Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-19

/ tie a man is, until he is born an
othen," from above, he still is flesh,
and has no possibility of apprecia-
ton of the things of the spirit. Only
that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
Nicodemus evidently looked more
puzzled than ever, for Jesus con-
tinued: Marvel not that l said to
you, you must be born from above.
There are good many things you
do not understand. There's the
wind You don't know where it
comes from or whittier it is going
1t is a mystery, but you do not dou OF
Iits existence or fail to make use of
it's power just for that reason. So
is every one that is born of the Spir-
it. 1t, too, is a mystery; it is not
natural. Sons of God do not come
by the will of man nor by the will
of the flesh, but they are born of
God. OF His own will He begat US
by the word of God. 1t is all of God. "
This didn't help Nicodemus; he
seems to have been all the more con-
fused. How can these things be-"
he asked. You see the Master Teach
er and Soul Winner was working
toward an end. Nicodemus had no
sense of his own need yet, and there
fore was still just a natural man,
even though a ruler in Israel; ana
Jesus was bringing him to the place
where he could see his own need
and his Saviour who would supply
it, He was pressing home that first
! MUST. Eye must be born from
above" So when he expressed fur
Their ignorance, Jesus expressed sur
prise. Art thou a teacher in Israel
and knowest not these things?'-
These are elemental. You don't even
understand that the earthly bless
lings of Israel are dependent on a
recognition of Me as something more
than a miracle-worker. AS a teacher
in Israel you should have known
that it is only through Messiah that
the earthly blessings are to come.
Ho-- can you understand, then, if
| I begin to tell you of the heavenly
blessings that will come to Jew or
Gentle who accepts Me as Saviour?
AS far is these earthly blessings are
concerned, you can verify My state
ments, but there is no one to verify
My statements about heavenly
things. There has been no one gone
up to find out and come down to
testify, really, therefore, none but
Myself who was already up and
came down, but who in essential ma
ture is still up. In other words,
Nicodemus, you will just have 70
take Me at My word Me, the Son
LOT Man who has come down.
But Nicodemus, if to understand
and enter the Kingdom of God you
must be born from above, recognize
it as all of God, cruelty the fles'l,
putting everything that is of the
flesh out of the way-if you MUST
be born from above-there is another
MUST. The Son of Man MUST he
lifted up. The divine necessity is
laid upon Me, as well as upon you.
There must be the death of the Old
nature and the importation of the
new, and the only way this is pos
sible is by the lifting up of the Son
of Man. AS Moses lifted up the ser
pent in the wilderness, even so
MUST-M U S THE Son of Man
be lifted up, that whosoever believ-
| eth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
That serpent was like the ones
whose poison was doing such havoc
to Israel Raised on a pole to the
gaze of all, it symbolized the death
and by Gods provision simply a look
was all that was needed to save.
| There was life for look at the Cru
| Gifted One.
That was just a type. Now the
anti-type has come: "For-why that
word. 1t connects what follows with
what has preceded. You Nicodemus,
want to see and enter. You can't do
either in your present natural state,
| no matter if you are a ruler of the
Jews, and a seeker after truth, no
matter if you do believe on Me in
fellectually. You must have that old
nature of yours which you inherited
from Adam, but out of the way; in
that natural state you'll never be
able to be more than flesh. You
must be born from above-humble
your pride, cruelty your self life,
recognize that there is nothing you
can do of yourself, that it must be all
of God. And to make that possible
! the son of man must be lifted up,
transfixed to a pole like the SER
pent was. He must die in the like
ness of sinful man-then just a look
on your part will be all that is need
ed. "For"-yes, for God so loved
gotten Son, that whatsoever belieVeth
on Him should not perish, but have
eternal life.
The biggest word in that little Cos
pei is so, so" 1t measures the
extent of Gods love. 1t wasn't only
Jews that God so loved, but Jews
and Gentiles, black, white, yellow
and red; mean, dirty, filthy, uncul-
clean and highly civilized gentleman
or woman. For God so loved the
world that He gave-yes, love al
ways shows itself by giving-He
gave the very best that heaven could
afford, His only begotten Son, that
lie might be lifted up as the ser.
;. pent was, that whatsoever looked on
Tim should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
All, the wonder of that love To
De hfted up as that serpent was, the
only begotten Son had to be made
IKE the men who had sinned; more
than that, He had to be made like
the serpent. He had to be made Sin
VINO knew no sin. He had to be lift
ed up as the transfiXed likeness Of
the thmg-sln-that is causing all
'he havoc, so that in His death 9TH
ers who look might have life.
Thete was no other way. If there
was MUST for Nicodemus. there
was also a larger MUST for the Son
of Man-and therein was the So
love of God manifested. that He
was willing to go to that length to
make it possible for a cultured man,
yes. religious man like Nicodemus
to have life. For there is lust as
great necessity for the new birth
in the most gentlemanly of men as
there is for the outcast, and Just
as large possibilities after the new
birth for he outcast as for the most
gentlemanly of men. God doesn't
want to condemn; He wants to save.