Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too much,
because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy for
today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect yesterday's
portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going
to change all of that. Let's experience God's words today
and receive the power we need to live healthy, vibrant lives.
Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Tuesday, November
twenty six, twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is El
David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's Word every single day,
and today is no exception. We are continuing in our
Lesson study series themes in the Gospel of John, and
our caption for today is Believing and new births. Believing
and new birth. We'll get into that in just a moment,
but first I'd like to say welcome to you and
ask you to please go over to your Daily Portion
dot com. Please join our online community. I need you
to click that number seven, Please please please. There are
people around the world who need spiritual transformation, and it
is sitting right behind that number seven. We need a
thousand of you to do that minimally, but maybe even
ten thousand, but let's start with the thousand. And I
want you to let us know where you are in
the world at your daily portion dot com. This is
one of the ways that we continue to build faith
and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray and then we
will get underway. Father in Heaven, thank you for giving
us this new day and for the privilege that you
have entrusted to us to consider the new birth experience.
Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit. And I'm
asking you now to help us to serve you with
everything that we have and everything that we are. In
Jesus' name, I pray Amen and Amen again. So I'm
going to use the words of my brother and friend
Eric Thomas and say, you can, you will, and you must.
Now he doesn't say this last part here, but for
the things that are most important to him as he
is speaking to people around the world, he says, you can,
you will, and you must. And in light of today's
lesson be born again. Can I just say that again,
you can, you will, and you must be born again.
If you're on this platform with me day in and
day out, like, there is no reason why any of
us should not be born again, because it's our privilege.
In the real question is, well, why do we need
to be born again? We need to be born again
because that which is flesh is flesh. So when we
were born the first go around, when we came out
of our mother's womb, it was the natural birth that
gave us the way that our noses are shaped, and
the way that maybe the quality of our voices are,
or the ways that we think, because we inherited some
of that from our parents and maybe their parents and
on in generations before them. But what we need is
a new birth experience because we also inherited from them
spiritual depravity. We've also inherited from them the desire to
do evil, the desire to separate ourselves from God. And
so we can, we will, and we must be born again.
Don't marvel when Jesus says unto you, you must be
born again. That's in John chapter three. But today we
are going to begin. We're going to begin by reading
John chapter one, Verses twelve and thirteen, and for many
years you have heard me make allusion to this set
of scriptures, because it is it marks the beginning of
our new birth experience. And the Bible reads in John
chapter one, beginning at verse twelve. But to as many
as received him, to them, gave he power to become
the sons of God. That means the right to become
the children of God. Okay, to as many as received him.
That's in contrast to the people who were rejecting him,
the people his own that he came to. Jesus came
to his own, and his own rejected him. But those
who didn't reject him, those who embraced him, those who
received him. The Bible says, to them, he gave the
power to become the sons and daughters of God, even
to them that believe on His name, which are born
not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, but
of the nor the will of man, but of God.
Let me read it in another translation, New English translation.
But to all who have received him, those who believe
in his name, he has given the right to become
God's children, children not born of human parents, or by
human desire, or by a husband's decision, but by God.
You see, God has chosen us. You see, when humans
come together and we have children, it is a natural
it's a biological process, and whatever comes out comes out.
Like if you have a baby boy, then that's what
came out. Like if you have a baby girl, a
bouncing baby girl, that's what came out. And really, whatever
way that that child lives, that's what you get. Like,
there's no way that you can change what comes out.
And pardon me, I hope that's not a cross example. Ah,
But Jesus through Christ, God our Father, chooses us. He
adopts us. He says, I know all that you are,
I know how you think, I know what your tendencies are,
and yet I still accept you through Christ into my family.
This is not based on a human's desire, it's not
based on human parents. It is not by a husband's decision.
But God he chooses us as he did from before
the world was. He chose us in the beloved to
become his children. So He is giving us now the
privilege of believing in him. If we believe in Him,
and we believe unto salvation, then we will become his children.
Then we are reborn, then we have eternal life. I'm
so grateful. Let me read a quote before I move
on to the next thought. Okay, And it comes from
It comes from Fundamentals of Christian Education, page four hundred
and thirty three. In order to have true, abiding faith
in Christ, we must know Him as he is represented
in the Word, so we go to the Bible. Sometimes
people say, well, what I don't know God, I don't
know how to connect with God. I don't know God's
will for my life. And He's saying, go into the
Word to see. We have sixty six blessed books inspired
by the Holy Ghost breathed breathed God breathed inspired by
the Holy Spirit, so that we can have the understanding
that we need, that we can have the pathway to
a right relationship that we need, so we can know
what we need to know enough about God in order
to say yes to Him and be saved. And from
the SDA Bible Commentary, Volume seven, page nine hundred and forty,
it reads, the Spirit, operating upon and enlightening the human mind,
creates faith in God. Every one of us. That's the
end of the quote. Every one of us is born
with a measure of faith, and what God wants to
do is increase and enhance that measure. Okay, And so
the question here from the lesson study is what principle
about salvation in Christ is found in a few passages.
Let's see how many we can get through here. And
so the Bible reads here in Ephesians chapter two and
verse eight four, by grace, are you saved through faith
and not of yourselves? It is the gift of God.
It is the gift of God. So God gives us
salvation through Christ as a gift. He's not asking us
to pay for this. We couldn't afford it. He's not
asking us to do some special thing out of our
own strength, because we are not capable. He's saying it
is unmerited favor. Through faith. We have faith in God
and lay hold upon God's power so that we are saved.
In First Corinthians, chapter one, verse beginning at verse seventeen,
the Bible reads, for Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the God, not with wisdom of words,
lest the Cross of Christ be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross to them that perish
is foolishness. But unto us, which are saved, it is
the power of God. And so we see now that
the truth of God's Word that is manifest in the
power of God. That's the gospel. The power of God
unto salvation, is given so that we can be saved.
We don't have to be bound by our old habits
that separate us from God. We don't have to be
bound by our impoverished mindset or bank accounts for that matter.
We can find life in Christ by believing in Christ
and being read.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening.
Speaker 2: Friends.
Speaker 1: Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
has been your daily portion with el David Harris. Make
it a great day. Yeah,