Latest / Your Daily Portion with L. David Harris / 10 25 2024 Rebirth

Transcript

10 25 2024 Rebirth · Your Daily Portion with L. David Harris

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  Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too much,
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  Speaker 1: because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy for
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  Speaker 1: today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect yesterday's
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  Speaker 1: portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep
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  Speaker 1: us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going
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  Speaker 1: to change all of that. Let's experience God's words today
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  Speaker 1: and receive the power we need to live healthy, vibrant lives.
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  Speaker 1: Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
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  Speaker 1: Elle David Harris.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Friday, October
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  Speaker 2: twenty five, twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is El
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  Speaker 2: David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
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  Speaker 2: Daily Portion where we give you God's Word every single day,
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  Speaker 2: and today is no exception. We are continuing in our
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  Speaker 2: Lesson study series through the Gospel of John. Themes in
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  Speaker 2: the Gospel of John, and our caption for today is Rebirth.
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  Speaker 2: We'll get into that in just a moment, but first
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  Speaker 2: I'd like to say welcome to you and ask you
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  Speaker 2: to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com.
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  Speaker 2: Please join our online community. Click that number seven and
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  Speaker 2: subscribe there. I need one thousand people to subscribe there
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  Speaker 2: and This is one of the ways that we continue
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  Speaker 2: to build faith and fellowship. And please be sure to
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  Speaker 2: let us know where you are in the world. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: let's go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway.
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  Speaker 2: Father and Heaven. Thank you for giving us this new
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  Speaker 2: morning and for the privilege that we have this morning
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  Speaker 2: to be reborn. Thank you Father for your Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 2: who is always active and ready to transform us by
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  Speaker 2: the renewing of our minds. Please help us to surrender
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  Speaker 2: in Jesus name. I pray, Amen and Amen again rebirth.
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  Speaker 2: Now we started this discussion yesterday, well really got into
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  Speaker 2: the throes of it yesterday, and there was so much
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  Speaker 2: that we were not able to cover it. So we
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  Speaker 2: continue today. I will give you some pointers, but I
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  Speaker 2: want to read something from the book Desire of Ages,
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  Speaker 2: pages one hundred seventy six and one hundred seventy seven,
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  Speaker 2: and this is about the encounter that Nicodemus had with Jesus. Okay,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus is teaching him that he must be born again,
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  Speaker 2: and Nicodemus's life is being transformed in real time. And
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  Speaker 2: I like the story because Nicodemus being transformed, experiencing the
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  Speaker 2: metamorphosis instantly is starting to look for ways, if you
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  Speaker 2: want to say, ways to be of service in the
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  Speaker 2: Kingdom of Heaven. And we see it at the most
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  Speaker 2: critical junctures that stuff doesn't happen unless God transforms us. Okay,
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  Speaker 2: and so it reads in the interview with Nicodemus, Jesus
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  Speaker 2: unfolded the plan of salvation and his mission to the world.
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  Speaker 2: In none of his subsequent discourses. I want you to
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  Speaker 2: get this. In none of Jesus's subsequent discourses did he
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  Speaker 2: explain so fully, step by step, the work necessary to
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  Speaker 2: be done in the hearts of all who would inherit
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  Speaker 2: the Kingdom of Heaven. Did you get that?
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  Speaker 1: So?
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  Speaker 2: Jesus had taught so many times the truth, he had
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  Speaker 2: transformed so many lies, But in none of the times
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  Speaker 2: that he would speak and teach the truth did he
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  Speaker 2: do it to the degree so comprehensively then at this moment,
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  Speaker 2: and so if that's the case, and it is, then
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  Speaker 2: we need to really glean from this experience, this encounter
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  Speaker 2: what was important to Jesus. What was important to Jesus
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  Speaker 2: is that we have to be reborn because the way
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  Speaker 2: that we were born in the first place, we were
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  Speaker 2: born with the genes spiritually speaking and practically of Adam.
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  Speaker 2: And of course, of course you could say no, I understand,
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  Speaker 2: like if you want to be very technical, right, But
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  Speaker 2: what I'm saying is that we inherited the tendency to
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  Speaker 2: do evil, We inherited the desire to do evil. And
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  Speaker 2: it takes a supernatural work of God in order to
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  Speaker 2: put us in a position where we would love to
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  Speaker 2: do good, that we would have a mindset that is
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  Speaker 2: like Jesus, where the Bible says, let this mind be
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  Speaker 2: in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Okay. And
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  Speaker 2: so this is a pivotal moment, and it continues. It
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  Speaker 2: continues at the very beginning of his ministry. He opened
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  Speaker 2: the truth to a member of the Sanhedron, to the
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  Speaker 2: mind that was most receptive, and to an appointed teacher
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  Speaker 2: of the people. But the leaders in Israel did not
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  Speaker 2: welcome the light. Nicodemus hid the truth in his heart
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  Speaker 2: for three years. For three years there was little apparent fruit, okay.
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  Speaker 2: And so in his heart was planted the seed, the
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  Speaker 2: seed of God's word, the seed of the truth that
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  Speaker 2: Jesus Christ is the is the one that transforms us.
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  Speaker 2: But he hid it in his heart for a while,
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  Speaker 2: but Jesus was acquainted with the soil, did you get
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  Speaker 2: that into which he cast the seed? The words spoken
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  Speaker 2: at night to one listener, and the lonely mountain were
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  Speaker 2: not lost for a time. Nicodemus did not publicly acknowledge Christ,
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  Speaker 2: but he watched his life and pondered his teachings in
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  Speaker 2: the Sanhedrin council. He repeatedly thwarted the schemes of the
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  Speaker 2: priests to destroy him. When at last Jesus was lifted
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  Speaker 2: up on the cross, Nicodemus remembered, Oh. Nicodemus remembered the
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  Speaker 2: teaching upon Mount Olivit. As Moses lifted up the serpent
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  Speaker 2: in the wilderness, even so must the son of Man
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  Speaker 2: be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
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  Speaker 2: but have everlasting life. The light from that secret interview
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  Speaker 2: illumined the Cross upon Calvary. Nicodemus saw in Christ the
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  Speaker 2: world's redeemer. After the Lord's ascension, when the disciples were
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  Speaker 2: scattered by persecution, guess who came to their aid. Nicodemus
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  Speaker 2: boldly ah came to the front. He employed his wealth
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  Speaker 2: in sustaining the infant church, that the people of God
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  Speaker 2: who were now fallen. Huh had expected to be blotted
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  Speaker 2: out by the death of Christ in the time of peril,
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  Speaker 2: who had been so cautious and questioning, was firm as
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  Speaker 2: a rock, encouraging the faith of the disciples and furnishing
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  Speaker 2: means to carry forward the work of the Gospel. Can
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  Speaker 2: I just say that, if God has entrusted financial resources
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  Speaker 2: to you, put it into the work of God. This
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  Speaker 2: is a classic example of what it's like for a
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  Speaker 2: person who has means, who has wealth, to be able
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  Speaker 2: to sustain the work of God. Let me continue, Let
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  Speaker 2: me continue. Let me see in the beginning, let's see
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  Speaker 2: night conference with Jesus. Okay, he was scorned and persecuted
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  Speaker 2: by those who had paid him reverence in other days.
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  Speaker 2: He became poor in this world's goods, Yet he faltered
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  Speaker 2: not in the faith which had its beginning in that
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  Speaker 2: night conference with Jesus. Here is the last paragraph Demus
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  Speaker 2: related to John the story of that interview, and by
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  Speaker 2: his pen it was recorded from for the instruction of millions.
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  Speaker 2: The truths that were taught as important today as they
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  Speaker 2: were on that solemn night in the shadowy mountain, when
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  Speaker 2: this ruler of the people of God came to learn
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  Speaker 2: the way of life from the lowly teacher of Galilee.
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  Speaker 2: What an incredible story. And it's not just a story
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  Speaker 2: it is it is a manifestation of God's power to
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  Speaker 2: transform even the life of people who have means, even
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  Speaker 2: the life of people who have influence. And then that
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  Speaker 2: influence becomes an impediment in some ways because now you're
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  Speaker 2: in the spotlight or what are you going to do
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  Speaker 2: when you have influence and people are the ones who
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  Speaker 2: seem to be giving you that influence, then it's like, ah,
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  Speaker 2: if I do this, then they will remove my power.
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  Speaker 2: If I do this, they may remove my money. If
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  Speaker 2: I do this, they may remove my influence. But Jesus
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  Speaker 2: showed that a person whose life is transformed has no
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  Speaker 2: need to worry about political implications, have no need to
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  Speaker 2: worry about socioeconomic implications. All we need to be concerned
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  Speaker 2: about is whether we are yielding our will to God.
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  Speaker 2: And so there is transformment. If there is transformation in
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  Speaker 2: patience and persistence in Christ. Right, there is courage for
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  Speaker 2: us to stand for the truth when we are in Christ. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: there is power in our personal encounters with Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 2: When we yield our will to him Ultimately. You know what,
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  Speaker 2: all of us have the privilege to be reborn. Today
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  Speaker 2: could be the day for somebody.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening.
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  Speaker 2: Friends.
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  Speaker 1: Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by
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  Speaker 1: every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
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  Speaker 1: has been your daily portion with El David Harris. Make
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  Speaker 1: it a great day. Yeah,