Born Again Christian Part 3 Series

Born Again Christian Part 3

Scriptures: Exodus 2:3-10; Hebrews 11:23-27; 1 John 3:1

Yesterday I received a text message from one of my peers informing us that one of his representatives was killed on Friday in a car accident. This representative was someone who was very well respected in our Region and our company. What made this news so difficult to hear was that I had just spent time with him on Tuesday at a company meeting. When I heard this news my heart became very heavy. As I reflected on his death, I thought about the fact that all of us at some point will make that transition. No one wakes up in the morning thinking this will be my last day on earth. We all make plans for tomorrow thinking that we have more time but we must always be ready just in case we do not. What I am talking about in this brief series on being born again is all about being ready. We must make the best use of our time while we are here on earth, not only securing our own soul salvation, but helping others secure theirs.

The last time I stood before you I shared with you in part two of this series that this morning we would examine what it means to be adopted. Figuratively speaking, I told you that when it comes to our children that we are foster parents for them spiritually. Our jobs are to train and teach them about Jesus so that when the time comes they will accept Him as their personal Savior. When this happens they are immediately “adopted” by God and become His sons and daughters. This morning we are going to take a few minutes and talk about what happens when someone is adopted in the natural and then we will speak specifically to what happens with us when we are adopted by God. Next week I will conclude this series by reviewing the gifts of the Spirit that will be evident in all born-again Christians. So let’s begin this morning with the biblical story of Moses.

As a reminder, even though Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh, he was not born an Egyptian, but a Hebrew. In chapter one of the book of Exodus you find that the current Pharaoh did not remember Joseph who God had used to save Egypt from a devastating famine. When he looked upon the Children of Israel (Israelites), he only saw a group of people whose population had grown so large that they could join his enemies and fight against him. In order to curtail their continued growth he ordered that all male babies be killed upon birth. Now when Moses was born, his mother hid him for three months. When she could no longer hide him, she took action. Let’s pick the story up in chapter two starting at verse three. “But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews' children.’ Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, ‘Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Go ahead.’ So the girl went and called the child's mother. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed him. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, ‘Because I drew him out of the water.’ (Exodus 2:3-10)

Moses was the son of Amram and Yochebed of the tribe of Levi. Miriam and Aaron were his brother and sister. As I said, he was born in Egypt during a time when Israelites had become a threat to the Egyptians simply because of their large population. Moses parents took their newborn son and placed him in a waterproof basket and hid him in the tall grasses of the Nile. Meanwhile, his sister Miriam hid and watched over the baby from a distance. Pharaoh's daughter, hearing the baby cry, found and rescued him. She named him “Moses,” meaning “drawn from the water.” Now I want you to understand what his life was like after he was adopted by her.