are you gonna do? Lock yourself in a room and never come out and just hope to go to heaven? Let me clarify for you. I learned something that day. My hope is to become like Jesus. This makes heaven my destiny. Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead, that heaven may be our destiny. In order for it to be our destiny, ourselves must be conformed to his image. So our hope is to be like him. Our effort is to be like him. Our battle is with our carnal nature. Straighten up and fly right. Help me, Jesus. You know, Nicodemus, he's not comprehending anything other than the kingdom of God, is the restoration of the Davidic throne, Solomon's kingdom when there's peace on every side. No. Jesus begins to speak to him, though, in the form of a parable, parabolic teaching. Look at what he tells Nicodemus in verse 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say

Nicodemus At Night And Costly Allegiance

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unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Hold on to that. He cannot see it. It's like when a kid cannot see. That nine is always three times three, and six plus three, and seven plus two, and eight plus one, because he understands now how math works. He perceives the laws of mathematics, and so he can function in the laws of mathematics. You cannot see the kingdom of God unless you're born again. Meaning what? You're really not understanding it. You're looking at something. I mean, you see mathematics out there. So it's not that you can't see numbers, it's not that you can't see equations, but you don't understand them, so you don't perceive. So cannot see doesn't mean sight, it means visual comprehension.

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Yeah.

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Understanding. Cannot see the kingdom of God, cannot understand what God is doing in your life. If we don't understand what God is doing in our lives, how can we help other people come to a place where they need this Jesus? Understand you need this Jesus. Because your greatest testimony is what is God doing in your life? Who cares if you can quote 50,000 scriptures to people who don't know what's in the Bible? And you want to know the scripture, but you want them to see how it's affecting your life. This is your power witness. You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be what? Witnesses to me. Yes, you speak in tongues, but the first point of power is to make us witnesses for Christ. So that people can see the kingdom of God in us, so that we can see it working. So here we have Nicodemus not understanding this. He tells Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. This is a confusing statement for Nicodemus' point of view. The concept makes no sense to him at all. How is this supposed to work? Remember, in the time Nicodemus lived, as far as scientific details of reproduction, they had not yet been discovered and laid out where people could study them. To Nicodemus, this is not close to a parable. This is nonsense. This is so much nonsense that he looks at Jesus and says, How can a man, verse 4, be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Listen to me. I think he's almost laughing at Jesus. What are you talking about? I seen sheep born, I seen cows born, I seen camels born, seen horses born, I know how people are born. What are you talking about, born again? But John wrote about it in the first in his first gospel, this not in your notes. Alright, so let's go to John chapter 1 for just a moment, then we'll come back. John chapter 1. And let's look at this about Jesus. Verse 10. We'll read a couple of verses here. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Verse 11. He came into his own, and his own received him not. Verses 12 and 13. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become. Become is a process. To them gave he the power to become the sons or the children of God. Even to them that believe on his name, how important is it to understand the invoking and evoking of the name of Jesus is a requirement for his disciples. Which were born, oh, there's that term, born. That's the first time we're seeing it. Not of blood. Oh, so these are not, maybe, but you said sons and daughters. Yeah, but they are. But they had nothing to do with the first birth, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This is the beginning of the teaching. You must be born again. John sees it and he very clearly writes it in John chapter 1. Everything is a preparation for John chapter 3. All of John 1 and 2 are building up to what we're reading here about Nicodemus. This is nonsense, Nicodemus thinks. I can't enter into my mother's womb again. It was not until sometime in the 1870s that medical science was able to talk about the conception process regarding the ovum and the sperm. But the creator designed it that way. He understood it. The creator was never without this knowledge. In Genesis 1 and 28, God says to the man and the woman, multiply. God took responsibility for creation, but he made us responsible for procreation. That's why sometimes I don't like to hear people say, God made me like this. No, God made Adam and Eve. God knew we were coming into existence. He knew when we were being formed in our mother's womb. He knew it when it was a secret because he sees time from beginning to end as one picture. But we were born because mom winked at dad, and dad winked at mom and said, Baby, I love you. Next thing you know, here we are. But it was a process, wasn't it?

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Yeah.

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It was a step-by-step process. There are people who come to Christ the first time you witness to them. But there are those who have several encounters with the Lord before the light comes on and the decision is made. Now, now we know that before a child is born, oh, by the way, in your notes, I put a note there about Genesis 3 and 1. I wanted you to notice how quickly Satan came on the scene to try to distort God's plan. So as you go back and review the lesson, just pause and read Genesis 1, 2, and 3 and see how quickly Satan says, I got to disrupt this. Because man was in the image of God, throwing in the face of Satan his failure. Now, the creator was never without this knowledge for procreation. We know that before a child is born, there is a process that must be experienced. Nicodemus understood that sexual intercourse leads to the reproducing of life, but he had no scientific knowledge of the process or experience that is involved in birth. He could see what happened, but he couldn't tell you some things I'm going to talk to you about right now. So it is not the least bit surprising to me that Nicodemus is thoroughly and fully confused. How can a man be born when he is old? What are you telling me, Jesus? My mama don't play that. This doesn't make any sense. But Jesus is going to talk to him about that. He said, let's get there. Verse 4. 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, this is nonsense. Please clarify. I know where you've come from. I know that you get an assignment from God, but this statement about a man being born again,

Born Again To See The Kingdom

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that's a bit beyond me. Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. So first, in verse 2, he says, I'm sorry, verse 3, he says, Except a man be born again, he cannot see, he cannot perceive the kingdom of God. He doesn't really know what he's looking at. Verse 5, Jesus answered, except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter. This is why there are people that go to church and they try to be socially good, but their lives aren't really changed. Their nature is the same. They come to church, and I'm so glad they're there. But they haven't understood yet what it means to be born again of the water and of the spirit. And when Nicodemus asked for this explanation of the second birth, he asked for it in verse 4. In verse 5, 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. So the second birth includes being born of water and of spirit. And this is not the water in your mother's womb because this is a description of the second birth. The question was tell me about the second birth. He's not asking anything about the first birth. He knows how he got here. He may not understand all the scientific facts from conception to birth, but he knows how he got here. So this is description of the second birth. Now, aren't you going to see that in Acts chapter 2, verse 38 in a nutshell? In verse 37, the people who've been listening to Peter preach all about Jesus finally believe him. And when they believe Peter, that Jesus is who the Psalms said he is, who Joel says he says he is, who the prophet says he is, who you say he is, we goofed up, we crucified him. Now what do we do? They said that because they believed. They believed the word of God. They knew they were in trouble. Then Peter said unto them, What? Repent, be baptized, every one of you. There's the water. You shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. There's the Spirit. No parables here. No parable in Acts 2.38. Parable. John 3. Jesus answered, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. He goes on to clarify, 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. You should be? Would you like to be? He didn't say that to Nicodemus. He said, You must. It's his kingdom. In a kingdom, the king establishes the law. The king's word is the law. So when people ask you, do I have to be born of the water and the spirit in order to get to heaven? Well, you're asking, you know, me, check out the word of God because Jesus said you do. I didn't say it. I didn't create this. I'm merely bringing you the love of God so that you can know and understand how to move from where you are into a right relationship with God. This is how it works for me. I'm telling you it'll work for you. Jesus is now answering the question regarding being born again, describing the second birth. The second birth involves water and spirit. And apart from experience the second birth, a man cannot see, cannot perceive the kingdom of God, nor can he enter the kingdom of God. Can he experience it? At this point, I'm going to point out to you, this place, I want to point out to you another parable that Jesus used to describe the second birth. You find several references to this. Matthew, it's in your notes, Matthew 13, 1 through 23, Mark 4, 1 through 20, and also Luke 8, 4 through 15. And for the sake of time, we'll just read from Luke. Luke chapter 8. And we're going to start with verse 4. And we're going to read verses 4 through 15. And when much people were

Water And Spirit With Acts 2:38

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gathered together and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it, and some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. And other fell on good ground and sprang up and bear fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. We want you to understand this. You've got to have an ear tuned toward God. You got to pay attention to the word of God and to the Spirit of God, so you know when God is not pulling you in a certain direction. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? Can you explain it to us, please? And he said, Oh, this is a beautiful years ago I preached on this for weeks. And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Oh, how exciting is that! Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Who wouldn't want to know that? But to others in parables, that seeing they might see and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this the seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are they that hear, then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they believe and be saved. So Satan attacks them right away. They on the rock are they which, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Oh, this sounds good. And have no root, there's no substance to them, they don't know how to make a commitment to themselves, let alone to God, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they which, when they heard the word, go forth. Ooh, ooh, they're making progress, and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection, they never become. But that on good ground are they which in honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. What farmer is satisfied with the fact that he has put seed in the ground? No, he works toward the harvest. He's waiting for the harvest when the wheat, the barley, the corn, when they're on the stock, and he's ready to harvest them. And they, because they're mature, they produce seed to be reproduced. Now, I submit to you that what we read in Genesis chapter 41, verses 16 through 32, you've read this many times. We're going to look at that first of all. Most of us know the story. I'm persuaded that this parable is just about being born again. Just as much as when Jesus said to Nicodemus, be born again. It's about the reproductive process. And why do I say that? Look at Scripture. Genesis 41, 16 through 32, excuse me. Most of us know the story. Pharaoh had a dream that his wise men could not interpret. The dream involved seven cows that were fat and extremely healthy. Yeah, they were ready. Then they come up out of the Nile River, and what followed them was seven emaciated cows, like skeletons with skin painted on them. They look terrible. They look like somebody's been speeding for 10 years. You know what happens, their face is all sunken, and their skin is clinging to their bones, and what they look like. Pharaoh had a dream about this. And those emaciated cows devoured up the healthy cows, and there was no change in them. The healthy cows were gone, and those emaciated defrayed. Formed, wasted away cows, still looked just the same. Then in the same dream, Pharaoh saw seven healthy ears or stalks of wheat or corn, and they were full and good. And after this appeared seven ears, thin, withered, blasted by the east wind. The thin, withered ears carried no seed. They consumed the good ears, yet they remained thin and wasted. Look, when you read that, you will see Joseph told Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is one. In other words, the illustration of the animal kingdom and of the plant kingdom bring you the same message. The famine. I'm telling the illustration of the sower and the seed and the man who must be born again. It's the same parable. It's talking to you about the second birth. It is a process. The dead seed dies, it's buried. Then there's a transition there. It draws nutrients from the soil even though it's dead, and the husk falls off. And a sprout, a sprig comes out, and it has to work its way up out of the soil. And roots are going down deeper into the ground to find water because soon the nutrients of the soil are not enough to bring the seed to full life. Got to have water also. Got to have sunlight also. And in the process of time, by the end of harvest, it's a stalk, four ears of corn, six ears of corn on it. New life came out of death. Paul is going to use that again in 1 Corinthians 15. I believe the experience in St. John chapter 3 of being born again is the same lesson. Jesus taught in the parable of the sower

Seed, Soil, And Spiritual Reproduction

SPEAKER_01 46:05

and the seed. Both teachings are all about reproduction. Spiritual reproduction is a process. There are a few times when people hear the gospel and boom, they come in, like the time there was thousands on the day of Pentecost, or 2,000 the day after. And as you read through the book of Acts, everybody focuses on those events. But the book of Acts is more than made up of those events. It is also made up those going from house to house, daily breaking bread and following the Lord Jesus every day and witnessing to their neighbors every day. When you get into the success that Paul had in Asia, it's because he taught in the school of Tyrannus. And he taught there for what, a year, a year and a half? And he couldn't go throughout all Asia, but his students left the school and away they went, spreading the gospel. Until all Asia had heard the word, until people said of the Apostle Paul, him and his group turned the world upside down. Look, human reproduction is not an event that occurs in an instant. It is a biological experience that was designed by God. And in so doing, God shows us the process of spiritual reproduction. First Corinthians 15, first the natural man, then the spiritual man. Human reproduction is a process. Likewise, reproduction for the plant life does not occur in an instant. Now there are some plants that grow up quicker than others. So does that mean if it takes a pecan tree seven years to bear, that we ain't gonna have no pecans? We want that true that fruit, if it comes up in one year, we'll we'll have it. How many different types of fruit would you be missing? Everything doesn't mature at the same rate of speed, but the process is the same. The farmer in biblical times knew a little bit about the sprout, the root. But George Washington Carver wasn't out there teaching people about all the intricacies of plant reproduction. They didn't understand it totally. They got the bare necessities of it, just like they had the bare necessities of a man and a woman reproducing a child. But again, the creator designed all life, including the laws of reproduction for both animal life and plant life. What does all this have to do with the statement made by Jesus to Nicodemus? You must be born again. To see, that is, to perceive, or to enter the kingdom of God. In the parable of the sower and the seed that we just read in Luke, the sown seed is the word of God. For the person being born again, the word of God that comes to them is the seed. Jesus said, The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. The seed goes forth in four types of soil, different hearts of men. When the seed hits the soil, all the same, because God loves every heart the same. But some hearts just simply do not receive it. Do not cherish it, do not water it, do not tend it. And so the life is choked out of it. It looks like it has potential for life. It germinates in the soil, but it never brings forth a harvest. The seed is always life. The type of soil determines if the life matures and becomes a living plant and reproduces. Our hearts determine for us what we do with the Word of God. It is our decision. That doesn't exempt us from showing kindness when we sow the seed. You know, if I bring you a steak dinner and I slap you in the face with a ribeye, you're really not going to want it. I must put it on a plate. Garnish it. Make it appear as enticing as it is delicious. Then you'll taste and see the Lord is good. Now, in humans, the sperm is also the seed ordained of life. When the sperm penetrates the oven, there's fertilization, which creates what we call a zygote. The zygote undergoes rapid cell division as it travels to the uterus. The new life is now a blastocyst, and then it becomes an embryo embedded in the wall of the uterus. We didn't know all this. Nicodemus didn't know all this. Jesus did. God knows exactly how the process works. This is followed by a 40-week pregnancy period divided into trimesters. During this time, the embryo becomes what is called a fetus, which is just another stage of life. It's a baby. Fingers and toes take shape, eyes and ears, lips, lungs, all the other body parts are formed and fully developed. But birth is not complete until the child exits the womb and the umbilical cord is cut. I bet you not. One of you women wanted to be pregnant for four years. With the second child? Oh, mama said to me one day, take me to the park. I said, What for? I want you to push me on the swing. Maybe the body, what am I supposed to do? Stand out front and hope to catch it? It ain't gonna work like that. She was tired of carrying that baby. It's not that she didn't love him, but the process has an ordained beginning and ending. It's designed by God for the process to be completed. And when the child is born, we cut the cord. If it's not breathing, they work with it until all hope is gone away. Spank that baby on the ball honkus. Shake them up. Do something to get them breathing, crying. In comes the spirit of life. Man must be born of water and of spirit. When you inhale the spirit of life, just like the baby cries out, when we cry out, the spirit speaks. Speaking in tongues, as the spirit gives forth utterance. What spirit? The spirit of life, the Holy Spirit of God. So when the word of the Lord, the gospel, which is the Spirit and is life, lands in a human heart, it is the soil, that is life. Just like when there's conception in a mother's womb, that is life. And if the word at any time is rejected, life is rejected. We lost a child. I'm gonna tell you something. Why did that shake us up so bad? Because we knew it was life. God doesn't want potential life to be aborted from the womb of the church. Because we have nasty spirits and impatient spirits and holier than thou spirits. And so before the child can be born, while is yet in the womb of the church, it's infected with nastiness and thighs and leaves the church. We have a responsibility to take what God has given us and live it. And it's a growth process. You won't get it right every time. Look, when the child is born and they got dirty diapers, we don't throw away the baby. We potty train the baby. The baby gets off of mother's milk, gets a bottle, gets a pacifier, gets a sippy cup, gets a crooked spoon and mashed potatoes and gravy. It's a process, and you don't want your child to have a four-year-old brain forever. You wouldn't call that life. What makes us think God calls it life? You should find what Peter says about the sincere milk of the word. You should read the end of Hebrews 5 in the beginning of Hebrews 6. It's not in your notes, so write it down. So when the Lord, the word of the Lord, the gospel, the Spirit, which is life, hits the human heart, the seed hits the egg, the process begins, the seed hits the soil,

Kindness As A Living Testimony

SPEAKER_01 55:55

the process of life begins. We don't ever want that life to be rejected. When I believed the gospel in my heart, the word produced repentance or spiritual conception. I then walked with God, and faith led me to understand the waters of baptism and the experience of being baptized in the Holy Ghost. And the born-again experience was completed. But the newborn babe had just truly begun to live, and I needed the word of God. I needed the nourishment, the milk of the word. I need to fill myself up with knowledge of the gospels. Fill myself up with knowledge of the Old Testament and the New Testament so I can see how they work together because it's one book. Don't ever let somebody tell you I'm a New Testament Christian. Like the Old Testament is not part of the Bible.

SPEAKER_00 56:53

Right.

SPEAKER_01 56:55

Like the New Testament didn't complement the Bible. They go together. You know, it's like you get a car, it's got a transmission in it, it's got forward and reverse. If it only goes in one direction, you're in trouble. So now let us never deny that repentance is a result from the word, the seed being received into the heart. 2 Corinthians 5 and 17, you become a new creature. Brand new bait. Have we saints? Saints of God killed life that was growing in the womb? Have we destroyed seeds that were trying to come up out of the soil? Nasty attitudes don't belong to us. And all of us have had them. So that's why we live a life of repentance and a life of growth. Lord help us that we do not, with a self-righteous arrogance, holier than thou, attitude, snuff out life. Lord help us to hear what your spirit says to the church. Some plants grow up and produce fruit more quickly than others. Does that mean that the tree that takes longer to mature should be seen as useless and discarded? If you do that, you'll never get the fruit. You've got to let God's process of maturity take place in the seed and in the womb. So it's the same parable: the parable of the sower and the seed, and the parable teaching of you must be born again. I submit that to you, and I submit that your God loves you so much that He wants you to not just study the process, but experience it and watch it over and over and over again as God gets glory by souls coming to Christ. How about you say amen on that?

SPEAKER_02 59:06

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 59:07

And I promise not to preach.

Motto, Feedback, And Giving Options

SPEAKER_02 59:11

Thank you, Brother Ernie. So good, so good. Thank you so much. We're running out of time, y'all. We're we uh we kind of went a long way, but it there's just so much truth in that. There's just so much truth in it.

SPEAKER_01 59:22

But I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_02 59:24

No, you don't have to be sorry. Uh we're we're thankful that you take your time, come and be with us and and teach us. And and you know, there's nothing worse than somebody that wears a Christian shirt, but their fruit is nasty. And they're just nasty people, and it and it and it puts a real bad taste in the mouth of people that aren't Christians, they don't want anything to do with it. Because if that's the example in which they see, oh, you know, and we're gonna be responsible for that, you know, because I caught a powerful testimony on a reel. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:57

Where this Muslim was testifying about how he came to Christ.

unknown 1:00:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:03

He said his dad had a restaurant, and he kept, couldn't keep help, and he was short-handed all the time. And a bunch of believers were in there one day, and they saw that he was struggling to do business. So they went and put on aprons. And they did the serving, and they were the bus boys, not making any money. And when the man asked them why, he said, You need to help. That's all they said. And they kept doing it. Yeah. Until he had the money to hire help. And in between, then, this boy goes, gets an invitation to church, and he's thinking, maybe I want to go. And he tells his Muslim dad, who says, What do you mean you want to go to church? He said, Yeah, I want to go. I want to go to such and such church. And dad says, I know those people. They were in my restaurant. They helped me get through it. He said, My dad told me, you can go with them. He said, I ended up coming to Christ, my sister, my brother, my mother, my father. Why? Because somebody lived a testimony of kindness. Never underestimate your kindness. You may not have all the doctrinal things to say, but if you have a heart for Christ, that will capture them.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:30

Amen. I love that. All right, y'all, we gotta go. Let's leave with our motto. I want to hear y'all loud and proud in the back, too, okay? All right, go show some love. Show some compassion.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:45

Give mercy mercy and go be Jesus today.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:51

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