[1] And the third day there
was a marriage in Cana of Galilee ;
and the mother of Jesus was there:
[2] And both Jesus was
called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
[3] And when they wanted
wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
[4] Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
[5] His mother saith unto the
servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
[6] And there were set there
six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three firkins apiece.
[7] Jesus saith unto them,
Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
[8] And he saith unto them,
Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
[9] When the ruler of the
feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but
the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the
bridegroom,
[10] And saith unto him,
Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well
drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
[11] This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee , and manifested forth his glory; and his
disciples believed on him.
John 2:1-11 (KJV)
The turning of
water into wine is one of the most fascinating accounts in scripture.
Incidentally, it is one of the most popular stories in the Bible, especially
among drunkards: Jesus turned water into wine. However, I am quick in pointing
to the fact that Jesus did not turn water into beer.
This miracle of
turning something ordinary like water into wine (something extraordinary) forms
a framework for this thesis.
This is the
beginning of miracles in the Ministry of Jesus.
The New Birth
The new birth
takes place when someone gives his or her life to Jesus. They become born
again. The old life is past. There’s a change that has taken place inside the
person, in their life.
2 Cor. 5:17
(KJV)
Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
The Living Bible
paraphrases this verse beautifully:
When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand
new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!
The change is on
the inside. Everything else may remain the same on the outside, but a definite
change has occurred.
What is it really?
Jesus once said to
a Jewish religious leader, a person must be born again to see the Kingdom of God
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
The man Jesus
talked could not figure out how on earth one would get born a second time.
Jesus explained what He meant.
You were once born
(physically) by your parents. That’s why you carry their genes in you. There
are certain features and characteristics and mannerisms that you inherited from
your parents. But that’s as far as the physical being is concerned.
Man is not just a
physical being. Scripture shows us that man is a three-fold dimensional being,
comprising of a spirit, soul and body.
1 Thes. 5:23
(KJV)
And the very
God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and
body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The spirit of man
is that part of him that comes from God, and is eternal - never dies. When a
man dies, and his body lies lifeless, you hear people say, the man is gone.
That is because the spirit is the real essence of his being. In fact, the Bible
says the body without the spirit is dead.
James 2:26
(KJV)
For as the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
When man was made
in the beginning, his body was moulded from the dust, but God breathed the
breath of life into that piece of clay, making it a living soul.
Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul.
God planted the
man He had formed in the Garden of Eden. He was instructed how to live in the
Garden, as the failure to comply would result in his death.
Genesis 2:15-17 (KJV)
And the Lord God took the man, and put him
into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [16] And the Lord God
commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of
it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
When man sinned
against God, his nature was corrupted. Death set in. he didn’t die physically
the day he ate the fruit, but the process of death began that day.
When you pluck off
a leaf from off a tree, it still looks fresh, yet it is dead, needing time only
to reveal the death through wilting.
So it was with
man. The day he took the fruit that was forbidden him; he died, first
spiritually, and then subsequently, physically. The life of God that was in him
was cut off. He became alienated from God.
The State of Sinful Man
Ephes. 2:1-3 (KJV)
And you hath
he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; [2] Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
[3] Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by
nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Romans 5:12
(KJV)
Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned:
For man to be
re-united with God, his spirit had to be made alive. Jesus had to pay the price
with His own blood to reconcile us back to God.
Ephes. 2:13 (KJV)
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes
were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Romans 5:9-11 (NKJ)
Much more then, having now been justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. [10] For if when we
were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, having
been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. [11] And not only that, but we
also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received the reconciliation.
The Fatherhood of God
We are not just
reconciled to God, we become the children of God. Just like a natural union
between a man and a woman produces an offspring as a result of the fusion
between the male seed (sperm) and the woman’s ovum, so does God release His
seed into our spirits, thus, producing children.
1 Peter 1:23 (KJV)
Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
When we were
unbelievers, we were sold to sin and held under the power of darkness. We were
Satan’s children, fulfilling his desires. (Jn.8:44).
Now that we have
given our lives to Christ, the Spirit of God lives in our hearts, we are no
more Satan’s children. We are bona fide children of God.
Romans 8:14-17 (KJV)
For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. [15] For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [17] And if children,
then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer
with him, that we may be also glorified together.
1 John 3:1-2 (KJV)
Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. [2]
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is.
You can clearly
see what it means to be born again. You were born (naturally) by your parents;
now you are born (supernaturally) by God.
John 3:3-8 (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 kingdom
of God
How to be Born Again
While in the
natural you have nothing to do with your birth, it is not so with spiritual
rebirth. You didn’t choose when or how you were born naturally, but your new
birth has to do with your decision.
John 1:11-13 (KJV)
He came unto his own, and his own received
him not. [12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
You have to
receive Him into your heart. You have to believe in Him.
Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)
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. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Some try to make
people confess all their sins in other to be saved. No. you are to confess the
Lordship if Jesus over your life. It is a Christian (already saved) who sins
that confesses that sin so as to receive forgiveness. (1Jn.1:9). If one has to
confess all his sins before he is saved, what about the sins he cannot
remember, talk less of confessing them? Yes, a man must admit that he is a
sinner and that he cannot save himself, irrespective of the means employed. He
has to depend on the grace of God.
Ephes. 2:8-9 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any
man should boast.
The sinner’s
problem is not the sins he commits but the sin nature in him that needs change.
Nobody is going to hell on account of the sins he has committed. Jesus took
care of the sin problem on the cross.
John 1:29 (KJV)
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto
him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Hebrews 9:28 (KJV)
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins
of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation.
People will go to
hell because they have rejected God’s offer of salvation.
John 3:18-19 (KJV)
He that believeth on him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil.
John 16:7-11 (KJV)
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is
come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
[9] Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10] Of righteousness, because I go
to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11] Of judgment, because the prince of
this world is judged.
The Living Bible
paraphrase of Jn.16:9 is beautiful:
The world’s sin is unbelief
in me.
All the sinner
needs to do to be saved is to confess Jesus as Lord, believing that He died for
him, and rose again to justify him. His own works can’t earn him salvation. He
has to have faith in the works of Jesus on the cross. Man’s righteousness is as
filthy rags before God. (Isa.64:6). You have to verbalize your faith in the
work of the cross.
The Living Bible renders
Rom.10:9-10 this way:
For if you tell others with
your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart
that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
[10] For it is by believing
in his heart that a man becomes right with God: and with his mouth he tells
others of his faith, confirming his salvation.
Not a Religion
Being born again
is not receiving a religion. It is pertinent to know that Christianity is not a
religion, but the love and life of God manifested in man. Religion is man’s way
of seeking God. It was man that was lost, and not God. God came, in the person
of Jesus, to seek, save and restore lost humanity to God.
Not Joining a Church
Being a registered
member or even a church worker in a congregation does not automatically
translate to salvation. If you’ve not personally given your life to Christ and
confessed His Lordship over you, you will die and go to hell, despite your role
in the church. That your parents are elders or pastors does not mean you are
saved. If your parents own a hospital, that doesn’t make you a Doctor. That you
regularly attend a church doesn’t make you part of the church. You can have blocks in a building that are not part of
the building. The church (not the building or cathedral) comprises those that are
bought and washed by the blood of the Lamb.
The Greatest Miracle
The greatest miracle
in human existence is the new birth – when a man gives his life to Christ.
It is the greatest
because its effects transcend the sphere of time. It goes right into eternity.
It is greater than
raising the dead. This is because a man that is raised from the dead will die
again, and end up in hell if he does not get born again.
A cripple can be
healed, and eventually die, and perish in hell, except he has given his life to
Christ.
This is therefore
the greatest miracle – the miracle of a changed life.
With this miracle,
other miracles begin to follow in your life.
The new birth
therefore, is the beginning of miracles in your life.
Call me on 08077837847
Follow me on Twitter: @DanielYohanna
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