Verse:     

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"  John 11:25-26

 

Thought:      

You will be born once and die twice!
OR
You will be born twice and die once!

 

 

Devotional      

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 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:"  I Corinthians 15:3-4.

This month the world celebrates Passover, a Jewish festival that reminds us of the time when the LORD delivered the Hebrews out of Egypt.  This event was and is a picture of the deliverance from sin and the world by our Lord Jesus Christ.  I Corinthians 5:7 says, "...For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."

The Lord Jesus Christ came to this world for just one purpose, to give His life as a ransom for us.  He did this willingly because of His love for the persons that He created.  Almost two thousand years ago, Christ came to this earth and lived among His creation for about 33 years.  His last three years were the most active as He came forward and presented himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Many times He told His disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem where He would be put to the death but that after three days he would come back to life.  One such occasion can be found in John 2:19, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

One day the Lord went to Jerusalem and His prophecies were fulfilled.  He was betrayed by one of His closest disciples.  He was arrested, tried, and handed out to be crucified.  Jesus said that He could ask the Father and He would send legions of angels to deliver Him.  However, Jesus did not ask the Father to free Him.  Jesus allowed humanity to spit on Him, to curse Him, to make fun of Him, and finally to nail Him to a cross.  Jesus suffered one of the most cruel death sentences that man could impose on another.  After His death, the Lord was buried; and three days later, just as He had promised, He resurrected from the dead.

By the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, God the Father was showing to the whole universe that He accepted the sacrifice that His dearly beloved Son had made.  Today you and I have an opportunity to repent of our sins and trust Christ as Savior because He was willing to go to Calvary and die in our place.

The Bible shows to us that we are going to be born once and die twice or we will be born twice and die once.  You may wonder about the meaning of such statements.  Let me explain.  Every person will be born once from his or her mother.  Every person will die because the Bible says that we all must die.  However, there is a second birth mentioned in John chapter 3.  The second birth is the time when you are born from above (from the Holy Spirit).  It is the time when you repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you and save you from the penalty of death (second death).

The Bible says also that there will be a resurrection of all the dead.  Some will be resurrected to eternal life and many will be resurrected to eternal death (second death).  Daniel 12:2 says, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."  Revelation chapter 20 shows to us the significance of the resurrection from the dead and of the second death.  Let's look at a couple of verses in chapter 20.  Verse 6 says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."  In verses 11-15 God tells us that He will resurrect all the dead and the books will be opened.  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

As you can see, the Bible talks to us about a second birth and a second death.  Therefore, we will be born once and die twice or we will be born twice and die once.  Have you been born again?  Trust Christ and repent of your sins or you will suffer the second death.  Ask Him to save you and He will.

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God's Plan of Salvation      

The Bible says that for a person to be saved from their sins and the wrath of God, he or she must be born again.  This new birth comes from above and is a result of the Holy Spirit bringing conviction to our hearts.  Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him:  and I will raise him up at the last day."  Jesus also said, "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

You must acknowledge the fact that you are a sinner.  The Bible states that all have sinned.  You must confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you.  You must believe that Jesus died in your place at the cross of Calvary.  When you repent of your sins and confess them to God, He forgives you and gives you a new life.  This is the New Birth that the Bible talks about.  It is the only way to Heaven and to God.

Today, if you realize that you are a sinner, if you believe that Jesus took your place and paid for your sins, and if you confess them to God and ask Him to save you and give you a new life, He will do it.  He will forgive ALL your sins (past, present, and future) and make you a new creature.  Do you want to trust Christ as your Savior now?  Just talk to God (pray) in your own words and tell God what you want Him to do for you.  By faith, take God at His word.  God cannot lie.  Whatever He says, He will do.  Place your faith and trust in Christ.  He will never fail you.

 

Here are links to the King James Bible, Christian radio stations, and other conservative Christian sites.

 

 

Best of the Baptist Web 1999