The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-09-08

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never had. Jesus
says mans great need is not recovery
OF something he has lost, but new
birth. Except a man be born again
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John q, 8. 1t is not that men become
lost but that they are lost. Just as
the lame man was born in his lame
condition so the unsaved have been
born in Il lost condition. To have that
condition changed there must be
new birth, a, second birth. The idea
of second birth naturally astonished
Nicodemus for he asked, How can
man be born again? Can he enter the
second time into his mothers womb
and be born?" John 34. The story
of the lame man shows how.
In verse three it is said he asked
an aims. He was asking merely for
temporary aid, not for permanent de-
liverance from his condition. So the
unsaved when first awakened do not
think of the new birth, but merely
some help for sinful habit or man.
ner of living. But underneath the
habit or manner Of life lies the I'M
seen cause of tire wrong they see.
That unseen cause is their condition
by nature.
In verse five ii is said the lame man
gave heed" TO the words Peter add
dressed TO him. Faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the word Of
nI Il 10 NV
of God the new birth comes. Being
born again, not with corruptible seed
but by incorruptible, by the word OF
God which liveth and abideth forever"
| Pet. :23. "Of His own will begat
He us by the Word Of Truth" Jas.
/ rs. When man will give heed to
what the word of God says, he Is
well on the way to the new birth.
In verses seven and eight we are
told the man was Immediately and
perfectly healed. There was no period
of probation. His giving heed to
the word spoken was proof of his
readiness TO obey. When told TO rise
up and walk, to do what he had never
done and what his lifelong expert
ence taught him was impossible Rr
him TO do, he started TO obey and
found he had the power.
All the unsaved man has TO do is
to lay aside every hope he has had
and simply yield TO what the word
of God says; TO turn aside from all
else, wholly on that word take the
first step. In that first step comes
the new birth-the passing from death
into life. Verify, verify, | say unto
you, he that heareth my word and
believeth on Him that sent me hath
everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation, but is passed from
death unto life" John 8 "a.
The eighth verse says that as soon
as the lame man was healed he be-
came a worshiper. He instinctively
praised God and not man. Giving
credit to man robs God of His right
full due and does immense harm to
all his praise towards the one from
whom the blessing came.
The ninth verse says, "All the peo-
pie saw him walking and praising
God" He was Witnessing publicly to
his healing. The cause of so much
lack of Christian experience is so
much lack of Christian testimony Civ
en- publicly to God. We are so afraid
of being considered odd or eccentric
and so afraid of being classed with
some who speak vagaries that we keep
still concerning what God has done
for us. Keeping still we often lose
much that Is ours by right Of the new
birth. But the lame man healed was
not Of such; he publicly and joyously
and continually gave glory TO God in
such fashion that the door was opened
for Peter to preach remarkable SER
mon to the multitude.
Lastly the healed man was an I'M
answerable argument for the saving
grace and power Of the Lord. The
people knew he had been born lame,
Now they saw him healed and made
whole and could not but be astonished.
They naturally would inquire how
such change had taken place, and
when told they could have nothing
to say against 1t seeing the healed
man standing in their midst. In like
manner the saved man should bear
his testimony by his public praise to
God as well as by his changed manner
of life.