International Gospel Hour

Jeff Archey: Let's study a must-read chapter, shall we? That's coming up today from the International Gospel Hour, stay with us.

Jay Webb: Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God's word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archey of International Gospel Hour. Let's begin.

Jeff Archey: Well, thank you to our Jay Webb. Greetings and hello, everyone. It's great having you with us for our studies today from the International Gospel Hour.

Permit me to mention our friends at truth.fm. Check out their number of listening options and download their app. Also, feel free to download beautiful congregation singing of some of the most blessed longtime hymns. That's truth.fm once again.

A passage of which you will hear often from International Gospel Hour is 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We take very seriously, yet with the joy of the charge before us, exactly that which follows 2 Timothy 3 into 2 Timothy chapter 4, beginning with verse one. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word.

Be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.

Friends, one cannot preach the word without embracing and respecting the authority of the scriptures, the very word of which they preach. The warning of turning our ears away from the truth is quite clear. It's emphatic that we need not turn away from the truth.

I often say, from the "In" of Genesis to the "Amen" of the Revelation, every word of scripture is important. Today, we'd like to look at a chapter that is a must chapter. Now, it's not that other chapters are not, but I think you'll hear how we will address this from John chapter 3 and the four prominent "musts" that are listed. So let's consider them after a few words from our Jay Webb.

Jay Webb: For over 30 years, the Gospel Gleaner has brought forth sound biblical articles for your reading and study. It is published online four times a year and subscriptions are free. Just go to gospelgleaner.com and sign up, and let them know you heard about it from the International Gospel Hour. That's gospelgleaner.com.

Jeff Archey: Friends, from John 3, here is our first "must." You must be born again, John 3 and verse 7, the "must" for the sinner to come to Christ. From this discussion, the spiritual birth came forth as Jesus taught Nicodemus. This is a spiritual birth of the water and of the spirit.

Now, the phrase "and" there, or the word "and," of water and spirit, is a coordinating conjunction, which expresses that both must be together. It is the same use, for example, in Mark 16:16. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Both have to be together to be born of water and the spirit.

It's interesting to note that this discussion would be speaking of baptism, seeing how it is that coordinating conjunction there in Mark 16:16. The phrase "born again" is also seen in 1 Peter 1:22 and 23. Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently, being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.

Now, how would Peter read "born again?" Would he not acknowledge the preaching of the word on Pentecost in Acts 2 and verse 38, of which he brought forth? Without a doubt. And later in this same book, he states in 1 Peter 3:21, there is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism, not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Friends, one must be born again. There's no other option.

Number two "must." John 3:14, "so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Now we see the "must" of the Savior to bring men to Christ. Of course, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, referring to Moses and the children of Israel in Numbers 21, verses 4 through 9, where we find the people were discouraged and spoke against God and Moses.

Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and when the people confessed they had sinned and asked for the serpents to be taken away, the Lord commanded Moses to put a serpent of brass upon a pole and if the serpent had bitten any man and that man would look upon that pole, he would live.

John 3 continues that if one believes in Christ, one looks upon the cross and is obedient unto God, that that individual will not perish. A beautiful context of John 3 that concludes of the believer's actions in verse 21: "But he that doeth truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

How about a third "must" from John 3? "He must increase," John 3:30, the "must" of John to exalt the Christ. In verse 25 and the following of John 3, it speaks of John's disciples speaking of the Christ and how people were coming unto Christ. You see, John the Baptist knew his part in the plan of God. Thus, he has no problem telling that Christ is one who would increase.

Isaiah 40 and verse 3 prophesies of John the Baptizer preparing the way of the Lord, and this we find fulfilled in Matthew 3 and verse 3. Yes friends, indeed Jesus was the one. Oh, think of John's declaration in John 1 and verse 29: "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." And how Jesus fulfilled the eternal purpose of God in coming to this earth to redeem man, as we find affirmed in Ephesians 3:9 through 12 and Revelation 13 and verse 8.

Now, let's build with one more "must" from John 3. "I must decrease," this also in John 3 and verse 30, the "must" of John the Baptist in obedience. Now, obviously this is a concluding thought from our previous point and John had no problem acknowledging that he would decrease. He would come to do his work and to pave the way for Christ.

For our application of this, please recall the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:24. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. And so we understand how John knew his part and that he would not be above his master, nor the servant above the Lord.

And if one is to be a servant of Christ, one must be willing to serve or, as in the words of Paul in Romans 6:17 and 18, he said, "But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you, being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness." And so friends, we find that we must not be above our Lord, that we are to be the servants of Christ.

You see why this is a "must" chapter? All the "musts" that are within? What a wonderful study and time for us to consider these things. And so friends, there are things that we must do in order to be pleasing to God. We must be obedient to His will. Are you considering your relationship with Christ?

Are you thinking on matters that maybe you have heard that say, "Well, that's not what I believe and understand," and the more you study the scriptures, the more you realize that well, maybe you've been misled or maybe not grasping things as you would hope to. That's why we are thankful to offer a very special booklet that our Jay Webb will tell you about now. It's going to take Jay a little while to tell you about this one, but we hope that we'll do so and let you get the information on it. It's concerning our relatively newer addition to our work here, the "God and Man" Bible study. Here is our Jay Webb.

Jay Webb: An additional Bible study by mail is now available from International Gospel Hour. It's titled "God and Man: How to be Saved from Sin." This study booklet addresses a number of questions about the salvation from God to man. And friends, like all materials, it's free.

Call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say, "God and man." Or you can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the contact tab and leave us the same information: name, address, and type "God and man" in the message box. Another Bible study that is free from IGH and our friends at god-and-man.com.

That's god-dash-and-dash-man.com. And you know, since you can't see it, let me just spell that out for you: g-o-d-dash-a-n-d-dash-m-a-n-dot-com. We'd love to hear from you.

Jeff Archey: And friends, we will be delighted to send that study to you as soon as possible. We're grateful to share that wonderful material on behalf of our good friends at the Buford Church of Christ in Buford, Georgia, who have reprinted this great material, and thousands have responded to the Lord's invitation to obey the gospel of Christ.

Again, everything we offer from International Gospel Hour is free and we hope that these tools will be of help to you. Because friends, we understand that we must be born again. The Son of Man must be lifted up, and he was. John said Christ would increase—he must increase, as he must decrease. What a wonderful chapter, the "must" chapter of the Bible, John chapter 3.

And so grateful that you could join us today for our studies. A special appreciation to my friend and brother Mark Posey in his wonderful "Pulpit Preview" that assisted our study today. And we'll continue these studies together at another time. Thanks for joining me today here on the International Gospel Hour. I'm Jeff Archey and friends, keep listening.

Jay Webb: Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God's word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com. God be with you till we meet again.