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Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
THE MEANING OF WATER
" 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." John 3:3
For our second point, water is the instrument used to effect the new birth. What does that mean? Turn to JOH 3:5. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Water is one of the Scriptural symbols of the Word of God when it is used for cleansing. The Word of God is the instrument used of the Spirit for purification to perform the new birth. The Holy Spirit unto sanctification works the new birth. It is the Word of God that is used as the instrument for purifying unto sanctification.
See what Scripture says how purification becomes the work of the new birth in 1PE 1:22-23. "Seeing ye have purified your souls [How do you purify your souls?] in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again [How are we being born again? By the purifying of our souls, obeying the truth, and loving our brothers.], not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." The Word of God is the instrument that the Holy Spirit uses in working the new birth. What is it for? It’s for the purifying of our souls. It is for the purging out of all things that are unclean - wrong attitudes, wrong desires, and all iniquity - unto righteousness. What is the kingdom of God but righteousness and peace in the Holy Ghost? Righteousness: a right attitude toward our brother.
Here we see the new birth is purifying your souls and "obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren. "We are counseled to see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again…by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." David attributed the quickening of the Spirit to the Word of God in PSA 119:49-50. "Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me." Do you understand now what a new birth means? It is when the power of the Word of God becomes our authority.
Now back to the beginning of miracles,at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. (JOH 2:1-11) The water pots were filled with water to the brim. These water pots were for the purifying of the Jews. Their form of purification was hypocrisy, but in the purifying that takes place as we become filled with the Word, the miracle of the new birth takes place, and the serving of Christ becomes our greatest joy. This is typified by the Word being transformed into wine. By obedience it is purifying us all as we in obey the truth. It is by the act of obeying that we become filled with the Word, and as we become filled with the Word, it becomes our greatest joy to do His will. The miracle is performed in the way of obeying the Word of Truth.
This new birth is what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he said in 1CO 4:15, "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you [you were born: your spiritual birth] through the gospel." That’s how your new birth took place: through the gospel. This same word begotten or begat refers to the new birth by the Word in JAM 1:18. Again, it is speaking about the new birth. We were begotten. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."
It is by the Word of God that the new birth is effected in your soul and it is when the Word of God comes in authority we come to reverence His will. PSA 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever." What is the fear of the Lord? PRO 8:13 says, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil." That is the working of the Holy Spirit, working the new birth in a soul. The Word is likened unto water because of its cleansing properties. As I pointed out in 1PE, "Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth…Being born again…."
Turn with me to PSA 119:9. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." That’s why the symbol of water is used by our Saviour in saying that you must be born of water and of the Spirit. It is the washing of the water of the Word. The work of regeneration is a process of cleansing our old heart. It is cleansing our souls, minds, cleansing our attitude, making us "meet [or fit in character] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." (COL 1:12) That’s the work of the new birth. Being born of water means being sanctified by the cleansing power of the Word.
"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." (JOH 15:3) When are you clean through the Word? When you have experienced the work of regeneration, when you have experienced the new birth. It is a cleansing. That’s why it is referred to as water. See what Christ came to do and how He came to prepare His bride for a great wedding day. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (EPH 5:26-27)
How does He wash? How does He clean? By the Word’s becoming our highest authority. It is when the holy Word of God has authority in our hearts that we start living by the Word of God. That’s how it cleanses, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle." The Lord is not going to take a bride unto Himself that is defiled. The process of the new birth is to cleanse away all iniquity, to cleanse away all wrong attitudes, to bring us to where we love the brethren, to bring us into righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Amen
The Holy Ghost in Scripture saith
Expressly, in one part,
Speaking by Peter’s mouth, "By faith
God purifies the heart."
Now, what in holy writ he says,
In part or through the whole,
The self-same truths, by various ways,
He teaches in the soul.
Experience likewise tells us this;
Before the Saviour’s blood
Has washed us clean, and made our peace,
We can do nothing good.
Thy Holy Spirit into us breathe;
A perfect Saviour prove;
Lord, give us faith, and let that faith
Work all thy will by love.
Our sermons and devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion and sermon notes on-line. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.