Illus: A mother was watching a PBS special showing the birth of a baby. The mom thought it would be a good starting point for answering questions about the facts of life.
• As her five-year-old studied the baby coming out of the birth canal, he asked, "Mom, does that hurt?"
• Recalling the difficulty of her deliveries said, "Oh, yes, it does,"
• "Wow," he continued in awe, "Does it hurt the mother too?"
Children have a hard time comprehending all of this stuff about child birth.
Illus: That reminds me of a little girl that was sitting with her grandmother, who had presented her with her first little children's Bible, when she was very young.
• A decade or so later, the elderly lady was ready to spend a few sweet moments handing down the big old King James Version family Bible to her granddaughter.
• Understandably excited, the youngster was asking a number of questions, both about the family members whose births and deaths were recorded therein, and about various aspects of the Scriptures themselves.
• Her grandmother was endeavoring to answer all the child's questions in terms she could understand, but the one that stopped her cold was this sincere inquiry:
• "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? Was it the Virgin Mary, or the King James virgin?"
Illus: Women seem to know more about child birth than men. Because men do not know as much about child birth as women do, they say some pretty dumb things while their wives are giving birth to a child, such as:
• Boy! You're lucky. I sure wish men could experience the miracle of childbirth
• Do you think the baby will come before Monday Night Football starts?
• I hope your ready. The Glamour Shot photographer will be here in fifteen minutes.
• If you think that hurts, I should tell you about the time I twisted my ankle playing basketball.
Any time a birth takes place, it is an EXCITING TIME!
The birth of a child will cause any parent to gloat. But did you know that God also gloats over the birth of one of His children?
Illus: Max Lucado wrote: “God is crazy about you!
• If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
• If God had a wallet, your picture would be in it.
• You might go days without thinking of Him, but there would never be a moment when He would not be thinking of you.
You are the most important thing in the world, in all of God’s creation!”
We know a great deal about the PHYSICAL BIRTH but many know very little about the SPIRITUAL BIRTH.
The Lord, in this scriptural passage, wanted to teach Nicodemus something about the spiritual birth. We can learn from what He taught him.
Let’s look at THREE things about the BORN AGAIN life:
I. BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE REDEEMED
Look at verses 1-2. We read, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”
Notice, in verse 3, immediately when he inquired about who the Lord was, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
WHY DID HE SAY THAT? Because there are people in every church who have heard Jesus’ name mentioned over and over again, yet they do not know Him. They know ALL ABOUT HIM, but they do not KNOW HIM! They sing about Him, but they do not know who they are singing about!
Nicodemus went to Jesus to find out just who He was. Jesus was quick to tell him that if he wanted to know Him in all His greatness, he MUST BE “BORN AGAIN.”
BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE REDEEMED. Also...
II. BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE RECEIVED
If you are born again, you have been RECEIVED into the family of God!
Look at Romans 8:16, we read, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
The moment we are born again, we are BORN INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD.
• For me to be able to enjoy this earthly life, I have to be born into this world in which I live.
• For me to be able to enjoy the heavenly life, I have to be born into the family of God!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN AND RECEIVED INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD?
Look at 2 Cor. 5:17. It tells what will take place in our life. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Look at the words, “,,,IF any man be in Christ…” Paul puts that “IF” there because he knows that everyone that claims to be born again is not born again!
This verse of scripture tells us two things about the person who has been born again.
(1) He is a new creature
(2) Old things are passed away and all things are become new
Listen to me very carefully, IF THESE THINGS ARE NOT A REALITY IN A PERSON’S LIFE, HE HAS NOT BEEN BORN AGAIN.
Illus: How often we have heard the lost world say, “There is nothing to Christianity, look at all the people who profess to be saved and live like the devil!” We can’t deny this is a problem, but all that proves is that some people that claim to be saved are hypocrites.
According to the Word of God, it is impossible to become a born again Christian and not have radical changes take place in our life.
There are three events that will change our life drastically!
1. WHEN A COUPLE GETS MARRIED
THEY ARE NEVER AGAIN THE SAME PERSON…NEVER! NEVER! (Did I say…NEVER?)
Illus: if an unmarried person in this congregation thinks he can get married and just go on living the way he did before he got married, HE HAD BETTER NOT GET MARRIED. (If you do not believe it….ask my wife, this is what she told me when I married her!)
She made it clear that little black book that listed all my girl friends…HAD TO GO! The only girl I need to look at, think about, talk about was her!
Marriage is a life-changing experience. A person will never be the same once they get married.
Illus: Someone said:
• Marriage is not a word. It is a sentence--a life sentence.
• Marriage is very much like a violin; after the sweet music is over, the strings are attached.
• Marriage is love. Love is blind. Therefore, marriage is an institution for the blind.
• Marriage is an institution in which a man loses his Bachelor's Degree and the woman gets her Masters.
• Marriage is a thing which puts a ring on a woman's finger and two under the man's eyes.
• Marriage certificate is just another word for a work permit.
• Marriage requires a man to prepare for 4 types of "rings":
-The Engagement Ring
-The Wedding Ring
-The Suffe-Ring
-The Endu-Ring
• Love is one long sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock.
• They say when a man holds a woman's hand before marriage, it is love; after marriage, it is self-defense.
• When a newly married man looks happy, we know why. But when a ten-year married man looks happy, we wonder why.
• A husband is living proof that a wife can take a joke.
Getting married is a life-changing experience. Once you make the decision to marry, your life will never again be the same.
2. WHEN A COUPLE HAS A BABY
When a couple has a baby, they think that everybody thinks that their baby is the cutest baby that has ever been born.
But let me say this about babies; while we might think that our baby is the cutest baby that has ever been born, everyone may not share our thoughts.
Illus: A woman gets onto a bus with her baby.
• The bus driver says, "That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen. Ugh!"
• The woman goes to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her, "The driver just insulted me!"
• The man says, "There's no call for that. You go right up there and tell him off. Go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you."
Once a couple has a baby, they find their life is changed forever.
Illus: Little Johnny's new baby brother was screaming up a storm. He asked his mom,
•“Where'd we get him?”
• His mother replied, “He came from heaven, Johnny.”
• Johnny says, “WOW! I can see why they threw him out!”
When a baby arrives, that little small baby that weighs less than anyone in the house, he is in control. That little baby decides:
• When they are going to eat
• When they want their diaper changed
• When everyone in the house can sleep
Having a baby is one of the great life-changing experiences.
3. WHEN A PERSON ACCEPTS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR
This is the biggest life-changing event that any person could possibly experience. When a person truly accepts the Lord Jesus, HE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.
The Bible says that OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY AND ALL THINGS BECOME NEW!
Before a person gets saved, they might be a:
• Drunkard
• Liar
• Gambler
• Homosexual
After they are saved, they are no longer the same person.
Illus: While I appreciate the good things that AA does for people who are addicted to alcohol, I seriously disagree with one thing they do. In their group meetings, they will say, “I am John Doe and I am an alcoholic!” Listen, if they are BORN AGAIN, they are no longer an alcoholic. They now are a NEW CREATURE!
Look at 1 Cor. 6:9-10, we read, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
If God stopped there, no one in this church would go to heaven. But it does not stop there.
Look at verse 11, we read, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Notice the words, “And such WERE some of you…” This is PAST TENSE. They once were all the things mentioned, but no longer. After talking about those who were once this way, it then says:
• But ye are washed
• But ye are sanctified
• But ye are justified
I AM NO LONGER what I was before I was born again!
Illus: A man who had recently been converted was riding on a train. Some of the fellows in his car decided they would play cards to fight the boredom of the trip. They invited the man, who was a new convert, to join in the game. The man said, “I thank you for inviting me to play with you, but I can’t.”
The men continued to invite him to play cards with them. Finally the new Christian saw that this was a chance to witness. He said, “I am sorry, I cannot play cards with you because I do not have any hands.”
They looked at him and laughed, saying, “It looks to us like you have as many hands as we do. Come on and play.”
He said, “You do not understand. These hands are not mine. They belong to Jesus. He has entrusted me to use them in the right way. He specifically told me to ‘abstain from all appearance of evil,’ and those cards you have in your hand have a history of evil behind them.”
Needless to say, they got the message and did not ask any more.
Listen, if a person thinks he can make a decision to accept Christ as his personal Savior, and not have that decision radically change his life, HE IS MISTAKEN! If you are one of the many who think you can be a Christian and live in sin the way you have always done, you are MISTAKEN!
God’s Word says, in 1 Cor. 3:16-17, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
Perhaps some are saying, “Preacher, I know people who claim to be saved and they still live in sin, and God has not destroyed them.” There is a reason for that. They are NOT GOD’S TEMPLE.
It is the born again experience that SEPARATES US FROM SIN. This new nature does not like to live like the old nature!
BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE REDEEMED, BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE RECEIVED and -
III. BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE REFORMED
The Bible clearly states that if a person is not born again, he will never see the kingdom of God.
Look at verse 3 again, Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
God said that unless we are born again, we cannot SEE the kingdom. There will not be any blind people in heaven, so that means only those who are born again will be there.
God told Nicodemus that he had to be BORN AGAIN!
Nicodemus said, in verse 4, “…. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?”
The Lord knew he was not trying to be facetious. Jesus explained why, in verses 6-7. We read, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
The new birth is not a reformation of the old man. It is simply what the Bible says it is. It is a NEW BIRTH! The old, sinful life is dead. Everything is new.
Conclusion:
Remember, Jesus said, to a very good man, Nicodemus, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” Why? Because only the “born again” life will allow us to be accepted into the kingdom of God.
Are you BORN AGAIN? If not, why not?
I. BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE REDEEMED
II. BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE RECEIVED
III. BEING BORN AGAIN MEANS YOU ARE REFORMED
