Scripture: John 3:1-21; Acts 2:38-41
Theme: Salvation
Title: What does it mean to be Born Again?
This sermon looks at why we need to be Born Again and what it means to be Born Again.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I want to talk to you today about what it means to be Born Again. I want to talk to you about it means to be “saved”; redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
I thought it might be interesting to see what words some people use to describe the “Born Again” experience. I was surprised by the number of words that the different dictionaries and thesauruses used to describe what it means to come to faith in Jesus Christ. They used words like:
Sanctimonious, ecclesiastical, praying, spiritual, devout, righteous, saintly, devoted, Godly, sacred, orthodox, reinvigorated, gone straight, discipleship, conversion, transformation, metamorphosis, rebirth and a host of other words.
I was even more surprised by the number of people who either think that being saved is unnecessary or that it merely happens as a result of performing some type of religious ritual or self-help spiritual program.
So, as we look at what it means to be “Born Again”, I thought it might be good to first go over what it does not mean and then look briefly at what it does mean to say that we are “Born Again”.
I. Being Born Again is more than
A. Water Baptism
First of all, the ritual of water baptism is beautiful. It is a necessary sacrament. Jesus makes it quite clear that we are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.’” – Matthew 28:18-19 NLT.
However, just going under a body of water or having a few drops placed on your head does not in and of itself bring about salvation. Salvation is much more than water baptism. Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace taking place in your life. Baptism is an outward sign that something transformational has happening and is continuing to happen in your life.
Being Born Again, being saved is a personal invitation of grace given to us by the LORD. It is an invitation that we have to personally accept and receive. No one can make or force you to make the decision to receive salvation. No one can take away your choice of being Born Again.
Years ago after certain kings conquered city states and nations they would force the people they had conquered to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. By doing so those kings believed that they had brought about their captives everlasting redemption. They were now Born Again Christians. While they may have thought they were doing something wonderful all they were doing was getting their captives wet. You cannot be forced into the Kingdom of Heaven.
The same thing is true of infant baptism. While it is a wonderful ritual it should not be seen as a once and for act of saving grace. Every person who has been baptized as an infant must accept Jesus Christ as their Personal Savior and LORD.
Salvation; being Born Again is more than water baptism.
It is more than:
B. Receiving Holy Communion
The Lord Supper, Holy Communion or Eucharist is a wonderful grace centered sacrament. It speaks volumes about Jesus, His Death and Resurrection. It reveals to us the power of the Incarnation, the Cross, Atonement and the Resurrection.
And while you can use the giving and partaking of Holy Communion as a means to invite someone to receive salvation (New Birth) just drinking some wine (juice) and eating a wafer does not in and of itself regenerate your soul.
Like baptism it is a wonderful sacrament that something has happened inside your heart, mind and soul. But just drinking some juice or eating a small wafer is not efficacious, it does not equate to what happens when you are Born Again.
Is there grace involved in both the sacraments of baptism and communion? Yes. But being saved, being redeemed is more than both of those sign pointing sacraments.
Salvation is more than:
C. Church Attendance
It is good for us to get together to worship and praise the LORD. It is good to get together to read God’s Word, to hear sermons, devotions and teachings. But just going to church is not the same as receiving Jesus Christ as Our Savior and LORD.
Sadly, there have been many people who have attended church faithfully who have never given their heart to the LORD Jesus Christ.
One of the saddest stories in the New Testament is found in Mark 1:21-28. It is the story about a man who had been going to the synagogue for some time and yet as you read the story he has also been possessed by a demon.
When you first read that story you may be amazed at such a thing could happen. How could someone go to church (synagogue), listen to the teachings, hear the prayers and songs and still be possessed by a demon?
I don’t have all the answers, I just know that it is possible to attend church faithfully and not know Jesus as your Personal Savior and LORD. Salvation is more than Church Attendance.
Salvation is more than:
D. Giving to the Church
It is good to give to the Church. In fact, it is a wonderful way to bring about a blessing in your life and in the lives of others. But the mere giving of money or other things will not save a person. Salvation is by grace through faith alone. You cannot earn your salvation through the giving of your talents or resources no matter how much you give or how faithful you are in doing things for the Church.
All of those things – water baptism, Holy Communion, Church attendance and giving are wonderful but they do not replace a person experiencing being Born Again.
So, let’s see what exactly being Born Again involves and means:
II. Being Born Again means
A. You have been Transformed.
It means that you have been rescued from your sins and that you are redeemed and are being restored into the image of God.
Listen again to what Jesus says in verse five of our passage:
“I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” – John 3:5 NLT
Nicodemus became confused when Jesus shared these words with him.
Nicodemus misunderstood how salvation worked. In his mind doing good works was good enough. All his life he had been faithful doing good works; reading God’s Word, bringing sacrifices to the Temple, attending Temple services and giving to the poor and disenfranchised.
He had even faithfully attended Passover, Pentecost and Sukkoth festivals. He had numerous of times undergo ritual washings that not only included his hands but his whole body. He was faithful to all that he understood the Law to include.
But now, he hears Jesus talking about being “born again”; being born from above; being born of the Holy Spirit. Being born not only of water but of the Holy Spirit.
He hears Jesus talk about things like regeneration, redemption and justification. He hears Jesus talk about how a person can be born again from the inside out. He listens as Jesus tells him that a person can be justified; that is that a person can have all their sins removed.
Now, all of this may lead us to ask an even more important question –
Why do we need to be born again in the first place?
What is wrong with us as humans?
A short answer to that of course is SIN and that takes us back to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. We have to go back to the first stories that we find in the first chapters of the book of Genesis (Genesis 1-3).
The Bible tells us that in the beginning Adam and Eve walked constantly in God’s Presence. They enjoyed the LORD, one another and all of creation. Their world was filled with perfect love, joy and peace. The Lord provided everything that they needed. Everything was perfect. They were enjoying life to its fullest with nothing harming them or hindering them from enjoying God and all of creation.
The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY told them that they could eat the fruit of nearly all the trees in the garden. They could look at them, they could rest under their shade and they could enjoy and experience their fruit. But there was this one tree that the LORD wanted them to avoid.
It was an unusual tree. Its fruit had the ability to give them more than nutrition and pleasure. Its fruit had the ability for allow them to experience things that were both good and evil.
Now, they had already experienced good. All around them was good. The Lord God Almighty was good. They were good. All of creation was good. Life was good. They didn’t need the fruit of this tree to experience good or know what good was.
So, in actuality the only thing that this tree could give them was to know evil. Eating its fruit would enable them to experience evil. Eating its fruit would open their eyes to experience chaos, sin, aging, decay and death. Eating its fruit would enable them to experience the very opposite of what it meant to be God, to be good and loving.
God did not want mankind to ever experience evil. God made mankind in His own image. It was never His desire that we be stained with evil; with sin. For God knew that sin brings only chaos, destruction and death.
That is why we read these words in Genesis chapter two:
“The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.’” – Genesis 2:15-17
One day the Bible tells us that Satan approached Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent and tempted them to rebel against God and eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Up to this point Adam and Eve knew only of good. They had never experienced evil. They knew nothing about it. They didn’t know what it meant to disobey the LORD. They did not know what it meant to lie, to steal, to hurt someone or to covet. They didn’t know what it meant to live in a violent world. They didn’t know what it meant to be sick or to experience death.
It may be difficult for us to comprehend such a perfect world, but such a world did exist. It was a world that only had life. It was a world that only shared love for God, for one another and for all of creation. It was a world of perfect harmony and peace.
Satan told Adam and Eve that they needed to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to be complete human beings. He told them that in their present state they were not whole. He lied to them and told them that God was allowing them to be less than they could be and that they needed to experience both good and evil to be complete. That if they would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil then they would be like God in ways that would amaze them.
Satan lied. Satan always lies. He always tries to steal and destroy. It is who Satan has chosen to become. At first Satan was good but at some point he chose to be the very opposite of righteousness and holiness. He chose to embrace evil, sin chaos, lying, stealing and death.
God is not evil. God doesn’t sin. God is good. God is Holy. God is Love.
Foolishly, Adam and Eve picked off the fruit and ate it. They embraced what it would mean to not only know good (after all that is all they did know) but to know evil as well.
In an instant everything was changed. Once they experienced evil and understood it they were not longer the same. Their spiritual hearts became damaged. The very cores of their existence were changed; Sin had entered into them and into their world.
As a result they began to lessen. Instead of gaining more understanding, insight and knowledge the exact opposite happened. It’s always that way with evil. Evil promises us that we will experience greater things, better things but in the end it is always a lie. We become less. We become less human. Adam and Eve’s minds became confused, their emotions became twisted and their physical bodies began to age and decay.
Far worse, they became afraid of God. They became afraid of God’s Presence. Just moments before they ate the fruit they couldn’t get enough of God and now all they wanted to do was to hide from God. That is the power of evil. That is what happens when we embrace evil rather than righteousness. Evil always leads us away from God and leads us to fear God.
Even their own personal relationship with themselves and with one another became tainted. They no longer saw themselves as a couple (as one) but now as two separate individuals who had to look after their own selfish interests. Their love for one another was triumphed by their own selfishness.
Everything around them changed. It was more than just Adam and Eve that were adversely effected that day. It was more than them that felt the effects of the Fall.
Today, we continue to experience the effects of sin. When Adam and Eve fell so too did all of their future children. Their desire to experience evil transformed them, it degraded creation and it condemned all their future children. Each person born through them has been born with what the Bible calls a sinful nature. Each person has been born with a bent towards evil and sin.
That is the bad news and it really is bad for the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death; physical and spiritual. This is bad news because sin removes us from being able to enjoy everlasting life. This is bad news because it means those who die in their sin will endure everlasting damnation.
But in Christ Jesus there is Good News and it really is Good News:
Listen to what the Apostle Paul shares with the people of Ephesus:
“2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b]
4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV
The Fall – rebelling against God – accepting evil – being estranged from God, aging, decay and death entering the world – having sin in all of its forms present on the earth – all of that is really bad news.
But for all the bad news there is really great news and that is where the New Birth/Born Again comes into play. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection the way has been made for each one of us to experience a New Birth. We can go from being sin filled, Hell bound people to becoming people who have been rescued and redeemed. In Christ Jesus we can be rescued from both the penalty and power of sin. In Christ Jesus we can be redeemed and made into new creations.
That is what Jesus was sharing with Nicodemus. We can be born from above; born from the Holy Spirit. We can be made new. We all can have the totality of our sins forgiven and we can be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
This change does more than just save us from Hell and damnation. This change does more than just rescue us and redeem us. This change gives us:
B. A New Identity
Years ago this new identity was publicly proclaimed when people would change their names after salvation. One of the ancient rituals that became popular in different areas was when you were baptized you took on a new name because you were a new person. You took on a Christian name.
The person you had been was now dead. Your life of sin was finished. You were no longer a fallen creature. You had been transformed by the blood of the Lamb; Christ Jesus. Your sins were washed away. And as a result you took on a new name; a name that symbolized a complete transformed new identity. You were now a redeemed child of God. You were now a person who had repented; turned away from a life of sin and were being infilled and guided by God’s Holy Spirit.
Today, we don’t celebrate a person’s new identity as much as we did in our ancient past. We normally don’t take on a new name when we become a born again Christian. We don’t throw salvation parties or celebrate baptisms like they are new birth stories.
It really is a shame. I believe our ancestors knew what they were doing when they celebrated their new identities. They knew what they were doing when they made a big deal about one’s salvation, baptism and first communion. It helped cement the fact that in Christ we are a new creation and it spoke volumes to the world around us.
Finally, being Born Again not only brings us a new identity it propels us into a new future
C. A new future of being infilled and led by God’s Holy Spirit
I think one of the difficulties that we have experienced in all of this is forgetting that when we are redeemed; when we experience a new birth it doesn’t mean that we are immediately perfect. It doesn’t mean that we go from being “saved” to being a mature saint.
All you have to do is to read the New Testament to understand that fact. After Pentecost the Church was not perfect. In Paul’s letters we see that many of the people in his churches were not perfect including the Apostle himself.
Why else would the Apostle Paul talk about leaving some things behind while picking up other thing in Philippians 3:12-16?
Why else would Paul talk about allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our minds in Romans 12:1-2?
Why else would Paul talk about us needing to understand to look above instead of focusing only what we see and have here on earth in Colossians 3:1-3?
Paul understood that while our hearts have been made new the fact remains that we have a lot of growing up to do in Christ Jesus.
This is exactly why Jesus taught on the Parable of the Vine in John 15. Even after being Born Again we continually are in need of some pruning and correction so that we might be able to grow into the people God wants us to become.
That is why it is so important that we allow the Holy Spirit to continually guide us, correct us and comfort us in this life.
We are not just being prepared to live in heaven. I believe that we will be growing forever and ever. I believe that the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us to be able to fully live the life that God planned for us from the beginning of time. A life that forever is growing closer to Him and to one another. A life that is forever reflecting His honor and glory today and forevermore.
Right now, the Holy Spirit is doing his best to teach us what it means to live a life above sin. We are being taught how to resist the devil. We are being taught how to love God, ourselves and others. We are being taught how to live a life where goodness and righteousness are as commonplace as breathing.
So, that means we need each other more after we come to faith than we needed one another before we came to faith. We need encouragement, we need support and we need people to help us along the way. We need mentors and we need to be mentors to others.
None of us knows exactly how to perfectly live this new life; this life of love, joy and peace. None of us knows exactly how to make sure that we are producing and enjoying the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Today, we have the Holy Spirit, we have God’s Holy Word, we have our conversations with the LORD, we have the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit and we have one another. We need one another. We need each other’s support and love. We need people who in love can correct us, discipline us and guide us into living higher and better.
We need all of this so that we can live a more fulfilling life; a life that is above this world.
+A life that values the real things rather than just things that glitter like silver and gold.
+A life that values the real things rather than fleeting fame and pleasure.
+A life that values the real things rather than just focusing ourselves.
So, this morning, what does it mean to be Born Again?
+It means that we have experienced a transformation. It means that we have confessed our need for salvation. It means that we have repented of our sins and asked the LORD JESUS CHRIST to be our personal Savior and LORD. It means that we have repented and have made a commitment to turn away from sin and evil and towards the Lord. It means that we have experienced a New Birth and that we are no longer the same people but we are new people in Christ.
+It means we have a new identity. We are God’s Masterpieces. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people who are God’s own possession. It means that we are infilled with God’s own Holy Spirit.
+It means that we are now being led, guided and taught by His Holy Spirit. It means that we are now enjoying the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It means that we are pouring our lives into the lives of others and that we are actively doing all we can to be the best that we can reflecting God’s honor and glory. It means that we are busy at fulfilling the Great Commission and we are doing our best to bring heaven to earth.
This morning all of that and even more is what it means to be Born Again.
As we close this morning, let me ask some needed questions:
Right now this morning, are we enjoying the life of being Born Again?
Have we accepted Jesus’ invitation to be Born Again; to be transformed into His image?
Have we repented of our sins and asked the Lord to forgive us and cleanse us?
Are we currently being infilled with God’s Holy Spirit?
And can we say that we are being led and guided by God’s Holy Spirit?
Invitation/Prayer/Blessing
