“It’s the Spirit who gives life; the flesh accomplishes nothing. The words that I’ve spoken to you are spirit and life.” John 6:63 ISV.

Messiah Jesus spoke those words to His Disciples after He revealed Himself as The Bread of Life at the feeding of the 5,000.

Three chapters earlier in John, Jesus told the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, it’s the Spirit.

“Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus asked him,

“How can a person be born when he is old? He can’t go back into his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”

Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be astonished that I told you, ‘All of you must be born from above.’” John 3:3-7 ISV

Through regeneration, it’s the Spirit, for we are born of the Spirit and see and enter The Kingdom by The Spirit.

The word “regeneration” comes from Greek root words translated “again/ pálin ” and “birth/ genesis.” (Vinces)

“For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7 NASB

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3 (John 17:1-21)

We see and enter The Kingdom for God our Father…

…”rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

“For this reason/ our faith/ we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of The LORD, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:9-14 (Colossians 1:1-8; Ephesians 2:1-10)

In his parable of the Good Shepherd, Christ Jesus reveals how He leads us in His Kingdom.

It’s the Spirit through which we understand parables. They require spiritual understanding our flesh can’t comprehend.

They are given in a figure of speech, a word picture with immense spiritual meaning. We can understand them because the Spirit of Christ dwells in us. (Romans 8:9-11) The Jews of the synagogue didn’t understand Jesus’ parable. (John 10:19-21)

“Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

“Jesus told them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them meant. So Jesus said to them again,

“Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Dissension occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who is demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of those who are blind, can it?” John 10:1-21 emphasis added.

Unless noted, all Scripture quoted above is from the NASB

 

 

~ Bill Bremer

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Bill Bremer is Founder and Managing Director at Kingdom Relationships Colorado.

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