You Must…
1. Some Things Are Not Options
2. “Ye Must Be Born Again”
3. “He Must Needs Go Through Samaria"
4. “Precept Must Be Upon Precept”
5. “He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease”
6. “The Scriptures Must Be Fulfilled”
7. We Must Be Friendly If We Want Friends
8. “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”
9. We Must All Bow Before Christ
10. Jesus Told Zacchaeus, “I Must Abide At Thy House”
11. Jesus Must Gather All His Sheep
12. Jesus Knows The Way We Must Go
13. Three Things God Requires That We Must Do
14. The Greatest Commandment
15. We Must Be Ready
1. Some Things Are Not Options
There are things and options in this life which we can choose. Do I want a pet? What do we want for dinner? Can we go to the store? Each of these questions are choices we can make, until we can’t. If your landlord doesn’t allow pets, then you can’t have a pet at this time. If you only have a few things in the cabinet or refrigerator, then your choices are limited. If we are low on money we may have to wait until payday to go to the store. These are things which are optional. But, some things are required. Let’s look at some of the “Must” things that we find in the scriptures.
2. “Ye Must Be Born Again”
The most important “must” of all time is found in John 3:7. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” If we want to go to heaven, we must be born again. If we want to be forgiven of our sin, we must be born again. There is no other way. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) We can’t do enough good works to go to heaven. We can’t buy our way to heaven. We must be born again!
“1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, 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.
3 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.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, 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.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:1-7)
3. “He Must Needs Go Through Samaria”
Yesterday we saw that Jesus told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again” in John 3:7. Today we are moving on to the fourth chapter of John, as Jesus is traveling. “He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria.” (John 4:3-4) Jesus knew that He had to go through Samaria, because there He was going to talk with a Samaritan woman, at Jacob’s well. After talking with her, she believed on Jesus. And she went and told others, and they also went to hear Jesus.
“28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.” (John 4:28-30)
This is special to me because when I was around 8 years old, my Dad and Mom took me to the church where my Grandpa Moyer P. Beasley was preaching. My Grandparents lived next door to us, and sometimes I would hear my Grandpa through the open windows, preaching over his sermon on Saturdays. Well, I believe that on one particular Saturday the Holy Spirit told him to preach about Lazarus and the rich man. He may have not known, but soon I knew, that Jesus “must need” go to that little country church that Sunday morning. As my Grandpa told of how Lazarus died and went to heaven, and the rich man died and was suffering in hell, the Holy Spirit spoke to my tender heart and I started crying at the thought of going to hell. I believed that Jesus could, and would, save me and I prayed and asked Him to forgive me. I didn’t have to be at church to be saved. But, I think that a church where the Bible is preached is a wonderful place to hear about Jesus. The Apostle Paul asked, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14) Take your children to church. Let them hear the gospel message, that Jesus saves. Pray that Jesus will pass by their way and they will put their trust in Him. Nothing in this world is more important than that.
4. “Precept Must Be Upon Precept”
Sometimes people tell me that they don’t read the Bible because they can’t understand the Bible. There’s a verse for that in Isaiah 28:10. God’s Word tells us, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” We don’t understand all the things of God immediately when we are saved. As we hear God’s Word taught and preached we begin to understand things of the Lord. Our knowledge and understanding is increased. As we go through trials then we begin to lean on the Lord and trust Him more, and our faith is increased. As we read the Bible the Holy Spirit can give us more understanding and wisdom. When we started going to school we didn’t immediately start reading. We learned the alphabet, then we started learning the sounds of the letters, and then we could begin reading small words. We learned to put the words together to make sentences. This is how we learned to read and this is how we learn about the Lord. This is what is meant in our verse, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” We learn the basic precepts and Bible truths. With help of the Holy Spirit, our knowledge increases, “line upon line; here a little and there a little.” For several years I used composition books and would write down things I wanted to remember as I read the Bible. I jotted down questions that I had, and things that I didn’t understand. The Bible is God’s living Word and I still learn new precepts, and have greater understanding as I read the Bible. God wants us to grow as Christians, and the more we seek after His Word, the more we will grow in the Lord.
5. “He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease”
All four of the gospels tell about John The Baptist. I like the introduction given by the Apostle John.
“6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” (John 1:6-8)
John had disciples that followed him, and they were concerned that Jesus had more followers than John had.
“25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:25-30)
John was doing all that God had sent him to do. He was preaching repentance, and baptizing. He was preaching to prepare a way in the wilderness. His coming fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3) Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1) John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” We should all look at our work for the Lord in that manner. Whether we are singing, or teaching, or being a witness to others, we should do all to lift up the name of the Lord. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17)
6. “The Scriptures Must Be Fulfilled”
In a few weeks we will be celebrating Easter; the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our title today comes from the Word of Jesus as He was taken in the garden. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.” (Mark 14:48-49) Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for His death and resurrection. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15) It all came to pass, just as the scriptures declared.
“1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.” (Luke 24:1-9)
The prophecies of the end of time must also come to pass. “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.” (Luke 21:9) The book of Revelation begins with things that must come to pass. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:” (Revelation 1:1) God’s Word is true and we can be sure that all these things will surely come to pass.
7. We Must Be Friendly If We Want Friends
Do you have a lot of friends? I don’t mean the number of names you have listed as Facebook friends. I mean real friends who like to spend time with you, and care about you. I’m talking about friends who are not only there when life is going well, but friends who are there for you when things are not going so well. There might be some friends who have moved away, but you can still call and talk with them. I know a few people who seem to have so many friends. I’ve watched them to see what makes the difference. And I’ve proven my theory by this Bible verse, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) To have a lot of friends, we must be friendly. When I was growing up I thought my Dad knew everybody. He was always smiling and talking with everyone we met. He could talk to a stranger just like they were old friends.
Are we doing our part to have a friendly, inviting church? Do we take time to talk with people at church and ask how they are doing? Do we listen and pay attention to what others have to say to us? Do we welcome visitors with a friendly smile, and talk to them? Pine Grove Baptist Church, in High Point, NC, is a very friendly church. If you are looking for a friendly place to worship, please visit with us. Pastor Rick Byerly and his wife, Susan, are very friendly, and so are our members. And we can introduce you to the best friend you will ever have, Jesus Christ.
8. “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”
I talk quite often about being saved. Maybe someone is reading this who doesn’t know how to be saved. Paul and Silas were put in prison for preaching about Jesus. An earthquake opened the prison doors and loosed their bands. The keeper of the prison was going to kill himself because he was responsible to keep them in prison, but Paul told him they were all there. He asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
“31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” (Acts 16:31-34)
So, what do we believe? First, we believe that everyone has done wrong, called sin. God, in heaven, is holy, and we can’t go to heaven with sin in our life. So, sin has to be punished, in order to be forgiven. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin, and that’s the Christmas story. He was punished for our sin and died on the cross to pay for our sin. He was buried and rose up from the grave on the third day, and that’s why we celebrate Easter. If you believe that Jesus died to save you from the punishment of your sin, then you can ask Him to forgive you, and He will save you. We can’t buy our way to heaven. We can’t do good works to overcome our bad works to get to heaven. Jesus is the only way to have forgiveness of our sin and go to heaven. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
9. We Must All Bow Before Christ
When I was in school it was a big thing for someone to be called to the Principal’s office. Then, when I was working our department was called to the conference room and told our department was being moved to another city and we were losing our jobs. Things like that can seem big in our lives at the moment, but there is something even bigger than anything we can imagine. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10) There will be no excuses. There will be no time of explaining how we meant for things to be different. We won’t be able to put the blame on anyone else. We will all bow before Jesus. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11) I hope that you have come humbly to Christ and bowed your heart to Him now. Because after we die, we will bow to Him, but it will be too late to be saved. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:27-28) Please accept Him now.
10. Jesus Told Zacchaeus, “I Must Abide At Thy House”
I always liked the story of Zacchaeus. I can remember singing the little song.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior passed that way, He looked up in the tree,
And He said, “Zacchaeus, come down, for I’m going to your house today.
I’m going to your house today.”
Maybe it meant a lot to me because I was a small child, and Zacchaeus was small, and Jesus was going to his house. I wanted Jesus to come to my house.
“1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)
Just as Jesus told Zacchaeus, “I must abide at thy house”, the Holy Spirit abides with us when we are saved. We have this promise. He abides with us forever.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)
11. Jesus Must Gather All His Sheep
We have come to the month of April, and in a few weeks we will be celebrating Easter. Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He laid down His life for His sheep. And, did you know that we are included in these verses? “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16) This is me! I am one of His other sheep. Jesus said that He must bring me into His fold! What a wonderful thought!
“9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:9-18)
12. Jesus Knows The Way We Must Go
Moses, the great leader of Israel, died and Joshua was appointed by God to lead the people into the Promised Land. They had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and now they were finally going to receive the blessings of God in their new land. But, there were battles to be fought. There were enemies to conquer. The priests led the way, bearing the Ark of the Covenant, and the people were to follow. “And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.” (Joshua 3:3-4) Our message today is simple, Follow Jesus, because He knows the way we must go, for we have not passed this way before. Jesus will be with us to fight our battles. The signs of the times, as foretold in the Bible are coming to pass. It is important that we follow the Lord. We have not passed this way before. In the last few years we faced severe sicknesses, which we had not experienced before. Last year, and already this year, we are experiencing severe weather patterns that we have not had before. Earthquakes, floods, and wild fires seem to constantly fill the news. Our prayer lists are filled with family and loved ones who are going through troubles and trials, and need help from the Lord. We read in the book of John, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Look to Jesus. He is the way. He knows the trials we face, and He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Only Jesus knows the way we must go.
13. Three Things God Requires That We Must Do
A dear friend was cleaning through some stored stuff and gave me some fabric that she no longer wanted. I showed it to Mom, who has always been a great seamstress, and she said we would make me some new clothes. I went to her house Monday morning and she cut out a skirt and started sewing it together. She has some pain when she sews, so she rested a while and let me try. I did not inherit her skill for sewing. I can’t sew a straight line… so she finished making the skirt. I went down Tuesday morning and she had cut out a dress and sewn some of the seams. I stayed through lunch, and she had almost finished the dress. I used to sew a little when I was younger, but it’s been a long time since I tried, and I’m not very good at it. We are blessed with different talents, and it’s hard when we are faced with something that we must do. It’s hard for children in school when each student is required to do the same thing. There is a verse in the Old Testament that gives us a requirement, and it’s something that we all can strive to do. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) These are things that God’s Word tells us we must do. First, we are “to do justly”. We are to do what’s right. Next, we are to love mercy. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) And the final requirement in the verse is, “to walk humbly with thy God”. When we see the greatness of God Almighty, we are thankful for His mercy and grace, and forgiveness, and we can walk humbly in His sight. These are things that God requires, and we should strive to do our best.
14. The Greatest Commandment
In the Old Testament the people were under the law. They had to obey the Ten Commandments and the other laws that were given to Moses. Jesus came to give Himself as our sacrifice and now we are under grace. We are not required to obey the law, but Jesus gives us the greatest commandment. Here is the commandment as given to Moses, and also as Jesus gave to His followers. It is our duty to teach this to our children.
“4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
“28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:28-33)
15. We Must Be Ready
I have three sisters and sometimes it was a challenge for all four of us to get ready for church on time. My Dad would tell us it was time to go, and he would go get in the car. We knew that we had to be ready when he was ready to leave. I often went to the car with a hair brush in my hand. This is our last “Must” devotional and I want to talk about one of the last things we will experience on earth. We must be ready for the Lord to come again. “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” (Luke 12:40) How can we be ready? We must know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) We are also to watch and pray.
“32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mark 13:32-37)
We are not to just sit and wait, but we are to continue serving the Lord and doing His will.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” (Matthew 24:44-46)
Are you ready for the Lord to come again?
