Abandoned At Birth-2 Series

ABANDONED At BIRTH-II—John 3:1-21

Concessions For New Birth

Attention:

Once the congregation gets settled, have them stand again.

Call attention to the fact that their laps disappears when they stand. And that when they stand they must rely on other means to ‘hold’ what their lap once did.

State: “Once you stand up, everything your lap holds must be ‘abandoned’ to other means.”

Likewise, when you are saved/born again/born from above, you must abandon everything ‘you’ hold, in order to hold what God wants you to hold & to hold it in the manner of His choosing. Allow God to give you other loves & holdings.

In God’s scheme of life for mankind, New Birth—being born again— is the only means of...growing close to God, finding power in prayer, being faithful in service, finding God’s purpose in life, becoming dedicated to His direction.

Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus yielded the essentials of being born again.

Being born again is essential to God’s plan.

What is essential to achieve new birth?

What is essential to be born again?

6 Concessions we all must make to achieve a new birth.

6 things abandoned at new birth.

‘Concede’—“To admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.”—“To surrender or yield(something that one possesses)”

‘Concession’—“A thing that is granted, especially in response to demands.”—Something surrendered or given up.

We have already found that

Those born from above, Abandon...

1. POSITION(:1-2)

2—Those born from above, Abandon...

LIMITING WISDOM(:3-6)

Explanation: (:3-7)

:3—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.””

Jesus answers Nic’s statement regarding their perception of His having “come from God.”

Jesus tells Nic with absolute authority, that without being “born” from above, a person has no power of perception(to perceive/look upon/know/experience) regarding “the kingdom of God.”

Thus the perceptions of the Pharisees(siding with Nic) have all been made by human reasonings. They can see & touch what they consider to be “the kingdom of God in the buildings, the nation, the civic religion of the Jews. They can thereby not rightly understand the very things of God of which they claim to have a grasp.

Similarly is the church’s influence among Americans.

And like certain Muslim sects, associate all Americans as Christians.

There must be a point in one’s life where he/she comes to grips with their sinful nature, surrenders it to God, & thus gains insight to previously unperceived things of spiritual import.

As Charles Stanley would say, it is the difference between ‘Presence vs. Principle.’

As the term “see”[eidw] is not the perfect tense, Jesus uses it in the sense of physical perception by the eye. Thereby it is impossible for the physical to comprehend that which is beyond its capabilities(the realm of the Spirit).

“Most assuredly/Verily verily/Truly truly/I tell you the truth”(See :5, 11)—amhn amhn—1) Firm—1a) metaph. Faithful; 2) Verily, amen—2a) At the beginning of a discourse - Surely, truly, of a truth, 2b) At the end - so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled. It was a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, & thus made the substance of what was uttered their own. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament....The word is directly related -- in fact, almost identical -- to the Hebrew word for "believe"(amam), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean "sure" or "truly", an expression of absolute trust & confidence.(HMM).

“Unless”—ean(if) mh(not)—1) If not, unless, whoever ... not. Strong—If not, i.e. Unless. “Born”(See :4, 7)—gennaw—Strong—To procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively, to regenerate:-- Bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.

“Again”—anwyen—Adverb—1) From above, from a higher place—1a) Of things which come from heaven or God; 2) From the first, from the beginning, from the very first; 3) Anew, over again. Strong—From above; by analogy--From the first; by implication--Anew. Used 13X.

From—anw—Adverb—1) Up, upwards, above, on high; 2) Of the quarters of the heaven, northward; 3) Of countries, inland, up from the coast; 4) Of time, formerlyStrong—Upward or on the top.

“Cannot”—dunamai—1) To be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability & resources, or of a state of mind, or through favorable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom; 2) To be able to do something; 3) To be capable, strong & powerful. Strong—To be able or possible.

“See”(See :8—“Tell”)—eidw—2nd Aorist Active Infinitive(of oraw)—Strong—a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses. properly--To see(literally or figuratively); by implication(in the perfect only)—To know.

—As this is not the perfect tense, Jesus uses it in the sense of physical perception by the eye.