Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JANUARY 18 (George Whitefield, Ye Must Be Born Again! Part 2: Futile Preaching!)

By admin On November 4th, 2014

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Daily Devotional – JANUARY 18

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George Whitefield, Ye Must Be Born Again!

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Part 2:

“Futile Preaching!”

To read Part 1, click here… George Whitefield, Ye Must Be Born Again! Part 1:

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It is said that George Whitefield developed the reputation of becoming the proverbial “one-note symphony”, at times! You see, this infamous preacher and catalyst of the Great Awakening of the 1700’s seemed to be constantly harping on one aspect of the Gospel!

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And so much so, this tall and foreboding cut of a figure was once asked, “Why do you always preach about being ‘Born Again’?” And Whitefield probably took a little pause to think about his answer. But Whitefield finally returned the answer, “Because…Ye must be “Born Again!”

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Yes, this is the over-arching answer to all the questions of life, which whirl and swirl through the cyclonic winds of strife in this confusing Babylonish world we live in! “Ye must be “Born Again”!

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And George Whitefield knew that unless a man, woman, or even a child had received a brand-new life, then all else was futile! Yes, Whitefield knew that it was a waste of time and breath to preach and teach and preach to a group of unconverted souls who had never become “Born Again”!

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George Whitefield preaching – by John Collet – www.wikigallery.org – US public domain

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NICODEMUS COMES TO JESUS!

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When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he gave, no doubt, his usual flatteringly gracious salutation… “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

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But Jesus wasted no time in cutting right through to the heart of Nicodemus’ great need…“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 1st John 3:3

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Here was the message which Nicodemus needed to hear! And this great truth took Nicodemus by surprise! Yes, this ruler of the Jews was so accustomed to hearing the vain and futile sermonizing of the Pharisees, that he could scarcely comprehend what Jesus was telling him… “Nicodemus saith unto Him (Jesus), How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? John 3:4

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Now to this, Jesus answered… “Marvel not that I said unto thee, ‘Ye must be born again’. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:7, 8

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Nicodemus – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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VAIN SERMONS PREACHED!

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And in Christian world, we have a similar dilemma in today’s pulpits!

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Yes, so many preachers of the Gospel spend countless hours preaching vain words to, yet-to-be-converted parishioners, who have no spiritual ears to truly hear!

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They preach about the many Bible virtues! They tell the congregation about all the factors necessary to become a patient and loving Christian! They sermonize about the importance of being honest! They encourage our congregation to become more generous and giving! Or they extol the virtuous benefits of speaking more gentle, euphemistic words! They give all the latest psychology on raising their children! And they host marriage encounter getaways, at some nice vacation resort!

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And yet, marriages are still failing! Children are still problem-children! We still use harsh and foolish words! Our offerings are still a little on the stingy side! We still tell “little white lies”! And we are still impatient!

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

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Yes, all those futile sermons do us little good! Perhaps the only good we get from all those weekly sermons, is that they pile up the Law of God upon our head, like a giant and heavy mountain! And well, maybe we need for that to happen!

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But it doesn’t solve our great need! And so, we continue to ask our own self, “How can I become a victorious Christian?”

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And to all this, the big booming voice of George Whitefield comes rolling down through the corridors of time… “YE MUST BE ‘BORN AGAIN’!”

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Yes, this is the answer to all of life’s problems! “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!”

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George Whitefield preaching – by John Collet – www.wikigallery.org – US public domain

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‘BORN AGAIN’: THE GREAT ANSWER!

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To become Born Again! This is how we can become patient with others! And this is the “watchman” who guards us from all dishonesty! And this is “key” which unlocks the treasure-chest of our generosity! And this is the “good judgment” which causes us to use softer and kinder words! And this is all the “psychology” we’ll ever need to know, to begin treating our family with love, respect, and gentleness!

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YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN! Yes, good old George Whitefield knew the secret of success, which no amount of patching up our character flaws and no amount of duct-taping our problems can accomplish!

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YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN! Only a brand-new life and a brand-new heart can truly bring about that Christian victory that we so long to have!

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George Whitefield GNU Free Documentation License, Wikipedia

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But the very next question we must ask, is this: “How do I become “Born Again”?

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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TO READ PART 3, CLICK HERE…

“JANUARY 19 (George Whitefield, Ye Must Be Born Again! Part 3: How Do I Become Born Again?)”

George Whitefield preaching – by John Collet – www.wikigallery.org US public domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Bring me to this wonderful experience! Give me a brand-new heart! Bring me through the trials and cause me to grow in wisdom and knowledge of Thee…

Praying Hands – Otto Greiner – Wikimedia – .bassenge.com – Cropped image – Public Domain

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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ARK SEEN IN HEAVEN

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“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Revelation 11:19

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The above verse from Revelation, speaks of God’s Temple in Heaven being opened. But this great constellation, the Sagittarius Constellation is actually the constellation of the Ark of the Covenant. So these two events go hand in hand simultaneously.

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The Ark Constellation, as sketched into this Wikipedia star-chart, is a representation of the heavenly Ark, as God begins to open up the spiritual concepts of that true Ark to our minds.

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Star-chart from Wikipedia (this Website has taken the liberty to sketch in this Ark Constellation)

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TOMORROW…