Let me first ask the wives this question….
• If you were asked who is the WORST PERSON YOU HAVE EVER COME INTO CONTACT with…. who would you name? (Wives do not look at your husband…that is a dead giveaway!)
Let me ask the husbands this question….
• If you were asked who is the most fascinating person you ever met, WHO WOULD YOU SAY? (Fellows this is a good time to look at your wife and smile!)
Let me ask the congregation this question…
• If you were asked who is the best preacher you ever heard preach God’s Word was, WHO WOULD YOU SAY? (Do not start scratching your head and looking like you do not know. That is also a dead giveaway!)
Jesus met some fascinating people. If you were to ask the Lord who is the MOST FASCINATING PERSON, HE EVER MET was, He might say that it was a man by the name of Nicodemus
Who is Nicodemus?
• Nicodemus was one of the most powerful and influential men in all of Israel during this time period
• Nicodemus was a wealthy, powerful, religious man
• Jesus refers to Nicodemus as a “Master of Israel” which means he was a MASTER TEACHER
• Nicodemus was an educated man, but despite his learning, there were some things this man did not know
One night, this rich, powerful, educated man found himself alone in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ asking some very important questions.
One of the reasons that educated people are intelligent is because they ask questions.
It pays to ask questions!
• It shows you want to learn
• It also may give you the answer to something you do not know
Sometime somethings we do not know can be very costly.
Illus: The Chevy Nova was a relatively successful American car for many years.
Encouraged by U.S. sales, Chevrolet began to market the Nova throughout the world.
• Unfortunately, the Nova did not sell well in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
• Additional ads were ordered, and marketing efforts were stepped up. The sales remained stagnant. Sales directors were baffled. The car had sold well in the American market; why wasn’t it selling now?
• When they discovered the answer, it was rather embarrassing. They did not inquire as to what Nova meant in Spanish. Nova means “no go” (James Emery White, Rethinking the Church, Baker, 1998, p. 38.)
So, the Latin people were not buying a car that would NOT GO!
If the Chevrolet people just asked what NOVA meant in Spanish, it would have saved them some money.
It pays to ask questions! You can learn a lot by asking questions!
Nicodemus had some problems with this phrase of being, “Born Again!”
He did not understand the term, "BORN AGAIN."
The MASTER TEACHER was going to teach the MASTER TEACHER what it meant to be born again!!!
Let’s listen in as the MASTER TEACHER TEACHES THE MASTER TEACHER about the subject of spiritual birth.
We see -
I. HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
We read about this in John 3:1-7 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. 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. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 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.
Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This statement shows the necessity of being Born Again because there is not going to be any blind people in heaven.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE, “BORN AGAIN"?
One of the reasons I feel led to preach on being Born Again is because many like Nicodemus do not know what it means to be born again.
Some think because:
• They do good works they will go to heaven.
• They have join the church they will go to heaven
• They have been baptized they will go to heaven.
But a person can do all these things and much more and still not be born again.
But this is what will happen on the Judgment for many.
Matthew 7:21-22 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
So, this is why I feel led to preach this sermon on WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BORN AGAIN!!!
Births have always fascinated us. One of the difficult problems we parents have is explaining to our children how they are born.
Illus: A mother who dreaded the day she would have to explain about childbirth decided she would let her children watch a special program on PBS 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?"
• "Oh, yes, it does," she said, remembering her difficult deliveries.
• "Wow," he continued in awe, "Does it hurt the mother too?"
Illus: We men have a different perspective on childbirth.
• You will never hear a man say to his wife, "Boy, you're lucky. I sure wish men could experience the miracle of childbirth."
• You might hear him say to his wife, “You think the baby will come before Monday Night Football starts?”
• You might hear a man say, “If you think this hurts, I should tell you about the time I twisted my ankle playing basketball.”
Illus: Also, you might hear a man say to his wife as she is delivering, “That was the kids on the phone. Did you have anything planned for dinner?”
The little phrase, “Born Again” literally means, “To be born from above.”
There are two problems people have with being BORN AGAIN.
(1) MANY HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH THE WORD "ETERNAL".
Illus: Spiritually speaking, to hear some folks talk about the born-again experience, they make you think of a cat with nine lives.
They keep getting born again, born again, and born again!
This gets to be confusing.
WHY IS THIS CONFUSING?
Suppose you could be born again nine times like a cat and each time you were born again you received eternal life.
• If you got born again the tenth time, what happened to those nine eternal lives?
• Some would say they would no longer exist. Well, if that is the case, eternal does not mean eternal.
Listen, Christ died once for sin and if a person had to keep getting born again, Christ would have to die again and again for their sins each time.
Look at Romans 6:7-10, we read, “For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”
People often ask, “What about all those who claim to be saved and are living in sin?”
They never have been born again.
Look at verse 8 again, “For he that is dead is freed from sin."
Some might be asking when we are born again do, we still commit sin.
• A born-again Christian does not willfully sin, because the NEW BIRTH means they are born again.
Before we were saved, we JUMPED INTO SIN but after we are saved, we FALL INTO SIN.
THAT IS, WE DO NOT WILLFULLY SIN!!!
As Christians we recognize these bodies of ours are now the body of Christ.
When we gave our hearts to the Lord, we gave ourselves to HIM.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
We preachers many times give the invitation, “Give your heart to Jesus.”
Who can find fault with that?
But at the same time, is it possible that preachers have inadvertently communicated that God is interested in the souls of people while seemingly disregarding the claim that God makes concerning the whole person?
God’s plan is for the entirety of who we are—not just one part of us.
That’s why Paul writes the following to another group of believers:
Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.
We are now the TEMPLE OF GOD!!!
Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Notice the last part of verse twenty our bodies are now “Which are God’s”.
• If you give me your car it is mine…it now belongs to me!
• It no longer belongs to you it belongs to me!!!
In the Old Testament the temple was the habitation of God. It was the place where God walked, a place of holiness and peace.
Shouldn’t our bodies—which are now God’s temple—be viewed and treated as the same?
Illus: Let me give you a couple of raw illustration.
• If a man is born again and use his body to have illicit sex with a harlot what he is doing he is TAKING THE BODY OF CHRIST AND USING IT to HAVE SEX WITH A HARLOT.
• If he takes his body as a born child of God and steals with it he is using the body of Christ to steal with.
• If he takes the body of Christ and tell lies, he is taking the body of Christ to tell a lie.
The Christian might fall into sin, but he/she will not take the body of Christ and JUMP INTO SIN!
• He is taking this ETERNAL body that now belongs to the Lord and using it for the glory of God.
• The sinner willfully jumps into sin because they have the old sin nature that has never been born again.
Many folks have a difficult time understanding what ETERNAL LIFE MEANS!
Also…
(2) THEY GET REFORMATION MIXED UP WITH REGENERATION
Reformation is good!
Each year folks make New Year’s Resolutions! They resolve that they are going to REFORM:
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Save Money
• Start exercising
• Eat Right
• Get a Better Education
• Stop drinking
• Quit Smoking
• Volunteer to Help Others
But listen, you can resolve to do all these things and do them and still die and go to a Christ-less eternity!
What the world needs is NOT REFORMATION, BUT REGENERATION!
• Reformation will put new clothes on a man,
• But regeneration will put a new man in his clothes!
Every person under the sound of my voice needs regeneration and not reformation!
Illus: Roger L. Fredrikson tells of a man named Mr. Nou, who lived in china. "In his old life he had frequently beaten his wife and children, often neglecting them while he was 'partying with other women' as he put it”.
He finally gave in to one of his persistent friends who almost angered him by constantly urging him to come with him to church. At first, it was all a joke for Mr. Nou. But then, in God's mysterious way, he met the One to whom Nicodemus came at night. It was a radical, life-changing encounter, and Mr. Nou was “born again."
"He emptied the whiskey bottles in his home and began to treat his wife and children with new love and respect. Then he discovered new friends among the believers and began to eagerly study the Scriptures at 5:00 each morning."
His wife said, "I don't have a different husband, I have a new one!"
What the world needs, is not REFORMATION, but REGENERATION!
The Lord was teaching this MASTER TEACHER that everyone that is born into this life is NOT going to heaven.
The Lord knew that Nicodemus was not born again.
He knows everyone here today that is born again and who is not born again.
He knows:
• How tall or short you are
• He knows what size shoe you wear
• He knows how many degrees you have, or do not have
• He knows how many words you said last week, (and some of you keep Him pretty busy counting)
• He knows your every thought if it is good or bad
• Listen to this ladies, He even knows how old you are
• He knows how much you weigh
• He knows WHO IS BORN AGAIN AND WHO IS NOT!
He taught the MASTER TEACHER that HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN, but also, he taught Him -
II. HOW HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
Illus: If a building is on fire and you tell me it is on fire; that is good. But now tell me how to escape.
The Lord did not just tell Nicodemus he was lost, he told him what he must do to be saved.
The Lord said a number of times in this conversation that he MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
Heaven is not going to be filled with some who are born again and some who are not.
Let me show YOU TWO REASONS why we MUST BE BORN AGAIN.
A. HUMANITY MAKES IT A MUST
Listen, if you went to heaven with the lost, fallen nature that we mortals are born with, you would be miserable! It would be against your nature to enjoy anything in that land.
That is why we need a new birth; it gives us a new nature and it gives us a new life!
Illus: When it comes to nature, think about this:
• You will never see a bird swimming laps in a pool. Why? It’s against its nature!
• You will never see a cow dancing in a Broadway show. Why? It’s against its nature!
• You will never see a pig flying from tree limb to tree limb. Why? It’s against its nature!
• You will never see a lost sinner in Heaven! Why? Because it’s against their nature!
If you are going there, then you need a new nature.
That is why Jesus says, “You must be born again!” It is not an option!
Look at all this man had going for him!
• Nicodemus Was A Rich Man – Money can buy you many things here in this world, but it can't buy you anything in Heaven!
• Nicodemus was a Respectable Man – But that will not provide you a place in Heaven
• Nicodemus was a Religious Man – Still, what we do does not change who we are!
Here is where many well-meaning people are confused as to why they MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
• No matter what you have
• No matter what you do
• No matter who you are
God’s Word says we are all born into sin and MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
That is why the new birth is NOT AN OPTION; IT IS A MUST!
If you want to avoid Hell and go to Heaven, then you must be born again! HUMANITY MAKES IT A MUST –
Also…
B. HEAVEN MAKES IT A MUST
In verse 3, Jesus says that without the new birth, you cannot “Enter the kingdom of God.”
NOTICE WHAT KIND OF PLACE HEAVEN IS.
IT IS THE “KINGDOM OF GOD.”
Do you understand what He is saying?
Illus: It has been said that Heaven, “Is a prepared place for a prepared people.”
The new birth prepares you for life in a new kingdom!
Illus: A young sculptor worked painstakingly on the statue of an angel. When the great Michelangelo came to view it, the artist hid nearby and waited to hear the master's comment. Michelangelo looked intently at the sculpture with breathless suspense. At last he said, "It lacks only one thing." Hearing this, the young artist was heartbroken. For days he could neither eat nor sleep. A friend became so concerned for him that he went to Michelangelo to ask what the statue lacked. The master replied, "It lacks only life; with life it would be perfect." (William E. Biederwolf.)
Some people are like that statue: Outwardly, they have an admirable appearance, but they never have been born again. They lack one thing - SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Illus: The words, "BORN AGAIN" are thrown around very loosely these days:
For example:
• Larry Flynt, the publisher of a pornographic magazine has claimed he is born again.
• Jim Jones claimed to be born again, yet he led hundreds to death and sorrow.
• Many of the ungodly actors and actresses in Hollywood claim to be born again.
One of the great Biblical terms has been stolen from the church.
The term “Born Again” has been emptied of its meaning and dragged through the mud.
We need to rescue this phrase and return it to its proper place.
We have looked at…
I. HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
II. HOW HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
III. THE MYSTERY OF THE NEW BIRTH
Look at verses 4-8, we read, "Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 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 wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
Births are always a mystery! Nicodemus certainly saw it this way.
Look especially at verse 4, Nicodemus asks, “How can a man be born when he is old?”
He was a smart man, but he had no idea what the Lord was talking about.
There are always people smarter than we are and they can teach us something if we let them.
Illus: Speaking of being smart makes me think of smart women.
A husband and wife were in the midst of a violent quarrel, and hubby was losing his temper.
• “Be careful,” he said to his wife. “You will bring out the beast in me.”
• “So what?” his wife shot back. “Who’s afraid of a mouse?”
Illus: A man said to his wife one day, “I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.”
The wife responded, “Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"
Nicodemus was a smart man, but just because a person is smart does not mean they know everything. There is always someone smarter than we are that can teach us something.
Illus: It reminds me of the old days in the west when men wore pistols on their hips, but no matter how fast a man was on the draw, there was always someone faster.
No matter how much Nicodemus knew, he now came into contact with the Lord who could tell him things he did not know before.
He did not know the first thing about being born again!
Look at verse 5-7, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 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.”
Jesus was saying JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL BE THERE!
The Lord is talking about spiritual birth. He said:
• Flesh gives birth to the flesh
• The Spirit gives birth to the spirit
Notice, Jesus explains that there are two elements to this new birth: Water and Spirit.
We know what the Spirit means. The Spirit works in the believer's life to regenerate them.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BORN OF WATER?
Some say that this is a reference to a literal baptism and conclude that you have to be baptized to be saved.
• If water baptism could save you, we would be saved by works!
• If water baptism could save you there would be no need for Christ to die for our sins.
The Bible teaches that we are saved by God’s grace.
When the Lord was talking about water He was referring to John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance.
Before a person should be baptized, they first should repent of their sins and then follow the Lord in Believer’s baptism
Remember when that crowd came to John to be baptized? Look at Matthew 3:7-8, "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.”
WHAT IS JOHN SAYING TO THIS CROWD?
We are not to judge people, but we are fruit inspectors. John says go and repent of your sins and show some evidence that you have repented of your sins, then come back and I will baptize you.
If a sinner is baptized without repentance:
• They go in the water as a dry sinner
• Come out a wet sinner
John’s baptism represented the REPENTANCE that must occur before salvation occurs.
Luke 13:3, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Notice how Jesus addresses this mystery for Nicodemus to understand in two ways:
(1) HE COMPARES IT TO A BIRTH
Look at verses 4-7, we read, "Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 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 Lord was telling Nicodemus that for a man to get to heaven he must have two birthdays.
There must be a day when he was born into the kingdom of men and a day when he is born into the kingdom of God!
There are many ways that physical birth can be used to illustrate spiritual birth.
For example:
1. PHYSICAL BIRTH PROVIDES LIFE
Babies have life because they are born in the physical world! Likewise, spiritual birth provides a person with spiritual life.
2. PHYSICAL BIRTH ONLY HAPPENS ONCE
Physically speaking, you can only be born one time! Spiritually, the same thing is true! Eternal life is eternal life, or it is not eternal.
3.PHYSICAL BIRTH TAKES PLACE BECAUSE OF THE SUFFERING OF ANOTHER
A mother enters the very jaws of death to bring life into this world. Jesus entered the cruel jaws of death so that you might be born again. The new birth rests squarely upon the pain and suffering of another!
4. PHYSICAL BIRTH GIVES THE INFANT A BRAND-NEW START
No baby is born with a past! They have no
Past, only a future!
So, it is with the new birth. When you get saved, you get a brand-new start. Your past is wiped away and a new, clean future lies in front of you!
B. HE COMPARES IT TO A BREEZE
Look at verse 8, we read, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
Jesus tells Nicodemus that the wind CAN NOT BE SEEN but the effects of it can be felt.
The wind is a great mystery. It is like the Holy Spirit in that it can't be seen but it is a powerful force that cannot be denied.
The new birth is the much the same. You cannot see God do His work in a heart, but you can see the effects of the working of the Spirit in a life!
• When you see a drunkard leave his bottle, you know God has been working!
• When you hear clean language come from a mouth that used to be a sewer, you know God has been at work.
• When you see a vile woman become a clean woman, you know God has passed by.
• When you see a wicked, hateful man turn into a sweet, loving, holy saint, you know the wind of the Spirit has been blowing in his soul.
It is a mystery because we do not see it happen. But there is no denying the effects of the power of God when He works in the human heart.
I need to mention one more thing about the wind.
When Nicodemus stood before the Lord, the wind of the Spirit was blowing in the soul of Nicodemus.
The time to call upon the Lord for salvation is when the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing. It might be gone in an instant, never to return.
Many folks have the idea that they will get saved when they are good and ready. NO, YOU WILL NOT!
In John 6:44, we read, "No man can come to me, except the father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
If the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing in your heart today, you need to ask the Lord to save you today! He will not always deal with you.
Gen. 6:3a says, “And the LORD said, my spirit shall not always strive with man….”
If you sense the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing in your direction today, you need to respond by allowing Him to save you today! The Word of God says that TODAY is the day of salvation!
We have looked at:
I. WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
II. HOW WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
III. THE MYSTERY OF THE NEW BIRTH
Now let us look at…
IV. THE MEANS OF THE NEW BIRTH
Look at verses 9-15, we read, "Nicodemus answered and said unto him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
When Nicodemus hears these things, he wants to know how this is possible. Jesus takes these next few verses to explain to him and to us how the new birth can become a reality!
A. THE ROLE OF THE SAVIOR
Look at verses 13-14, we read, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”
Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the time Israel sinned in Numbers 21:4-9 and God sent serpents in among them to bite them.
When that tragic event took place, God commanded Moses to make a brass snake and put it on a pole as a means of saving them. Everyone bitten that looked to the brass snake put on a pole was healed.
When Jesus hung on that cross, He paid your sin debt in full. There is nothing more owing on your account if you will receive Him by faith!
He did His part when He died and rose again from the dead. That is the role of the Savior!
B. THE ROLE OF THE SINNER
Look at verse 15, we read, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
He does the SAVING, and we did the SINNING!
The reason we did the sinning was because before we were born again, the only birth we knew was that of earthly flesh.
When we are BORN AGAIN, we come to know a NEW LIFE.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."
When a person truly becomes BORN AGAIN, they are set free from this physical life that has controlled them for years.
John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
The New Birth gives us a desire to live a godly life.
What must the lost, hell bound sinner do to be saved?
The lost man must look to Jesus for salvation the same way the Jews looked to the serpent on the rod for salvation.
Conclusion:
Illus: Someone said, "Trying to get a unsaved individual to live like a Christian without being born again is like trying to teach a pig how to sing."
Someone else said, "You should never try to teach a pig to sing. You only get frustrated, and it really annoys the pig."
I. HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
II. HOW HE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
III. THE MYSTERY OF THE NEW BIRTH
IV. THE MEANS OF THE NEW BIRTH
Illus: A person can type your name into a computer and in a few minutes can tell:
• How many credit cards you have
• How much you spent on certain items last year
• How much your house, car, boat and camper cost
• What your income was last year
• If you pay your bills on time
• What religion you belong to
• How many bathrooms and bedrooms you have in your house
• What nationality you are
• How old you are
• If you are a high school, or a college graduate
• If you have any children
• If you have a criminal record
The day of PRIVACY is over!
While what man knows about us may shock us, GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT US. And He tells us we must BE BORN AGAIN!
