Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
October 28, 2001 AM
We Must Be Born From Above
Reading - John 3.1-21
Nicodemus knew Jesus was different. He was not like the other Jewish Rabbis. He spoke of a new world coming...
A kingdom where there would be peace...
- Peace with God,
- Peace with others,
- Peace within.
Jesus spoke of genuine happiness in an economy where...
- The poor in spirit are given a kingdom.
- Where mourners find comfort.
- The meek inherit the earth.
- Where mercy is the order of the day.
- Where those who love righteousness are always satisfied.
- Jesus talked of happiness in face of persecution.
Let me ask you this morning... Are you interested in such a concept? Would you like to live in such a kingdom... Such an economy?... Nicodemus was. Jesus told Nicodemus... Not only is it possible for you to live in such a kingdom... It’s available to everybody.
HOW?... Look at verse three and seven of our text... You must be born again.
It’s interesting to note that the Greek word translated AGAIN in our English Bibles literally means FROM ABOVE. In fact, out of the thirteen times that the word AN-O-THEN is used in the New Testament, only in our text, verse three and seven is it translated AGAIN by our King James translators.
Jesus is saying... I tell you the truth, unless a man is born FROM ABOVE, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. You see, entrance into this new economy... this new life... is by a new birth... not a physical birth... not born of this world, but born from His world... Born from above.
Well... What does it mean to be born again?... Simple, to be born FROM ABOVE!
Are we willing?... ARE WE WILLING?
Church, you might be surprised how few are really willing to experience this new birth. O yes, we want the benefits of this new economy... This new kind of kingdom living... But are we willing to be born into it... Born from above?
OK... Let’s explore this new birth... See what it is and how we can experience it?
First... The new birth is a spiritual event.
Jesus said... You must be born again. Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. You mean I must return to my mother’s womb and be reborn to enter this kingdom of God? No, no, Jesus said, the new birth is a spiritual event.
You see audience, God’s law has always been the same. All things will always bear fruit after its own kind. Things born physical are physical, and things born spiritual are spiritual. Physical things... earthly things... are those things:
- That we can see.
- That are tangible.
- That are temporary.
- That rust, corrupt, disappear with time.
On the other hand, spiritual things cannot be seen.... and they are eternal. Jesus says... Spiritual things are like the wind, you can’t see them. But you CAN see the effects of them. We can’t see spiritual concepts... We can’t see things like...
-Faith,
-Love,
-Mercy,
-Hope,
And forgiveness,
But we can certainly see their effects... RIGHT?
This should help us understand Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6, when He said, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
-Physical treasures,
-Tangibles,
-Things seen
Cannot be laid up in heaven... but spiritual treasures certainly can. You must be born again of water and the Spirit. The new birth is a spiritual event.
Secondly... The new birth is a miraculous event... Let me show you how. Scripture tells us that we are all dead in sin. Ephesians 2.1 & 2... You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world. James 1.15… The end result of sin is death... Eternal separation from God. Isaiah tells us we are dead spiritually, because our sins have separated us from God.
We must know this morning, that being born from above forgives us of our sins. That means that... In the new birth, there is... Reconciliation... Justification... Forgiveness. Being born results in total... absolute forgiveness.
Who can deny that forgiveness is a miraculous event. It has to be because only God can do it... We can’t forgive our own sins... We don’t have the resources to do that... Do we? Forgiveness is an event which takes place in the mind of God. Sins are blotted out... remembered no more. Praise God for this miracle!... A miracle made possible by the blood of Jesus.
The third point is that the new birth is not self-righteousness.
Being born again...
Is not an overhaul.
It’s not a renovation,
It’s not just deciding to be good and do good.
It’s not just cleaning up our lives.
Being born from above... The process...
Creates a new individual,
It’s a regeneration,
A resurrection to a new life in the kingdom of God.
The old man in sin is put to death... Crucified if you will.
Listen to Paul as he explains this in Romans six... Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. IF... If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from his sin.
Audience... When is one freed from Sin?
In the new birth,
When we die to sin,
When we are born again... BORN FROM ABOVE.
When does this new birth take place? Romans six says.. In the event of New Testament baptism.
Note this now, we are not reborn...
By our good works,
By our religious activity,
By joining a church.
Good works are the result of being born again... Not the process itself. Paul goes on to say here in Romans six, that as a result of this being born again, we are to do good works... We are to become:
-Instruments of righteousness... That’s verse twelve.
-Living sacrifices... Chapter twelve, verse one.
You see folk... There is no salvation in self-righteousness... We cannot be...
Religious enough,
Pious enough,
Good enough,
To be born again... To be born from above.
Nicodemus was...
Teacher of righteousness...
A religious man,
Nicodemus did good deeds, but he was not in the kingdom of God.
The new birth is a work of God... Not a product of human goodness..
Scripture puts it this way in John 1.12-13... To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision... But born of (WHOM?)... Born of God. There should be no doubt this morning that the new birth is not a result of our own goodness, but is a free gift from God to those who will experience it.
Fourthly... The new birth cannot be inherited.
Christianity is not an inherited religion.... God has no grandchildren. Our parents and grandparents may have been Christian... born again believers. We may be living in quote..."A Christian nation." But the faith and obedience of others cannot save us.
Jesus told Nicodemus... You... YOU... Not Israel... YOU must be born again. Nicodemus was... A Jew... A child of Abraham... His parents and grandparents were Jews.... But he was not in the kingdom. WHY?... Because he had not been... Born from above. In Acts 10.35, Peter said, God accepts from every nation..Those who fear Him and do what is right. The new birth is a personal choice... A personal response to God.
Number five... The new birth includes more than religious sincerity.
Many believe today that...
IF an individual means well,
IF one has good intentions,
Then God will bless them with forgiveness, salvation, and entrance into the kingdom.
Question!... Does our text teach this?... NO!... CERTAINLY NOT!
-Nicodemus was sincere.
-Nicodemus was a Rabbi... A teacher of God's law.
-Religiously... He was a Pharisee... That means he was a strict religious conservative.
-He even believed in Jesus.
Yet... Note this!... He was not IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Paul was sincere in his persecution of Christians. The Ethiopian eunuch was sincere. Cornelius was a good man. Apollos was a preacher. They were all sincere... But were not in the kingdom of God until they were born again of water and spirit.
This brings us to number six... The new birth demands obedience.
-Joining a church,
-Giving a large sum of money to a charitable cause,
-Having an unexplained religious experience as did Cornelius and Saul.
-Going through some religious ritual.
-Or affirming a church creed does not always mean... we've been born again.
My good people... The new birth, being born from above is doing what God asks us to do. It is obedience... Obedience out of proper motive.
Let me support this from scripture: First, look at verse 14 in our text. Jesus was lifted up on the cross, like Moses lifted up the snake in the desert wilderness. Now audience, how did those bitten of snakes received their deliverance from death? By FAITH... By believing and obeying. By trusting God's promises enough that they obeyed and looked upon the brazen serpent Moses placed on the pole.
This is the very point Jesus makes... God so loved the world that He gave... Lifted up His Son on the cross, so that he that believes shall be saved. Were the Israelites who refused to look upon the serpent saved from the snake bites?... NO! Can we be saved unless we be born again of water and spirit... NO!
Listen to 1 Peter 1.22-23: Seeing you have purified, cleansed, yourselves by obeying the truth... For you have been... (WHAT?)... Born again... Not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. How were they born again?.... By obeying the truth.
Turn one page in your Bibles and Peter will tell us when this cleansing, this purification took place... 1 Peter 3.20 and 21, In the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water... And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience towards God...
Did the water really save Noah?... NO!... What saved him?... An Obedient faith! That's what Hebrews 11.7 says... Noah was saved by faith. Does the water of baptism saved us?... NO! What does?... An OBEDIENT FAITH!
Acts 2. 41-47 verifies this conclusion. When Peter told his audience on Pentecost that to be forgiven they must repent and be baptized, the Scriptures tell us: And those who accepted the message were baptized and there were added that day about three thousand souls... And the lord added to:
The church,
The kingdom,
To their number,
Those being saved. Is there any doubt that the new birth demands that we obey God's commandments?
The third part of our lesson has to do with evidence of our being born again. Jesus tells Nicodemus that because the new birth is a spiritual event, we can't see it, but we can see the results of it. We should be able to see evidence of our being born from above.
What are some evidences in our lives that we are born again people? First... We become changed people.
I am reading from Ephesians four... And then Colossians three... You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; you are to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.... Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry... You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator... Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you... And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity... Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Secondly, we become Spirit led people,
Listen to Paul as he addresses those born from above in the church at Rome and those in the churches of Galatia... Allow me to read these two scriptures together... There is now, therefore, no condemnation to those who are in Christ, because through Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death... You, however, are controlled not by the sins of the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Question!... Would you like to live in this KINGDOM, this economy of God:
Where people have changed the way they live.
Where they are led by the Spirit through the Word?
Where men and women have no past sins to burden their hearts?
Where there is no condemnation?
I tell you the truth... No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again of water and of Spirit. The invitation is yours as we stand and sing this invitation song... Will you come?
