If we are to be Christians we are called to change from our old self into something new I want to read a few scriptures about that change before we get into our sermon text for today.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NASB)
in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
II Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
We need a new heart we need change for the better and for that to happen we must be born again and that begins with our repentence,.
Ezekiel 36:26 (NASB)
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Read text - John 3:1-8
John 3:1-7 (NASB)
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and 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 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again
Our human birth is what makes us human and to begin to think in any other way than the carnel ways of the flesh we must have our spiritual birth. Our spiritual birth is a supernatural birth it changes us, it changes the way we think , the way we act, the way we treat others. When we become born of the spirit the old falls by the wayside and the new begins to emerge our old way of thinking begins to disappear and we begin to set our minds on Godly things.
Now here’s the dilemma, there are a lot of Christian folks walking on this earth today that say they have been born again? Hear me, there is a lot of us church folks that say we have been born again, we say that we been Justified and sanctified but we are only fooling ourselves.
You may say preacher what are you talking about ? I tell you what I am talking about, there’s a lot of folk that say they are born again but no change has taken place. Am I right? They a lot of Christian folks that act and think the same way after they was baptized that they acted before they were baptized.
There are a lot of folks that have been baptized in the water but the spirit wasn’t allowed in the door. There are some folks that got baptized as a child and hang their baptismal certificate on the wall and act like they are saved but the truth is they are as far away from Jesus as someone that never set foot in the church.
The Scripture says you must be born again, by water and spirit. Water doesn’t get you there, water doesn’t institute that change from natural to spiritual, the only way for that change to take place is with The Spirit. I look around the churches today and it seems a lot of folks that hold on to their baptism certificate and cry lord, Lord but they still live life apart from the Holy Spirit. You know what I’m saying?
We must allow the Holy Spirit into our life in order to be changed , when we do then we can truly follow God.
