Abandoned At Birth-4 Series

ABANDONED At BIRTH-IV—John 3:1-21

Concessions For New Birth

Attention:

The internet company ‘LetGo.com.’

Their TV commercials visit the absurdity of holding on to useless things.

One of them opens in the busy streets of New York City(?), & focuses on two girls on a scooter, ridiculously carrying a huge disco ball balanced between the handlebars so the driver cannot possibly see. They barely avoid many disco-ball related collisions & cause others to crash in the process. The passenger asks why the driver won’t get rid of the ball. She responds, “I can’t, it takes me back to the 70’s.”(the ironic thing is that neither one of them is over 25yrs old!) After attempting to talk the driver into getting rid of the ball, the passenger posts the ball to ‘LetGo.com’ to see if someone will buy it. They are immediately met by now de-funked ‘The Village People’(late 70’s-80’s disco band) who are thrilled to purchase the disco-ball!

Their lives were no longer in jeopardy after having ‘let go’ of the encumbrances of the disco-ball.

Likewise, when you are saved/born again/born from above, you must abandon everything ‘you’ are holding onto for whatever reason. You must let go in order to be & have what God wants you to be & have. Unless you surrender your hold on the things of earth, you are not allowing God to give you the Kingdom of Heaven.

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?

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

‘Concession’—Something surrendered or given up

We have already found that

Those born from above, Abandon their previous...

1. POSITION(:1-2)

2. LIMITING WISDOM(:3-7)

3. DIRECTION(:8)

4—Those born from above, Abandon their previous...

ACCEPTANCE(:9-13) Knowledge

Explanation: (:9-13) Accept Jesus & His testimony

:9—“Nicodemus answered & said to Him, “How can these things be?”

Nic responds with another question seeking Jesus’ explanation. He asks in the context of his own experience as he has not undergone spiritual re-creation/re-birth. Therefore Nic wants to know how such things can be true.

*Nicodemus couldn’t understand how the Spirit operated apart from the externals of the Law. He thought Law was necessary for obtaining heaven instead of it’s holding one in restraint apart from the Spirit.

*Explain...

*Gal. 3:19, 24-25—“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; & it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.”.....“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

—Yes, the law was from God(thru angels) but it was meant as a means to an end—of allowing the Spirit’s control.

How is it that I have ‘experienced God’s presence’ & ‘served God’ for all my life, yet not know what this “born again” & ‘going where God wants me to go’ stuff, is all about?

Jn. 16:1-2—“These things I[Jesus] have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” :10—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, & do not know these things?”

Note the definite article used by Jesus to set apart Nic as “the teacher of Israel” here, as opposed to “a ruler”(:1).

In :1, Nic is one of a group responsible to God for decision-making. But here, Nic is made solely responsible to God for his own teaching & to the detriment of others.

Blood is on his hands! Though he probably never lifted a finger against a soul. His ideals & their implementation destroy others!

Js. 3:1—“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”

Likewise, each one of you is an individual. And as such you are solely responsible for & answerable to God for, accepting &/or maintaining the thought of a group. Are you willing to be recognized as part of that group?

Be very careful with whom you are identified!!...

The 2016(or any for that matter) Presidential election:

Donald Trump—no moral compass other than money. Cold, heartless, crass, school boy.

Proffers, to some degree, the Republican agenda=Smaller government...or so they say.

Hillary Clinton—no moral compass other than the guise of humanism...Blindly borrowing & controlling to everyone’s eventual demise.