07-FEB-2016/Fundamentals of being a born again Christian by Pastor Rajesh

Communion Exhortation/The elder brother we have in Christ Jesus by Pastor Vandana Genesis 48:18-19 Jacob gives the blessing of the first born to Joseph's second son Ephraim. Now Jacob when blessing his grandchildren, crosses his hands and gives the blessing of the first born to the second born, which displeases Joseph. Mathew 27:21 When Jesus was brought to trial, Pilate asked the Jews if they wanted Barabbas or Jesus. They asked for Barabbas. This was God's doing. Because of His great love for us, the blessings that were due to Jesus, being God's only begotten son, God poured it out on us. Just as Jacob crossed his hands and blessed the younger son, God crossed his hands and blessed us. Jesus took the place of an elderly brother. When He died on that cross, the punishments which were due to us, He took upon himself. God with all his love for us, chose to let Barabbas free (he let us free). A man with no guilt, no sin. He did nothing to deserve what He received. Yet only because of the love He had for us, He became our elder brother and gave us the blessings that were meant for him.  We never lack anything when we have an elderly brother in Jesus.

Fundamentals of being a Born again Christian by Pastor Rajesh

 What's being born again? John 3:3-5 -unless one in born of spirit and water , he cannot enter the kingdom of God. We must realise that unless we reach the standards of God we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  John 3:14-18 Whoever believes in the the son has eternal life. Eternal life is an eternity with an eternal God.  Romans 10:9-13 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart, you will be saved.  Believing in the Son of God is being born again. When we believe in Him, we have fellowship with the father (without Him, we cannot go to the Father). And when we have fellowship with an eternal God, we are saved.  Pleasing God without Jesus is impossible. The law puts a heavy burden on us. And no matter how hard we try, we succumb to sin. We are a wretched people.  But in Jesus, God calls us to be a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God.  But are we convinced about being born again??

 A few characteristics of a born again believer

 1) Faith in Christ -1 John 5:1 Do we depend on Jesus for our everything? We depend on our credentials, our jobs, our families, people. But faith in Christ is the foundation of being a believer. We should put our faith in Christ for our Salvation.  2) Sinning will not be a habit -1 John 3:9-10 Before Christ come into our lives, we were friends of sin. We had no standards to live up to. If the law of the land wasn't applicable, sin would be justified. But after Christ, we ideally fall in love with our maker. And being a true Christian, a new creation, we should learn to despise sin, mourn when we fall and consider it a plague. (1 John 1:8-9).  3) Practicing Righteousness -1 John 2:29; 3-6; Righteousness becomes our standard. We serve a Righteous father. We take pride in God being our Father. But do we heed his commandments? If Christ is our standard, why then do we compare ourselves to the world?  4) Loving your brothers/ sisters. -1 John 3:10-11; 3:14; One sign we have, that we have passed out from darkness, is that we learn to love our fellow brothers. He who is Righteous, loves his brother. Both go hand in hand. Fellowship with brethren in Christ, is a blessing and uplifts us in our times of trouble. Even though negativity about our brethren arouses in our minds, we must remember that we are the same body of Christ, twins in the same blood, fighting the same battle, soldiers in the same army. Though we may have different cultural backgrounds, we are washed by the same blood.  5) Call to be overcomers of the world. -1 John 5:4-5 The world gives us standards to live, it tempts us to fall and digress from the standards we are called for. Do we follow the world? God says even when we have troubles in the world, he has already overcome the darkness. In him we can overcome the world. We can be a Righteous people, holy and blameless.  A question to ponder on?  Are we true believers? Do we fear offending man? Or do we fear offending God?   We are chosen, to live according to God's standard. He has freely given us the grace and strength to do so in Christ.