Even So Must The Son of Man be Lifted Up

John 3:8-15

The Lord Jesus used the wind as an illustration of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in bringing sinners to new birth (regeneration).

We can hear the wind, but we cannot see it nor handle it.

Just as the wind blows where it wishes, the Holy Spirit works as He sovereignly pleases.

Nicodemus could not understand this though he was a great teacher in Israel.

The Bible declares, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him”. A man may be very religious or he may have a great intellect, but unless he is born again, he is in spiritual darkness.

Nicodemus twice asked, “How?” He did not understand the Old Testament prophecies which speak of the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. He did not believe because he lacked understanding.

The new birth is vital for salvation. So is the death of Christ for sinners — “Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up”.

Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the time when Israel rebelled against Moses and against God in the wilderness. The Lord punished them by sending poisonous serpents among the people. Many died from the venom of these snakes. Others confessed their sin and begged Moses to pray for them. God told Moses to make a serpent of brass and lift it up on a pole in the camp of Israel. All those who had been bitten were told to look at the serpent and those who did so were saved from death.

Our sin is like deadly poison which will bring death and destruction to us. The Lord Jesus came down from heaven and was lifted up on the cross in order to save us.

There can be no salvation without the new birth and without the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for sinners!

Are we trusting in Jesus alone to save us from our sins?

The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

John 1:14-18

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

The Lord Jesus took human flesh with all its limitations and weaknesses, except that He was and is sinless.

He knew hunger, thirst, weariness and pain. He is a Man of sorrows. He is acquainted with grief.

The truth of the incarnation is essential to the Christian faith.

But the Lord Jesus did not cease to be God when He took human flesh.

The Lord Jesus is both God and man!

No one has ever seen God, but the only begotten Son has revealed God to us.

John the Baptist was a great prophet born before Jesus.

But he testified that Jesus existed before him.

The Lord Jesus, the eternal Word has always existed!

The apostle John saw the glory of Jesus which was the glory of the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus is full of grace and truth.

Through Him come all the blessings of God's grace.

The law was given through Moses. But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

That grace is truly amazing!

The Lord Jesus came into an ungrateful world which did not receive Him.

He showed His love to the same world when He died on the cross.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and that flesh was torn apart to save us poor sinners!

All these truths should cause every Christian to praise and to adore our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

God's Healing Hand

"Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent."
- Ezekiel 33:22 -

The hand of the Lord may strengthen the soul.

The hand of the Lord may lift the spirit upward towards eternal things.

A sense of the divine presence and indwelling can bring the soul towards heaven.

At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy.

We may forget the cares and sorrows of earth.

We need the healing hand of the Lord.

Our graces languish, our corruptions rage, our faith is weak, our devotion is cold.

We need God's healing hand laid upon us.

God's glorious right hand can recreate our mind.

His unwearied hand can sustain our spirit.

His loving hand can cherish us.

His mighty hand can subdue our sins.

Come, let us pray to Him.

Let us feel God's hand that can help us.

Wait On The Lord

“Be silent before me, you islands!
Let the nations renew their strength!
Let them come forward and speak;
let us meet together at the place of judgment.
- Isaiah 41:1 -

All things on earth need to be renewed.

No created thing can continue by itself.

Even the trees must drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures of the soil.

The life of men must be sustained with constant renewal from God.

It is necessary to repair the waste of the body by frequent meal.

It is also necessary to repair the waste of the soul by feeding upon the Word of God.

How depressed it is to hear and know that some saints are living without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer!

Without constant restoration, we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, worldliness, and the strifes from within.

Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in humble entreaty.

Let us wait on the Lord.

They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

The Lord Will Guide You Always

The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
- Isaiah 58:11 -

"The Lord will guide you always."

God has not left the Christian believers in their earthly pilgrimage to an angel's guidance.

He Himself leads them.

We may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but God will never forsake us.

God's promise is better than men's oaths.

"The Lord will guide you always."

We are to hear the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd continually.

Whatever our circumstances, the Lord will guide us continually.

We have infallible wisdom to direct us, immutable love to comfort us, and eternal power to defend us.

Mark the word -- "The Lord will guide you always."