Lud Kiramidjian Jr
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Speaker: Lud Kiramidjian
Date: 11/16/24
During the first Passover of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry (which we believe was in the spring of 28 AD), Christ performed the first cleansing of the Jerusalem temple, plus miraculous “signs” which caused many people to believe in His name. In the immediate wake of these spectacular events that shook the Jewish in Jerusalem --- a visit occurred between two men that is recorded in the Gospel of John. One of the men was Jesus Christ. The other man (who came to visit Jesus secretly by night) was a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus, who: (1) Was a prestigious member of the Jewish council called the Sanhedrin; (2) Described as “the great teacher of Israel”; and (3) Was extremely wealthy. This message will read through the meeting account in John 2:23 through 3:21 --- when Nicodemus (THE TEACHER FROM JERUSALEM) visited Jesus Christ (THE TEACHER COME FROM GOD) --- during which time Jesus described to Nicodemus (and to all of us who would read the account later) the process of salvation that requires us to be “born again” in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Using excerpts from the UCG “Born Again Study Paper, Amended May 2021” document, we will see that the Greek word “gennao” John 3:3 (translated “born again” in KJV --- or “born from above” or “fathered from above” in other English translations) symbolizes the entire two-step process of salvation that God requires us to experience: (Step 1A) Initial repentance & baptism when we are begotten from above with God’s Holy Spirit; (Step 1B) The daily spiritual renewal required during our physical life as true Christians; and (Step 2) The ultimate final birth as an eternal spirit being at the resurrection into the family and Kingdom of God.
