The New Birth
INTRODUCTION
1. A commonly used
phrase is "born again Christian"...
a. Often in the context
of distinguishing between Christians who are
"born again"
and those not
b. Which is a really an
incorrect distinction, for all true
Christians have been
"born again"
-- But what does it mean
to be "born again"?
2. The Bible uses the
expression "born again" only a few times...
a. Jesus in His
conversation with Nicodemus
John 3:3-7
“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.”
b. Peter in his first
epistle
“Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead”
I. THE NECESSITY OF
THE NEW BIRTH (1-3)
A. NECESSARY TO SEE THE
KINGDOM OF GOD...
1. Unless one is born
again, he cannot see (enter) the kingdom
**(John 3:3-7)**
2. What is the kingdom
of God? In brief...
a. The rule and reign of
God in the person of Christ
“And Jesus came and
spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
b. A spiritual kingdom
not of this world
John
18:36
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not
of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence.”
c. A kingdom made up of
faithful subjects
“Who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son:”
d. A kingdom both
present and future
“The Son of man shall
send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that
offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him
hear.”
B. NECESSARY TO BE
SAVED...
1. To be in the kingdom
is to be saved from the powers of darkness
““Who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son:”
2. Salvation requires a
rebirth, a regeneration
“Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
II. THE NATURE OF THE
NEW BIRTH (4-5)
A. INVOLVES BOTH WATER
AND THE SPIRIT...
Compare Paul's description
“Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
a. A washing of
regeneration (water)
b. And renewing of the
Holy Spirit (Spirit)
3. An obvious reference
to baptism
c. "Baptism by
water, into the Christian faith, was necessary
to every Jew and Gentile
that entered into the kingdom of God.
-- The new birth occurs
when one is baptized, for in that simple
act of faith they are
born not only of the water out of which
they arise, but also
born of the Spirit (regenerated) by the
working of God at that
moment
“Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and
the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having
forgiven you all trespasses;”
B. INVOLVES THE WORD OF
GOD...
1. One is born again by
the Word
“23Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever.”
The instrument through which the Spirit
convicts the sinner
“Nevertheless
I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him
unto you.”
2. Jesus sanctifies and
cleanses His church by the washing of
water by the word
“That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”
III. THE EVIDENCE OF
THE NEW BIRTH (6-8)
A. SEEN BY THE EFFECT OF
THE SPIRIT...
1. We should expect that
what the Spirit produces is spirit (i.e.,
spiritual)
“That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
2. Like the wind (the
same Greek word as Spirit), we do not see
the Spirit itself but
the effect that it produces
-- Has one been truly
born of the Spirit (i.e., born again)?
With
time there should be
clear evidence that a change has occurred
“We know that
we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
B. SEEN BY THE FRUIT OF
THE SPIRIT...
1. Paul describes the
fruit (evidence) of the Spirit
“But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, 23Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.”
2. Which comes not only
being born of the Spirit, but walking in
the Spirit
“This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
Where the fruit does not
appear, either there was never any
rebirth or one is
walking after the flesh, not the Spirit!
“For the
flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these
are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would.”
IV. THE BASIS FOR THE
NEW BIRTH (14-18)
A. THE SACRIFICE OF
CHRIST...
1. Jesus compares His
eventual crucifixion to Moses' lifting up of
the serpent2. So people
would be saved from perishing by believing in Jesus
John 3:14-15
“And as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up: 15That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
B. THE LOVE OF GOD...
“For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.”
-- God's love for man is
what makes Christ's sacrifice and the new
birth possible!
“9In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be
the propitiation for our sins.”
C. THE FAITH OF MAN...
1. Those who believe in
Jesus will not perish, but have
everlasting life
-- The new birth
requires faith in Jesus; without faith, being
born of water is
meaningless, and born of the Spirit impossible
[Christ's sacrifice and
God's love, in cooperation with man's faith,
makes the new birth
possible. Yet many remain condemned for
lack of
faith in Jesus. Why?
Jesus offers one reason for...]
V. THE REJECTION OF
THE NEW BIRTH (19-21)
A. MANY LOVE DARKNESS
MORE THAN LIGHT...
1. Light (Jesus) has come
into the world
John
3:19
“And
this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
2. There are those who
love the darkness instead, because of their
evil deeds
-- Their love for things
of the world cause them to reject the
light of Jesus
“And the
Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided
him.”
B. MANY DO NOT WANT TO
BE EXPOSED BY THE LIGHT...
1. They know that coming
to Jesus will expose their evil deeds
2. But those willing to
obey (does the truth), do not fear the
light
John 3:20-21
“20For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest
his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth
truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are
wrought in God.”
If you would like to know Jesus and be born again, please repeat these words after me:
Dear Heavenly Father I come in the Name of Jesus Christ. Forgive me a sinner and wash me in your precious blood. Break this heart of stone, to be made flesh so that you may sow your word in it. If there are any addictions that I may have, remove them now. And from this day forward, I have accepted you as my personal Savior in Jesus Name, I pray Amen!
If you had said the repentance prayer with your heart, the angels are rejoicing in heaven, for another soul is saved and ready for the coming of the Lord. Study the word of God, and pray to the Lord for guidance, because He will give understanding to those that are willing to accept the truth. When you pray, it doesn't have to be fancy, just talk as if you are talking to a friend, because Jesus is a wonderful friend to have, that will never leave you nor forsake you.
If you would like to pray with someone for encouragement you can always call the
Full Gospel Holiness Church
(We are located in Williston, Florida)
Our number to call is: 352-615-4438
You could also Visit our website for sermons, upcoming events, and
directions to the church: http://www.fghconline.com/
