I. Read John 3:1-7
II. N. Was a Pharisee
a. they were Jews who were fanatics about the observance of rites and ceremonies. He was smart, rich, respected, a ruler, and very religious.
b. N. was still lost (just because your religious doesn’t mean your going to Heaven. Just because you may have been a good person doesn’t mean you still get to go to Heaven)
III. He comes to Jesus to tell him...who is Jesus?
Many say Jesus was a prophet.
Many say Jesus was a good man.
Jesus was God. Not a God, but God in the flesh
VI. Jesus response
A man must be born again
Fact: We all have bodies
Fact: we all have spirits
Once our bodies are gone, our spirit lives forever.
Jesus said for us to get to Heaven we must be born again...How is this possible? To be born twice?
We were all born from our mom’s. That is our first birth. To be born again means to
A. It means you have been Redeemed.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)
* Why do we need to be redeemed? Sin had separated us from God and the penalty for sin is death.
* I Peter 1:18 & 19 tells us that through the blood of Christ we are redeemed.
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18-19)
B. It means you have been Reformed(transformed)
Reformation will not save you, but if you are saved you will be reformed.
Rom 6:12 - 13 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6)
You are a new creation in Christ. ~~Analogy of the Butterfly~~
Why Christian are we still living like we aren’t saved? Lie, cheat, not putting the Lord First
C. It means you have been Released
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Released from the chains of going to hell, on sin, of Gods punishment
“Know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. You are free when you are born again
D. It means you have been Received
To be born again means that we are placed into God’s family, not just a church denomination like Baptist, Methodist, or Luthern.
He receives us because he loves us. Not because of what he can get out of us, or because we are a good person. He loves us so much he died for us.
We can sing with authority we have an eternal home in Heaven, riches untold, joy unspeakable
I’m and a child of the King a child of the King - with Jesus My Savior, I’m a child of the King.
How to be born again- How to have hope after you die.
Being born again means you have been redeemed, reformed, released, received by God. It is the only way to Heaven
E. Do you want to be born again? Do you want to go to Heaven after you die?
There is a simple way to do so. It’s called the Plan of Salvation
