Born Again!!!
John 3:3-8
Nicodemus came to Jesus in the dark. When Jesus told him that "Ye must be born again" it blew his mind, because he was in the darkness. He could not understand. 2000 years later, do we understand any better?
Do we really understand what it is to be "Born again"?
We are "Evangelical Christians". Many people act as if we coined the phrase
"Born again."
Born again is the butt of jokes.
The world does not understand "born again" and that is understandable ... they, like Nicodemus, are in the dark... in their understanding of spiritual things.
But I would echo the words of Paul, from 1 Thess. 4: 13 ... "We would not have
you ignorant, brothers ... "
Let's look at where the phrase "born again" really began.
Read John 3:3-8
What does it really mean to be "Born Again"?
There are various erroneous notions.
1. Reception of the Truth.
Some people believe that just because some one believes some of the truth, that they are born again.
Perhaps they believe that God exists ... or that Jesus was born in Bethlehem ... or
that God will judge sin.
Especially if they turn from error ... begin to believe in existence of God.
There are many LOST who accept parts of bible because it is so obviously true.
{Pv 30:33 Wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood}
2. External Reformation.
We often mistake guilt and a temporary reformation for regeneration.
I've seen men stop drinking, start working hard, going to church and become
models of behavior.
I've seen it happen because they have found Christ and He is their power and motivation for change.
I've also seen it happen to get wives back ... to avoid loss, or just to assuage the guilt.
That may accompany regeneration ... being born again ... but it is not the same thing.
You can teach a lion to act like a sheep for the right reward ... or to avoid pain.
He may act like a lamb just to get to the lamb.
External reformation is not regeneration.
3. General Moral Conduct is Not Regeneration.
It is understandable that we have confused good and Christian.
We expect that Christians are good people/good people are Christians
and that non Christians are bad people/bad people are non-Christians
IT JUST AIN'T SO I!!
In fact, some of the most moral persons are not Christians
Being good is not synonymous with being Christian.
4. A Flaming Profession of Religion.
The Pharisees are a great example ... they wore the clothes, talked the talk, right
places, right actions,
But Jesus called them... hypocrites... dogs ... spiritually dead.
We may be as self-confident as the Jews... as pious as the scribes.... as religious as the pharisees, as churchy as covered dish suppers.
THAT DOES NOT MAKE US BORN AGAIN.
THEN, WHAT DOES???
Let's look and see.
What is it. .. how does it happen ... why is it important... and what are the signs?
WHAT IS IT?
"Except a man be born again ... "
But I've already been born ... I can't go back in time or back into womb.
Well, maybe we have to die so we can be born again!
There you go!
You have to DIE. .. to old thought patterns, to old habits, to old actions, to old loves, to old desires, to old goals, to old self, to old motivations, to old ways
You have to die to ANYTHING that is associated with your old life of selfishness,
greed, pleasure-seeking, flesh gratifying, Godlessness.
So that you can be born to a new life of God-centeredness, seeking to please God, finding pleasure in serving and pleasing Him, denying the flesh and its desires.
To be born again is the change of heart, the renewal of the mind, the
restoration of the soul.
1. A COMPLETE CHANGE.
The scripture compares it to the difference between darkness and light, the
kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God.
The mind now thinks a new way .. it considers God first and the things of God as being the most important things in the world
The heart feels differently about things ... things of the world and flesh lose their
attraction and things of the spirit become the things that are loved the most
The soul is changed from being cold and lifeless to being alive, bright, warm
and filled with the image and presence of God
The conscience is awakened and responsive to the touch and voice of God.
The judgment is made sound
The will is subjugated
The affections are spiritualized
Nothing is the same, all things have changed,
2. IT IS A VISIBLE CHANGE.
How it happens is not visible, where is comes from is not visible.
Like the wind ... only the effects can be seen.
It is seen in tongue, and temper, and actions.
If it is not visible... cause to be concerned.
3. IT IS A DIVINE CHANGE.
"... by water and by the Spirit …"
It is the Spirit that quickens the heart making it responsive to the call and touch
of God
It is the Word of God that brings the faith to receive God
It is the power of "Christ in you" that gives you the power to act differently
YOU CAN NOT CHANGE ON YOUR OWN!!!
All the self-help classes and will power training in the world won't do it
YOU'VE TRIED AND FAILED A HUNDRED TIMES.
ONLY GOD CAN DO IT.
take away the darkness of ignorance
take away the heart of stone
quicken the heart
4. IT IS AN ON-GOING CHANGE
You don't walk down the aisle once and that is it... that is how saved.
Regeneration takes a life-time.
It is not like salvation
salvation is instant--born again is on-going
Salvation was free- born again is costly
Salvation was easy-someone else did it-- born again is hard-- you do it.
{{Like man drowning, another throws rope ... some say saved by thrower ... some
say saved by rope ... some say saved self by grabbing}}
God throws the rope, is the rope, gives you the desire to grab the rope
The rest of your life, after salvation, is spent in trying to kill off and clean out the old and replace it with the new.
But the old keeps slipping back in, growing back and you have to keep on killing it, dying to it.
HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?
By the Spirit. .... quickening, convicting, assuring, counseling
By the Word .... bringing light to the darkness
By Jesus salvation, justification "to will and to do"
By God sending spirit, Word, and Jesus
BY WORK. being faithful to die, to kill, and to plant
By Patience ....
WHY IS IT NECESSARY?
"... he cannot see the kingdom of God"
1. It is necessary for COMMUNION WITH GOD.
"except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. "
The Kingdom of God is two-fold:
1. It is the Kingdom of God present in this world .. the people who are
doing God's will.
2. It is the eternal Kingdom in Heaven .. where His will is always perfectly
done.
AND»
There can be no fellowship between light and dark, between kingdom of God and kingdom of Satan, or between sin and holiness.
For communion IN THIS WORLD...
For communion IN NEXT WORLD... Rich man, immoral, idolators,
homosexuals, etc. "Not inherit the kingdom of God."
2. It is Necessary TO RECEIVE THE PROMISES.
God's promises are made only to believers .. and are conditional.
3. It is Necessary TO BECOME HOLY.
Holiness is a trait of God and is only passed on to His children.
To become Holy we have to first grow in His like-ness.
4. It is Necessary FOR OUR ENTRANCE INTO HEAVEN.
"Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. "
Not only can a person not receive God's blessings in this world ... he cannot
receive God's rest in the next world.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?
1. Faith ... growing faith, sustaining faith, sufficient faith.
Faith is a gift of the Spirit, given only to the saved.
The saved have saving faith.
The born again have growing faith.
2. Righteousness of Life.
1 John 1 :6-7 If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth. BUT if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Christ cleanses us form all
unrighteousness.
The righteousness comes from being forgiven because of our walk.
It also comes from the burden over sin
"if we say we have no sin ... if we confess our sin ... "
constant awareness of and burden for sin is a mark of being born again.
3. Love for God and the Brethren.
3: 14 "We know that we have passed from death into life because we love the
brethren. He that hateth his brother abideth in death."
Whole of chapter 4
ARE YOU BORN AGAIN??
Have you been born of the blood?
Have you accepted Jesus as your savior?
Have you allowed God to enter every area of your life and make you new in that
area?
Thoughts words ... friends ... desires ... habits ... motivations ... goals ... reading ...
pleasures etc
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!!!!!
