God Still Speaks

Jesus engages the religous leaders again and doesn't beat around the bush as he talks to them. 42Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43Why can't you understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to do so! 44For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

These rulers thought that by being religous they were rightous before God. Jesus tells them the way it is by saying "you are of your father the devil". It doesn't matter how religous one is or how dedicated to God one is, enless a person is "born again" they belong to the devils family. There are only two kinds of people in the world, God's people and the devils people. No inbetween families. Dosn't matter what the sign is on your church, unless you are born again you beloing to the devils family. Paul said, be delivered out of the kingdom of darkness and translated into God's kingdom. As a member of the devils family we live in darkness, as a member of God's family we live in His light. Then they accused Him of having a demon! This is a very serious accusation, its blaphemy to say that Jesus operated under demonic powers. But that is the mindset of religous people who go to the extreme of calling miracles and supernatural sign and wonders the work of demons. It still happens today.

33"But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone on earth. What do you mean, `set free'?" It seems interesting to me that it is a religous group asking about "being free." Religous people think that they are free, but are really in bondage. The also despise those who seek and desire freedom. They are quick to judge and are threatened by people who are truly free. What does it mean to be "free" they asked. If they knew what freedom was, they would not have to ask, therefore they were in bondage. Religous people look through the bars of freedom and observe those who are really free and have decieved themselves into thinking they are free when in all actuality they are bound.

23Then he said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not. 24That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins." In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus of the importance of being born again, "born from above." Here he tells the people that they are from below, He is from above. Unless a man is born from above he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Peter says that the born again people are foreigners and stangers that they are not of this world, just wandering around looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. If we are not "born from above" our sins cannot be forgiven and we will die in our sins. Romans 6 says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Spiritual death, separation from God for all of eternity. We need to emphasize what Jesus told Nicodemus, "you must be born again." Being religous is not good enough, doing good works is not good enough, sacrificing your self is not good enough to be saved. We must be born again!