Who can go the Heaven?
John 3:3-5 (NASB95)
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.
Misconception # 1
Religious people go to Heaven
“All religions are true and honorable and ultimately lead to the same destination, heaven.”
Misconception # 2
Good people go to Heaven
“If I am good and do may best to be an honest person then God will let me in to heaven.”
"A woman who was a very busy church worker waited for D. L. Moody after he had told a group of church workers some very plain truths from God’s Word. “Mr. Moody,” said the angry woman, “do you mean to tell me that I, an educated woman, taught from childhood in good ways, and all my life interested in the church and doing good, must enter Heaven the same way as the worst criminals of our day?” “No, madam,” said Mr. Moody. “I don’t tell you at all: God does. He says everyone who would enter Heaven, no matter how good they think they are, or how well-educated, or zealous in good works, must be born again.” —Sunday School Times[1]
In John chapter 3…
Jesus explains to Nicodemus that religious knowledge and ethnicity are not a sufficient basis for a relationship with God; one must be born into his family by the Spirit.[2]
• If you are born once, you are born in the devil’s family, if you are born twice, you are born in God’s family.[3]
I. Natural Man’s Condition
A. Dead in sin
Ephesians 2:1-3 (NASB95)
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
B. Desires to engage in sin
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NASB95)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
II. Natural Man’s Condemnation
John 3:18 (NKJV)
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
A. Death – Second
Romans 6:23 (NASB95)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7-8 (NASB95)
7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
B. Desolation
Matthew 25:41; 46 (NASB95)
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
III. God’s Provision- new birth
ILLUS.
USA- suppose certain rights were only given to citizens and citizenship was only given to those born in this country.
Supposed LAW “The ability to Stand in the presence of the President”
A Scottish man wants to stand before the President.
“I’ll change my dress,” “I’ll change my language,” etc.
No matter what is changed outwardly, The man will still be scottish. The only answer is to be re-born into the USA.
A. NEW Birth Required
John 3:3-5 (NASB95)
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.
Titus 3:5 (NASB95)
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
B. NEW Birth Realized
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.
1. BELIEF AND REPENTANCE
“Born of water” The Greek wording of 3:5 can mean either “water and the Spirit” or “water, that is, the Spirit.” [4]
a. John’s Baptism: Repentance Matt 3:1-6
Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’ ”
4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;
6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
i. Water signified cleansing:
Ezekiel 36:24-27 (NASB95)
24 “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 “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.
27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
b. Belief: John 3:16
IV. God’s Promise – heaven
A. “Kingdom of God” “Eternal Life”
[1]Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers] (Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979).
[2]Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary : New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993).
[3]Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers] (Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979).
[4]Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary : New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993).
