1 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:07,300 If you're visiting with us today, thank you for being here. 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,400 My name is Kyle. I serve as a lead pastor and 3 00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:13,300 we're grateful you chose to worship with us today. 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,400 If you have your Bible, you can turn to John chapter 3, John 5 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,400 chapter 3. We are going to be covering 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:25,900 verse 7 today of John 3, and what we're doing is we're in the 7 00:00:25,900 --> 00:00:29,300 middle of a sermon series, called the law and the gospel 8 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:33,400 and subtitle there is, you must be born again today. 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,800 We're covering the The verse where Christ just explicitly 10 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:44,100 says You must be born again. And so what we're exposing or 11 00:00:44,100 --> 00:00:47,000 kind of have been exposing throughout the series is 12 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,800 Nicodemus and Christ or in a conversation and I'll read it to 13 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:54,700 you here in just a second. But Nicodemus is a Pharisee, 14 00:00:55,100 --> 00:00:58,700 he's a member of the Sanhedrin, which is the ruling body of the 15 00:00:58,700 --> 00:01:03,000 nation of Israel. He is the V teacher Christ 16 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,200 addresses him as the The teacher of Israel. 17 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,400 And so, Nicodemus is a high-ranking religious official 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:14,100 who has done everything the right way, he's well, thought of 19 00:01:14,107 --> 00:01:16,000 by his peers. He's well, thought of in the 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:21,300 community as well, thought of, in, in the temple, and among the 21 00:01:21,300 --> 00:01:25,900 Jews. And yet he must be born again. 22 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:29,300 And so, what's being exposed here, is that, the law does not 23 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:32,500 save. You cannot obey the law to the 24 00:01:32,500 --> 00:01:35,200 T. You know, cross every T. 25 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:37,500 Dot every. I make sure you get the law 26 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:39,700 right one. You can't do that anyway. 27 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:44,300 But to even if you could, you would still fall short of the 28 00:01:44,300 --> 00:01:48,400 glory of God, you would still be in need of something else to 29 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,600 make you righteous. You might appear righteous. 30 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:54,300 People might say, Say you're a good man or a good woman or a 31 00:01:54,308 --> 00:01:55,800 good boy or good. Girl. 32 00:01:56,900 --> 00:02:00,500 But in your heart of hearts, you would still be dead. 33 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:02,900 You'd still be dead in your sin. And so that's what we've been 34 00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:04,900 exposing. That's what Christ is exposing 35 00:02:04,900 --> 00:02:07,900 here in Nicodemus, we're going to look a little bit more at 36 00:02:07,900 --> 00:02:11,400 that today, as we've been doing, if you're able, would you stand 37 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,400 to your feet, as we read the word of God, and then I'll pray 38 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:20,200 for us. John 3 verse 1. 39 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:23,800 Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a 40 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,600 ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night 41 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,600 and said to him. Rabbi, we know that you are a 42 00:02:30,608 --> 00:02:33,400 teacher. Come from, God, for no one. 43 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,900 Can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. 44 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,900 Jesus answered him. Truly, truly, I say to you, 45 00:02:42,100 --> 00:02:46,000 unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 46 00:02:46,100 --> 00:02:49,600 And Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is 47 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,400 old? Can he enter a second time into 48 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,300 his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered truly, truly I 49 00:02:56,300 --> 00:03:01,900 say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot 50 00:03:01,900 --> 00:03:05,500 enter the kingdom of God. Verse 6, that which is born of 51 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:07,700 the flesh is flesh. And that, which is born of the 52 00:03:07,708 --> 00:03:14,300 spirit is Spirit, do not Marvel. That I said to you, you must be 53 00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:16,700 born again. You may be seated. 54 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,700 Are our big idea today. The thing that we're going to 55 00:03:21,700 --> 00:03:23,700 look at and just kind of drive home? 56 00:03:23,700 --> 00:03:27,400 Is this Divine mandate from Christ? 57 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:33,200 That you must be born again. You must be born again. 58 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,200 Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, we praise you 59 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:38,200 for your word. We thank you for your word. 60 00:03:38,700 --> 00:03:42,100 Got to thank you for the time that we've had and singing songs 61 00:03:42,100 --> 00:03:44,200 today. Re that recall your word and 62 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:51,000 recall just The goodness of God, recall, the effects of the 63 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,500 Gospel on our life and father. What we're going to do now is 64 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:57,400 open up your word. We're going to go into your word 65 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,000 and we're asking that your holy spirit's illuminate. 66 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,000 These truths help us to see them give us ears to hear. 67 00:04:04,100 --> 00:04:08,800 Father give us eyes to see give us a heart that is made of 68 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,000 fertile soil. That as these words are 69 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,000 implanted in our heart, they would bear fruit and God again, 70 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,899 we thank you for your word. We thank You for christ, his 71 00:04:17,899 --> 00:04:21,899 sacrifice, his death, his resurrection by him. 72 00:04:21,899 --> 00:04:24,700 We can know you. We can be in fellowship with 73 00:04:24,700 --> 00:04:27,800 you, heavenly father. And so we ask that your spirit 74 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,400 teach us today in Christ's name we pray. 75 00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:35,600 Amen. Amen, you must be born again. 76 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,400 All right. If an unbeliever came to you 77 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,900 today and asked, how can I enter the kingdom of God, or what does 78 00:04:42,900 --> 00:04:46,200 it take to enter the kingdom of God? 79 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,900 How would you answer them? What, what would you tell them 80 00:04:49,900 --> 00:04:53,600 in that moment? Would you be caught kind of off 81 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,200 guard? Would you be caught stumbling 82 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,400 over your words? Would you be caught trying to 83 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:58,300 reconcile? Okay. 84 00:04:58,300 --> 00:05:01,100 How do I teach them? All of these various truths 85 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:04,500 about salvation and what it looks like and where do you 86 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:08,100 begin? The truth is that it's not 87 00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:11,000 really a complicated process, right? 88 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:15,700 It's a very simple truth. The path to entering the kingdom 89 00:05:15,700 --> 00:05:18,100 of God is, is already made known to us. 90 00:05:18,100 --> 00:05:20,700 It's not something we're trying to work out or figure out. 91 00:05:20,700 --> 00:05:24,300 It's, it's not a mystery to us. It's plane in scripture. 92 00:05:24,300 --> 00:05:27,700 How we enter the kingdom of God to enter the kingdom of God. 93 00:05:27,700 --> 00:05:33,800 A person must be born again. A person must be born again. 94 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,900 A person must become a believer in Jesus Christ, someone who is 95 00:05:38,900 --> 00:05:45,100 trusting himself or herself on the death and resurrection of 96 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:47,400 Christ Jesus for the Forgiveness of their sins. 97 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,000 And that is what Jesus Is Telling Nicodemus here in verse 98 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:55,800 7, when he says You must be born again and what he tells 99 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,400 Nicodemus, he is telling everyone. 100 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,400 In fact, the word you here in you must be born again. 101 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:06,900 It might be said you all my or ya'll must be born again. 102 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:10,300 It's plural. He's not speaking direct just to 103 00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:12,800 Nicodemus. He speaking in a plural manner, 104 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,500 saying that you all of you must be born again. 105 00:06:17,700 --> 00:06:19,300 That's possible that he may have in mind. 106 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:22,800 The Pharisees is Nicodemus has come to him and said, we know 107 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,200 that you are a teacher come from God because no one, but but 108 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,700 Nicodemus is alone. So he speaking kind of on behalf 109 00:06:28,700 --> 00:06:31,200 of the Pharisees in this. We know this. 110 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,400 We know something's up here and so Jesus is responding. 111 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:37,600 Will you all must be born again? If you're going to enter the 112 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,300 kingdom of God, you all must be born again. 113 00:06:40,300 --> 00:06:45,200 If you're going to see the kingdom of God, This is what 114 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:50,800 Jesus Is Telling Nicodemus here. So what happens when you come 115 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:56,100 into the World by a physical birth, is really the same thing 116 00:06:56,100 --> 00:06:58,800 that needs to happen for you to enter the kingdom of God. 117 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:04,700 You need to be born again. You need a spiritual birth. 118 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,000 When you came into this world, it was by a physical birth. 119 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,100 You did nothing to cause your own Birthright. 120 00:07:12,100 --> 00:07:17,500 Right. You grew you pushed, you ran out 121 00:07:17,500 --> 00:07:20,400 of room, that's about it. And so that was the only thing 122 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,900 left to do. But you didn't cause any of 123 00:07:22,900 --> 00:07:26,400 that, right? The same is true for how you 124 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:28,600 enter the kingdom of God, you must be born again. 125 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,900 Spiritually, born, and there's no other prerequisites for 126 00:07:32,900 --> 00:07:35,200 entering the kingdom of God. There's no other requirements. 127 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,000 That must be met you. It's not saying you have to obey 128 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:43,800 all of the law and you know, profess faith in Christ, It's 129 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,300 faith alone in Christ alone for your salvation. 130 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,900 Nicodemus is somewhat dumbfounded by his conversation 131 00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:55,300 with Jesus. We looked at this as Jasper 132 00:07:55,300 --> 00:07:58,500 taught us a few weeks ago Nicodemus said to him. 133 00:07:58,500 --> 00:08:02,500 How can a man be born when he is old like he's wrestling with the 134 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:05,200 statement? How can he enter into his 135 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:10,400 mother's womb a second time? And be born he recognizes I'm 136 00:08:10,700 --> 00:08:14,300 I'm an adult Jesus like I can't make myself small. 137 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,500 They can't enter back into my mother's womb she wouldn't allow 138 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:19,100 it if I could, right. Right? 139 00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:24,400 All the moms are like, amen. Jesus is saying. 140 00:08:26,300 --> 00:08:29,400 Do not Marvel. That I said to you, you must be 141 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,600 born again. Don't wonder at this. 142 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,400 Jesus Is Telling Nicodemus there, that, he's no different 143 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:42,900 than any Gentile of Jews looked at the Gentiles largely as dogs, 144 00:08:43,900 --> 00:08:48,700 largely as less than human and most cases, they look down on 145 00:08:48,708 --> 00:08:51,700 the Gentiles and Jesus saying you're no different than 146 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:54,300 Gentiles though. You're the teacher of Israel 147 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:58,100 though, you're a Pharisee, your Birthright, your education, they 148 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:00,700 do, not negates your need for a noob. 149 00:09:00,900 --> 00:09:04,900 Earth. The nature of the man is all the 150 00:09:04,900 --> 00:09:07,600 same the nature of all mankind is the same. 151 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,600 This is what God declares in Genesis 6, verse 5. 152 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:15,200 We looked at this in Sunday school over the just really the 153 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,700 last few weeks we've kind of been examining this idea. 154 00:09:17,900 --> 00:09:20,800 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth 155 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:24,600 and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only 156 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:29,100 evil continually and so God, floods the Earth. 157 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:34,900 Jeremiah 17:9 the prophet. There is speaking for God and he 158 00:09:34,900 --> 00:09:38,400 says this about the human heart, he says the heart is deceitful 159 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:44,900 Above All Things. And desperately sick, who can 160 00:09:44,900 --> 00:09:50,600 understand it? The heart is deceitful above all 161 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,600 things. It's hard to think about my own 162 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,100 heart, sometimes. Being the most deceiving thing. 163 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,500 I know, most deceiving thing within proximity of me, right? 164 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:05,400 It's, it's the most deceiving part about me at times, I say, 165 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,000 at times because I have been born again. 166 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,400 I have a new heart, I still have fleshly desires that are going 167 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,100 to deceive me. I have a new heart in Christ. 168 00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:20,300 Amen. And so God is saying in his 169 00:10:20,300 --> 00:10:23,200 word, Romans 3 is another example, this but God is saying 170 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:27,700 in his word that all mankind is in need of Salvation from their 171 00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:30,900 sins. Everyone needs this. 172 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,100 And yet Nicodemus is marveling at what Jesus is saying. 173 00:10:34,700 --> 00:10:37,600 He Marvels at it and we know he does because Jesus says, do not 174 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,700 Marvel. All right, the word. 175 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:47,100 Marvel means to wonder to be amazed to be astonished by or to 176 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:50,300 be astonished. At like he's astonished that 177 00:10:50,300 --> 00:10:53,700 Christ is saying You must be born again. 178 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,700 Me. Why me? 179 00:10:57,700 --> 00:11:00,200 I'm the teacher of Israel. I'm a Pharisee of Pharisees. 180 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,400 I'm a member of the Sanhedrin. I'm faithful to the temple. 181 00:11:04,900 --> 00:11:07,600 I'm Expositor being your word for people. 182 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,100 I'm helping them. Understand what you were saying. 183 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,100 I need to be born again. How can I enter into my mother's 184 00:11:14,100 --> 00:11:16,300 womb a second time? What do you mean by this new 185 00:11:16,300 --> 00:11:21,800 birth? The teacher of Israel doesn't 186 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,200 understand what he's saying. We know this because just two 187 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,000 verses later Nicodemus answers Christ and he says how can these 188 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,100 things be? How can these things be? 189 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,800 Nicodemus is essentially saying can this demand that you're 190 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,000 making, can this thing that you're saying actually be true. 191 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,000 So, we have to wonder, why would Nicodemus find this hard to 192 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,300 believe? I think we've exposed some of 193 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:53,500 it, but let's think about it a little bit further. 194 00:11:54,300 --> 00:11:59,000 It's hard for someone who believes themselves to be one 195 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,500 thing to be told they're a completely different thing, 196 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,300 right? Never had this in your life, 197 00:12:05,300 --> 00:12:07,000 like you think? Maybe you're right about a 198 00:12:07,008 --> 00:12:09,400 situation. You're like, man, I know that 199 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:14,200 I'm right about this situation and then someone tells you, well 200 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,900 know you're actually wrong and you're like, no I'm I'm right 201 00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:18,800 about this. I know that I'm right about this 202 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,500 and then the facts are presented. 203 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:22,000 The argument is made in your life. 204 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:29,500 Shoot, I'm not right about this. It's a humbling thing right to 205 00:12:29,500 --> 00:12:32,000 be told, you're not right about something. 206 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,500 But what if you weren't right about the whole way, you had 207 00:12:35,500 --> 00:12:39,900 spent your entire life. Like what if you were told 208 00:12:39,900 --> 00:12:43,600 today? That all of the way you have 209 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:48,700 exerted your energy from birth to adulthood from birth to your 210 00:12:48,700 --> 00:12:50,700 childhood wherever you're at in life. 211 00:12:50,700 --> 00:12:53,700 What if you were told today, you're not right about the way 212 00:12:53,700 --> 00:13:00,100 you've been living. You say one thing and you live a 213 00:13:00,108 --> 00:13:04,600 different or or you just you're altogether like, all in on, just 214 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:10,700 not being righteous and just unconcerned with righteousness, 215 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:13,600 you're unconcerned with how God says you should live. 216 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,900 And so you're being told you're not right about this. 217 00:13:17,900 --> 00:13:20,500 And yet you think I'm a good person. 218 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:24,300 I'm a good. I'm a good individual. 219 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,600 Good to my wife. I'm good to my co-workers, good 220 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:35,200 to my friends, you know, I give money in the offering plate, but 221 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:38,600 what if you were told that you're not right, this is where 222 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:42,700 Nicodemus is, I mean, Nicodemus, is morally upright, Nicodemus, 223 00:13:42,700 --> 00:13:46,800 is by all accounts, a great citizen. 224 00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:51,900 He's the kind of guy you want to live next to probably, you want 225 00:13:51,900 --> 00:13:55,500 him as your neighbor. You want him in your life and 226 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:59,700 he's full of good works. He's like likely outworking 227 00:13:59,700 --> 00:14:02,200 others. He's faithful to attend the 228 00:14:02,208 --> 00:14:04,500 temple. He serving God with everything. 229 00:14:04,500 --> 00:14:06,700 He knows how to muster and doing that. 230 00:14:06,700 --> 00:14:09,500 He's the leading Bible teacher of Israel. 231 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:14,100 Surely, he's better than others. And yet, Jesus looks at him and 232 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:19,500 says You must be born again. And when a man works, his whole 233 00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:24,800 life for something only to hear you must start over it. 234 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,700 Crushes him. You wrestle with that, right? 235 00:14:28,700 --> 00:14:32,600 You're you're wondering how in the world you're marvelling at 236 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,000 it. How can this be? 237 00:14:35,300 --> 00:14:40,200 And so Nicodemus, is he shocked, and many unbelievers feel the 238 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,000 same way. When they to hear that, they 239 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:49,600 must be born again. Because plain and simply people 240 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,700 do not see themselves as someone who is in need of Salvation from 241 00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:57,100 their sins, they may admit the regrets. 242 00:14:57,100 --> 00:14:59,700 You know, I've got some things that I've done that, I wish I 243 00:14:59,708 --> 00:15:03,800 could have done differently, they may Express a desire to do 244 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,500 some things in the future differently than they've done 245 00:15:06,500 --> 00:15:09,700 them in the past, but they wouldn't call themselves. 246 00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:15,300 Sinners in need of Grace, sinners in need of a savior, 247 00:15:15,300 --> 00:15:17,500 right? Those are just my States. 248 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:20,100 They're not since those are just problems. 249 00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:22,300 I have those are things I'm wrestling with but they're not 250 00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:28,600 sinful. And we soften we soften sin and 251 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,500 an effort to make ourselves feel better. 252 00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:34,700 Christians are guilty of this just as much as unbelievers are 253 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:40,500 at times. They see themselves really as a 254 00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:44,700 good person. Stephen Lawson says in his book 255 00:15:44,700 --> 00:15:46,900 New Life In Christ. When you believe yourself to be 256 00:15:46,900 --> 00:15:50,600 a moral upright person, you're shocked to hear that you were 257 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:56,100 headed for hell. Using Earthly scales of Justice. 258 00:15:56,100 --> 00:15:59,700 You are not quite as bad as that person over there. 259 00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:01,300 Right. There's a there's a weight in 260 00:16:01,300 --> 00:16:05,200 your mind and you're thinking about well you know I might not, 261 00:16:05,300 --> 00:16:09,700 I might have lied on that test or I might not have told all of 262 00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:12,600 the truth and that conflict that I had. 263 00:16:13,900 --> 00:16:20,100 But I didn't murder anyone. And I'm not a, not a pedophile, 264 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,400 not a tyrant. And so, in the Earthly scales of 265 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,700 Justice, you start to think I'm a pretty good person, but pretty 266 00:16:28,700 --> 00:16:34,000 good, dude. And when you do that, how can 267 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,800 you believe that you desperately need regeneration? 268 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,700 While some goes on to say, when you see your acts of community 269 00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:44,400 service and kindness as earning you in place in heaven, how can 270 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,800 you believe you desperately need regeneration? 271 00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:53,500 So earlier Jesus has said, In this passage, unless one is born 272 00:16:53,500 --> 00:16:55,000 again. And now what he's doing in verse 273 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:59,000 7 as he's intensifying the statement by using the word 274 00:16:59,100 --> 00:17:05,700 must, you must be born again. Most of you know what the word 275 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,000 must means, alright? Like you you grow up in a home 276 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:13,400 that if Mom and Dad says You must do this, you must do what I 277 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,200 say. And you don't do what said and 278 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,599 your mom and dad are consistent and trying to follow the lord, 279 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:25,300 and discipline, you receive discipline and you learn. 280 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:30,700 I should do, the must it's, whatever the must is, I've got 281 00:17:30,700 --> 00:17:33,900 to do that or I must be hurting them. 282 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,900 My behind, right. That's what happens. 283 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,200 And so Jesus saying You must be born again. 284 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,600 It's necessary to be born again. It's required. 285 00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:50,600 That you be born again. You are obligated to be born 286 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,800 again. You have to be born again to 287 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,700 enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The only way to enter the 288 00:17:56,700 --> 00:18:00,400 Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is saying, is to be born 289 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,900 again. You must be born again. 290 00:18:05,100 --> 00:18:08,300 Are we clear? Well, clear, right? 291 00:18:10,500 --> 00:18:14,300 And so, Nicodemus is thinking though, my morality my devotion 292 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:19,700 to God, it would these things will approve me before a just 293 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,800 and righteous. And holy God, I can present my 294 00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:27,000 moral goodness. I can present My Kingdom 295 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,200 Service. I can present my devotion to God 296 00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:33,200 and and I'll be approved before him. 297 00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:38,800 And Jesus is saying, not only are you not approved, you can't 298 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:44,200 even see the kingdom of God. Not only are you not approved, 299 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:51,400 you cannot even enter the kingdom of God. by the way, 300 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:56,600 Steve, I'd like to retract my Decision to say that these are 301 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,400 largely synonymous. I don't think they are so I 302 00:19:00,408 --> 00:19:02,500 apologize. I set you up for failure on that 303 00:19:04,100 --> 00:19:06,600 I think seeing the kingdom and entering the kingdom of 304 00:19:06,608 --> 00:19:08,600 different things. I think Christ has been upping 305 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,600 the ante throughout the conversation. 306 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,700 We notice that these works are from God. 307 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,200 And Christ is saying you can't even see the works. 308 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,800 Like you can see just kind of a physical nature but you have no 309 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:25,900 idea what they're showing you about the kingdom of God. 310 00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:30,100 And then he goes on to say not only, can you not see but you 311 00:19:30,108 --> 00:19:32,900 cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you're born again. 312 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,700 And now he's just saying flat out in case you haven't heard me 313 00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:44,100 yet, you must be born again. I think he's increasing what 314 00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:50,000 he's saying, and friends I would be a terrible person if I did 315 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:54,100 not say to you all today that the same is true for you. 316 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:59,600 If you have not yet been born again, You two must be born 317 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,100 again. There's no other pathway for you 318 00:20:02,100 --> 00:20:04,200 to enter Heaven. You cannot do enough. 319 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,000 Good Deeds. You cannot attend enough church 320 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,200 services. You cannot be good enough. 321 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:14,300 You can't raise your hands enough in service. 322 00:20:14,300 --> 00:20:17,700 You can't pray, aloud enough, you can't be kind enough. 323 00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:23,800 None of what you do is going to make you approved before God, 324 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,900 except that you humble yourself before God. 325 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,800 Place your faith in Christ Jesus, for your sins, for the 326 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:37,900 Forgiveness of your sins and trust him with your life. 327 00:20:39,700 --> 00:20:42,400 That's really what it means to place your faith in something, 328 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,600 right? I mean, you all are placing your 329 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:48,900 faith in the chair that you sit down in I didn't see one of you 330 00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:52,800 before you sit down, check screws, check the legs, check 331 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:55,800 the back, check the seat to make sure it's all in good shape, 332 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,800 right? None of you did. 333 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:00,000 Why? Because you have faith that the 334 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,500 chairs of chair does what it does. 335 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:05,300 When you place your faith in Christ, you're doing very 336 00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:08,000 similar thing. You're placing the full weight 337 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,600 of your life on him and you're saying I trust Christ for my 338 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:16,100 salvation. And I trust in him alone. 339 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,200 But why would Jesus say this is necessary? 340 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,100 Why is the new birth necessary to enter the kingdom of God 341 00:21:28,100 --> 00:21:30,800 while we're clear on the must write? 342 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,100 If we're not, we can talk later, but we're clear that we must be 343 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:38,900 born again. So why I think it's important 344 00:21:38,900 --> 00:21:41,300 for you to understand why you must be born again. 345 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,700 Not only so that you could receive new life if you haven't 346 00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:46,500 already. But if you are one who has 347 00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:49,700 received New Life, you'll understand why it's so important 348 00:21:49,700 --> 00:21:55,000 that you become an ambassador of this new life for others that 349 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,300 you talk about it. But it's on your lips that 350 00:21:57,300 --> 00:22:00,400 you're teaching your children. You're talking to co-workers and 351 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,300 friends and people that God places in your life, you're 352 00:22:03,300 --> 00:22:07,700 aware that everyone must be born again and we don't want to 353 00:22:07,700 --> 00:22:10,900 assume that anyone is born again. 354 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,200 You want to make that assumption? 355 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,300 Just because they're a good person and they go to church, 356 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,100 like ask them about their conversion, ask them about how 357 00:22:22,100 --> 00:22:26,100 the Lord's moved in their life. Lived in them, grown them up 358 00:22:26,100 --> 00:22:29,500 mature, spiritually, ask them about their wind stories, their 359 00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:32,500 victories, their highs in their lows. 360 00:22:32,700 --> 00:22:35,200 How was the Lord sustain them in times of trouble? 361 00:22:36,500 --> 00:22:39,400 Those are the places where you find out if someone is truly 362 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,700 born again or if they're just going through, you know, the 363 00:22:42,700 --> 00:22:48,400 good Southern boy motions. It's important that you 364 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:50,000 understand why you must be born again. 365 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,600 So the first point of this this again, these come from Steve 366 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,200 Lawson's book. The first point of this is that 367 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,800 defiled Hearts cannot enter the kingdom of God. 368 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,400 Austin says, the new birth is absolutely necessary because a 369 00:23:06,500 --> 00:23:09,700 person living outside the kingdom of God is morally, 370 00:23:09,900 --> 00:23:13,200 defiled, being inwardly polluted by sin. 371 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:19,400 No one can enter until he or she is cleansed within a lot of 372 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:22,200 cleansing is something that brother Steve spoke about just a 373 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:26,100 couple weeks ago. Everyone is in need of spiritual 374 00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:29,000 cleansing. Christ says that you must be 375 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:33,200 born of water and the spirit in verse 5 Five. 376 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,700 Water is a description for the soul cleansing, work of the holy 377 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:43,400 spirit, that washing of regeneration is titus's and 3:5. 378 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:47,100 Paul writes there that God saved us not because of Works done by 379 00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:50,700 us in righteousness, again, not because you're Jewish and have 380 00:23:50,700 --> 00:23:52,700 all these things figured out or not, because you've been a very 381 00:23:52,700 --> 00:23:57,300 religious person, but according to his own Mercy, have you been 382 00:23:57,300 --> 00:24:01,300 saved by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of 383 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,100 the holy spirit? So regeneration, Is the washing 384 00:24:05,100 --> 00:24:07,700 when you are regenerated when you were made new, your given 385 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,200 New Life In Christ. By the power of the spirit, you 386 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,100 have been washed, your old, Heart of Stone has been removed 387 00:24:15,100 --> 00:24:18,000 and you've been given a new heart of Flesh. 388 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,800 You've been washed We are stained by our sin. 389 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:29,100 It might be more true to say we are dead in our sins. 390 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:35,400 We cannot come to God and let until God cleanses Us, by his 391 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:40,500 own Spirit, your defiled heart cannot enter his kingdom until 392 00:24:40,500 --> 00:24:44,400 you receive the new birth. You have been locked out of the 393 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,500 Garden of Eden because of your defiled Hearts. 394 00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:50,100 You've been locked out of the New Jerusalem, the new heaven, 395 00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:54,500 the new Earth because of your defiled Hearts, your I'd heart 396 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:58,700 cannot enter his kingdom until you receive new birth. 397 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,200 And this is an issue of God's holiness. 398 00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:07,400 It's an issue in your lack of Holiness, your unholiness, 399 00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:13,600 Isaiah 61 through five, the prophet Isaiah recounts here, 400 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,700 his vision of God, and just look at listen to, or you can look at 401 00:25:17,700 --> 00:25:21,800 Isaiah 6, but listen to How it transforms. 402 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,800 Isaiah just to see the glory. God. 403 00:25:25,900 --> 00:25:28,600 As I was riding, he says in the year that King Uzziah died, I 404 00:25:28,608 --> 00:25:32,400 saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and 405 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:36,900 the train of his robe. Filled the temple above him, 406 00:25:36,900 --> 00:25:40,600 stood, the seraphim, each had six wings with two. 407 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:44,100 He covered his face with two, he covered his feet and with two, 408 00:25:44,300 --> 00:25:50,300 he flew and one called to another and said, holy holy holy 409 00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:54,300 is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 410 00:25:54,300 --> 00:25:57,400 glory. And the foundations of the 411 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,400 thresholds, Shook at the voice of him who called. 412 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:08,300 And the house was filled with smoke and I said, woe is me for. 413 00:26:08,300 --> 00:26:13,300 I am lost for, I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the 414 00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:17,900 midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes, have seen the 415 00:26:17,900 --> 00:26:24,000 king, the Lord of hosts. Other translations, say, a verse 416 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,500 5. Woe is me for. 417 00:26:25,500 --> 00:26:31,600 I am undone. This is what happens when you 418 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:35,100 with your defiled heart, get a glimpse of the Holiness of God, 419 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:39,500 you are undone. You're brought to the end of 420 00:26:39,500 --> 00:26:42,900 yourself. You brought to the end of your 421 00:26:42,900 --> 00:26:46,500 own, strivings for righteousness, and you realize I 422 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:51,000 will never measure up. You're undone. 423 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,600 Isaiah sees the glory of God. He recognizes his own sin. 424 00:26:56,600 --> 00:27:01,400 I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people 425 00:27:01,500 --> 00:27:04,400 of unclean lips. Why? 426 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:09,400 For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. 427 00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:17,400 That is how each one of us must respond to the Holiness of God. 428 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:25,300 I'm a man of unclean lips, I'm a man with an unclean heart. 429 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:32,800 I'm in pure before you God. God's holiness separates him 430 00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:37,100 from mankind. First Timothy 6, 16 Paul writes. 431 00:27:37,100 --> 00:27:41,200 He says God, dwells in unapproachable light whom no one 432 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,600 has ever seen, or can see to him? 433 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,300 Be honor and eternal Dominion. Amen. 434 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,600 God is unapproachable in light. Meaning, his glory is 435 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:57,000 unapproachable to us as people of unclean lips unclean Hearts. 436 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,100 He's altogether separate form. You can because he is 437 00:28:00,100 --> 00:28:02,800 altogether. Holy and we are all together, 438 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,600 Unholy. There's a Chasm between you and 439 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,600 God. That's what we know about. 440 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:14,300 God's holiness is there's a difference, recognizable 441 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:17,100 difference. There's a standard of Holiness 442 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:23,500 that creates a Chasm for you and I His Holiness also means that 443 00:28:23,500 --> 00:28:26,500 he is perfect. He is blameless. 444 00:28:26,500 --> 00:28:32,200 He's Flawless, he's sinless. James says, there is no darkness 445 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,500 in him at all. There's no shadow of turning 446 00:28:34,500 --> 00:28:37,600 with the Lord. He is the same yesterday today 447 00:28:37,700 --> 00:28:42,700 and forever and therefore, he is too pure to look on man's 448 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:47,300 sinfulness with acceptance. He cannot look at a sinful 449 00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:51,500 person and say, I just accept you and all of your sins, the 450 00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:55,100 way that you are, there must be a mediator. 451 00:28:55,100 --> 00:29:00,000 There must be Justice Done. None of us again. 452 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:05,300 None of us would look at a murderer and say that he doesn't 453 00:29:05,300 --> 00:29:08,500 deserve a trial that he should just be let off scot-free. 454 00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:11,700 Like let's just let the murderers roam the Earth. 455 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:17,100 None of us are saying why, because we recognize justice has 456 00:29:17,100 --> 00:29:20,000 to win the day. Why do we recognize that Justice 457 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,600 must win? Because you were created in the 458 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,700 image of God. You were created with a sense of 459 00:29:25,700 --> 00:29:29,200 Good and Evil with a, with a moral understanding of what is 460 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,100 good, and what is wrong of what is just and what is unjust. 461 00:29:32,100 --> 00:29:36,400 And so you look upon a murderer and you say, justice must be 462 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:42,400 served here. Well, God more holy than us. 463 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:50,900 Cannot simply excuse sin. There must be a sacrifice, there 464 00:29:50,900 --> 00:29:55,300 must be a mediator. There must be one to atone for 465 00:29:55,300 --> 00:30:02,500 the sins of mankind. Every sinner therefore is 466 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:08,100 condemned before a holy God because of his own sinfulness. 467 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,100 And so, this is why Christ says You must be born again. 468 00:30:12,100 --> 00:30:14,600 You must be born Anew. When you look at that word 469 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,400 again, it's either a new or from above. 470 00:30:17,700 --> 00:30:19,900 Thank Christ. Has both in mind here, you must 471 00:30:19,900 --> 00:30:24,300 be born Anew a fresh. There must be a new nature about 472 00:30:24,300 --> 00:30:30,100 you and that new nature comes from where above, it's a work of 473 00:30:30,100 --> 00:30:32,300 God. You must be born from above. 474 00:30:32,500 --> 00:30:35,500 You must receive the washing of regeneration and renewing of the 475 00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:37,800 Holy Spirit. If you are going to enter the 476 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:41,300 kingdom of God, let's go. Point your defiled heart cannot 477 00:30:41,300 --> 00:30:45,700 enter the kingdom of God. Something must be done. 478 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:50,900 Secondly, brined eyes cannot. See the kingdom of God wind eyes 479 00:30:50,900 --> 00:30:53,600 cannot even see the kingdom of God Lawson says, the new birth 480 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,300 is necessary because the spiritually blind cannot see the 481 00:30:57,300 --> 00:31:00,700 kingdom of God. That is to see with 482 00:31:00,700 --> 00:31:02,200 understanding. It doesn't mean they won't 483 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,000 notice some good things about it. 484 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,500 Just means, I can't see with understanding the kingdom of 485 00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:09,500 God. In other words, we must be born 486 00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:12,300 again. He says, before we can truly 487 00:31:12,300 --> 00:31:15,900 perceive the things of the Heavenly Kingdom. 488 00:31:17,700 --> 00:31:23,600 So every unconverted person is spiritually blind. 489 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,400 This is what scripture teaches, Paul writing in 2nd Corinthians 490 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,200 4 verse 4. He says this he says in their 491 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,600 case talking about in The Case of the unbelieving in their case 492 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:36,200 the God of this world has blinded the minds of the 493 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,700 unbelievers. Who's the God of this world? 494 00:31:40,100 --> 00:31:42,300 Satan. The mine. 495 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:44,200 Sorry. The God of this world has 496 00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:46,400 blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from 497 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,600 seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is 498 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:54,400 the image of God, the devil blinds, the eyes of unbelievers, 499 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,000 for the cannot see, the light of the Gospel. 500 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,600 Satan is making the world seem better than the gospel of Christ 501 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,700 right by blinding. It means not only can you not 502 00:32:04,700 --> 00:32:08,700 see, but you now have a perception that things that are 503 00:32:08,700 --> 00:32:11,000 awful, things that are wrong, things that are world. 504 00:32:11,100 --> 00:32:15,000 Ali and of the flesh are better than spiritual things and so you 505 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,700 pursue those we'll get into that more in later. 506 00:32:18,700 --> 00:32:22,800 In John 3, as we talk about those who are condemned or 507 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,500 condemned because they loved the darkness rather than light. 508 00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:26,600 That's what it means to be blind. 509 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:30,200 You love your Darkness more than the light you're being presented 510 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:34,600 with. And so every unconverted person 511 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:39,800 is spiritually, blind Romans 1:21 explaining again, just the 512 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:44,100 blindness of mankind. Paul writes, he says, for, 513 00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:48,400 although they knew God and knew about him, they knew of him. 514 00:32:48,500 --> 00:32:51,600 They did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they 515 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,500 became futile in their thinking and their foolish Hearts were 516 00:32:55,500 --> 00:32:59,800 darkened. I chose the darkness rather than 517 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,900 the light. Lawson says, the new birth is 518 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:06,100 necessary because it gives spiritual sight to those who 519 00:33:06,100 --> 00:33:09,900 were blind and live in darkness. No one can believe in Jesus 520 00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:13,700 Christ until they can behold him for who he is as Savior. 521 00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:19,800 God must give spiritual eyes first before anyone can enter 522 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:23,600 the kingdom. Nicodemus is one of those who is 523 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,600 spiritually blind, that's why Christ is saying, You must be 524 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,100 born again. He cannot perceive even the most 525 00:33:30,100 --> 00:33:34,400 basic truth. Of the Christian faith. 526 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,600 And that is the nest. And the necessity of the new 527 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:43,700 birth, the spirit must open his eyes, or he will never enter the 528 00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:47,800 kingdom of God. The third thing we see here 529 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:52,600 about why we need a new birth. Is that stubborn Wills cannot 530 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:57,200 submit to God's Authority when your will is stubborn to God. 531 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,200 It will not submit to his authority. 532 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,000 Lawson says, the new birth is necessary because people outside 533 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,200 the kingdom of God are stubborn. They will not submit to the 534 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:11,000 authority of God. Like rebellious children. 535 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,699 They simply will not humble themselves to respond to the 536 00:34:13,699 --> 00:34:17,699 free offer of the Gospel. Their hearts are defiant and 537 00:34:17,699 --> 00:34:20,100 unwilling to Humble themselves before Christ. 538 00:34:20,100 --> 00:34:23,000 They are stiff-necked and their resistance to the gospel as 539 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,699 their hearts are hardened and unbelief. 540 00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:29,800 And so what we've seen in the series is that when you were 541 00:34:29,900 --> 00:34:33,600 born again, you receive a new heart, you receive a New Soul. 542 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,199 Your heart is not hard any longer does. 543 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:40,600 Now a heart of Flesh and your new heart now desires God. 544 00:34:40,699 --> 00:34:44,100 And His, will your new heart longs to please. 545 00:34:44,100 --> 00:34:47,400 The Lord, your new heart, loves what it previously hated, which 546 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:51,400 is God and it hates what it previously loved which is sin. 547 00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:58,400 You've been Transformed been transformed. 548 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:02,400 Amen. The fourth thing we see, final 549 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:05,000 thing here that we see about why we need a new birth is that 550 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:09,800 dead, Souls cannot believe in Christ, dead Souls, cannot 551 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:13,900 believe in Christ. The new birth is necessary. 552 00:35:13,900 --> 00:35:17,700 Lawson says, because any person outside, the kingdom of God is, 553 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:23,100 is a spiritual corpse and cannot believe in Christ unregenerate, 554 00:35:23,100 --> 00:35:26,100 souls are dead in their trespasses and sins. 555 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,300 They are dead and their transgressions dead. 556 00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:33,600 People cannot come to By faith, a spiritually dead individual 557 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:37,200 has no moral ability by which he or she can repent. 558 00:35:37,500 --> 00:35:41,500 Such a person is incapable of responding to gospel truth to 559 00:35:41,500 --> 00:35:44,300 believe the gospel. We must first be spiritually 560 00:35:44,500 --> 00:35:47,600 resurrected to New Life. So, again, it's important that 561 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,000 we make the distinction here of what we mean. 562 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:53,700 When we say to believe the gospel, when we say, believe the 563 00:35:53,700 --> 00:35:57,200 gospel or Believe In The Name of Christ, we're not saying that 564 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,700 you arrive to this place of mental understanding. 565 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:05,800 Standing that Christ lived. Me whether you're a Believer or 566 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:10,200 not in Christ, whether you're a believer in by, you know, forth 567 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:14,500 unto salvation or not. There are many people who would 568 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:17,800 acknowledge something was up with Jesus. 569 00:36:19,700 --> 00:36:24,400 There's a lot of historical evidence that Christ ruled and 570 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:25,600 reigned in the way that he did that. 571 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:31,300 He that he did the Miracles that he did, he taught the things he 572 00:36:31,300 --> 00:36:35,800 taught that he did get crucified that it's unexplainable, what 573 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:38,400 happened to his body? That he resurrected, there were 574 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:40,600 eyewitnesses of such things, right? 575 00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:44,600 And so you can arrive at this place of Christ. 576 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,300 Definitely is a I figure, you know, in human history. 577 00:36:48,300 --> 00:36:50,600 He was a teacher. I remember being in world 578 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:54,700 history in 11th grade and hearing about Jesus side by 579 00:36:54,700 --> 00:36:56,600 side, with Muhammad, right? That? 580 00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:59,700 These were just, these were men who taught, good religious 581 00:36:59,700 --> 00:37:03,200 things, and buy them these world religions were started, but 582 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,600 Christ is altogether different than Muhammad. 583 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,400 And then he's altogether different than any other God 584 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:13,100 that exists because he rose again. 585 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,300 When Christ raises Lazarus from the dead. 586 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:26,700 Well, let me let me finish that thought. 587 00:37:26,700 --> 00:37:29,600 So what we're saying by belief is not that you just arrived to 588 00:37:29,607 --> 00:37:33,200 these mental facts because even the demons believe and shudder 589 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,800 at the name of Jesus Christ. It means that you have arrived 590 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:40,500 at faith in Christ. You've arrived at trust in 591 00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:44,900 Christ, you're placing the full weight of your life on him and 592 00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:48,500 you're following him daily. That's what we mean by belief. 593 00:37:50,100 --> 00:37:51,600 And so, here's another way to illustrate this. 594 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:55,000 One Christ raises Lazarus from the dead, and the Book of John, 595 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:59,000 we read about this Lazarus did not come out of the Tomb until 596 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:05,200 Christ called him forward. Jesus says Lazarus come forth or 597 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,600 Lazarus come out. And at that moment Lazarus has 598 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:12,800 been in the Tomb four days and at that moment he comes out and 599 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,200 he's covered in his grave clothes and he tells the people 600 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:18,500 are standing by undress him. Take these grave. 601 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:20,600 Close off of him. Why? 602 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:23,900 Because he's alive now. But he doesn't come forward 603 00:38:23,900 --> 00:38:26,300 until he's called. And then the same way, 604 00:38:26,300 --> 00:38:29,400 spiritually, dead person cannot come to Christ by faith until 605 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:34,100 God calls, he or she to come John 6:44. 606 00:38:34,100 --> 00:38:36,400 Jesus is there. And he's talking to the crowds 607 00:38:36,700 --> 00:38:38,700 and he says no one can come to me. 608 00:38:38,700 --> 00:38:42,700 Unless the father who sent me draws him, there's a drawing 609 00:38:42,700 --> 00:38:48,300 that stunned by God, that brings people to faith in him and God 610 00:38:48,300 --> 00:38:51,900 must Draws before we can exercise, this saving faith. 611 00:38:51,900 --> 00:38:54,000 In other words, God must regenerate us. 612 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,000 We need a new heart for this belief. 613 00:38:58,500 --> 00:39:01,300 We must be regenerated before, we can come to Faith and the new 614 00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:05,400 birth gives you the ability. It gives you the ability to 615 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:09,600 respond to God in faith. It produces a living faith in 616 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:15,100 Christ Jesus. Whilst in says this about that 617 00:39:15,100 --> 00:39:18,000 moment, he says, in that moment, the new birth gives listening 618 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,500 ears to hear the call of the Gospel. 619 00:39:21,300 --> 00:39:25,600 It gives active feet to run to Christ gives receptive hands to 620 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,900 embrace him by faith. The new birth gives a liberated 621 00:39:28,900 --> 00:39:32,700 will released from its bondage to send to believe in. 622 00:39:32,700 --> 00:39:36,000 Jesus Christ regeneration. And Faith are two sides of the 623 00:39:36,008 --> 00:39:38,800 same coin. Essentially, they're happening 624 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:43,100 in an instance when you're regenerated you exercise. 625 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:47,900 Faith. John 6:37 Jesus says this, he 626 00:39:47,900 --> 00:39:51,400 says all that the father gives me will come to me and whoever 627 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,400 comes to me, I will never cast out. 628 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,100 I want to share that with you because when you come to faith 629 00:39:59,100 --> 00:40:04,000 in Christ, you can rest assured that you have truly been Reborn. 630 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,800 And you are his forever more. John chapter 10, Jesus talks 631 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,700 about how he is the Good Shepherd and that no one will 632 00:40:12,700 --> 00:40:17,200 pluck his people from his hand. He holds them. 633 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:22,800 And so Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, do not Marvel. 634 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:24,600 That I've said you need to be born again. 635 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,500 Why? Because in the New Birth, you 636 00:40:28,500 --> 00:40:33,000 receive a new heart for that defiled heart and the new birth 637 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:38,100 you receive new site to replace those blinded eyes and the new 638 00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:41,700 birth, you receive a new will one that is no longer, obstinate 639 00:40:41,700 --> 00:40:46,000 to God, but is yielding to him and in the New Birth you receive 640 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:47,900 a new life. You were once dead in your 641 00:40:47,900 --> 00:40:51,000 trespasses and sins. But now thanks be to God. 642 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:55,600 You are alive in Christ Jesus. There were no exceptions for 643 00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:58,400 Nicodemus, concerning the new birth because there are no 644 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:03,100 exceptions for anyone. We all fall short of the glory 645 00:41:03,100 --> 00:41:06,000 of God. And so, we all need to be born 646 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,800 again by his spirits. And if you were going to enter 647 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,300 the kingdom of God, you must be reborn. 648 00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:18,900 Do not fool yourself into thinking that you do not need to 649 00:41:18,900 --> 00:41:22,500 be born again. Despite all of your best 650 00:41:22,500 --> 00:41:28,900 efforts, you must be born Anew. You must be born from above to 651 00:41:28,900 --> 00:41:33,700 enter the kingdom of God, your good works, are worthless for 652 00:41:33,700 --> 00:41:37,200 your own salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9. 653 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:41,200 For by Grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is 654 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:44,400 not your own doing. It is the gift of God. 655 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,600 It's not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 656 00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:52,400 You must be born again. And that being born again is by 657 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:57,800 the grace of God. If you are already born against 658 00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:04,900 a new life in Christ, then do not be deceived by the false 659 00:42:04,900 --> 00:42:09,300 teachings of Works based salvation or Works based 660 00:42:09,500 --> 00:42:15,000 sanctification. Paul in Galatians 3 is he's 661 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:18,600 really admonishing. He's, he's correcting. 662 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,800 The Galatians there. And he says this, he says o 663 00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:30,700 foolish Galatians who has Bewitched you It was before your 664 00:42:30,700 --> 00:42:34,300 eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed. 665 00:42:34,300 --> 00:42:39,400 As crucified meaning, we taught his crucifixion to you. 666 00:42:40,900 --> 00:42:44,700 Let me ask you only this. Did you receive the Spirit by 667 00:42:44,700 --> 00:42:47,500 works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 668 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:51,300 Another words, did you cause the Spirit by your works? 669 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:55,500 Or was it by hearing with faith that the spirit was made evident 670 00:42:55,500 --> 00:43:00,200 in your life? Are you so foolish than having 671 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:02,800 begun by the spirit begun? This new life? 672 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:05,400 By the spirit? Are you now being perfected by 673 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,600 the flesh? So the Galatians were wanting to 674 00:43:08,607 --> 00:43:14,000 run back into Judaism. They were falling into this idea 675 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:17,200 that it's Christ. Plus all of my works that equal 676 00:43:17,300 --> 00:43:23,800 real salvation and he's saying you being born of the spirit, 677 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:26,600 are you now thinking that you're going to be perfected by your 678 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,900 flesh? It's the same spirit that cause 679 00:43:29,900 --> 00:43:32,400 your new birth that causes new life. 680 00:43:32,500 --> 00:43:37,200 Amen. Did you suffer so many things in 681 00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:40,000 vain? If indeed, it was in vain, does 682 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:43,300 he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles? 683 00:43:43,300 --> 00:43:45,900 Among you do? So by works of the law, or by 684 00:43:45,900 --> 00:43:50,100 hearing with faith just as Abraham and he's quoting the Old 685 00:43:50,100 --> 00:43:53,000 Testament here, believed God, and it was counted to him as 686 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:57,800 righteousness. know, then, that it is those of Faith who are the 687 00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:02,400 sons of Abraham And the scripture foreseeing that God 688 00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:05,500 would justify the Gentiles by faith. 689 00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:10,500 Preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying in you shall 690 00:44:10,500 --> 00:44:15,900 all the nations be blessed. So then those who are Faith are 691 00:44:15,900 --> 00:44:19,000 blessed along with Abraham, the man of Faith. 692 00:44:19,100 --> 00:44:22,100 So again in Judaism, there trying to tie themselves back to 693 00:44:22,100 --> 00:44:24,500 the Jews and their father, Abraham right there. 694 00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:27,300 Trying to unite themselves to this and they're thinking that 695 00:44:27,300 --> 00:44:31,900 Abraham was a man of works. But Abraham was a man of belief 696 00:44:31,900 --> 00:44:36,300 and it was his work of being willing to crucify his own son 697 00:44:36,500 --> 00:44:40,100 that he showed. I'm a man of Faith because he 698 00:44:40,100 --> 00:44:44,500 said, if the Lord would cause him to rise, Eyes again. 699 00:44:44,500 --> 00:44:47,000 If the Lord would resurrect him he can do it. 700 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:51,900 But I'm going to listen to God. And so, I urge you brothers and 701 00:44:51,900 --> 00:44:53,800 sisters in the Lord, do not forsake. 702 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:57,000 The faith that you've received by the grace of God and your New 703 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,700 Birth by somehow beginning to turn back to a Works. 704 00:45:00,700 --> 00:45:05,000 Based Faith heaping on your self condemnation because of your 705 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:08,900 words rather, do your good works. 706 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:11,300 I'm not saying, give up good works, that's not scriptural 707 00:45:11,300 --> 00:45:14,700 either but you do your good works as one who is a new 708 00:45:14,700 --> 00:45:18,600 creation in Christ Jesus. What Paul follows up in 709 00:45:18,607 --> 00:45:21,100 Ephesians 2:8 and 9, which is The moment on verse 10. 710 00:45:21,100 --> 00:45:25,100 He says, for we are his workmanship, God's workmanship 711 00:45:25,100 --> 00:45:29,800 created in Christ to do the works, which he's prepared 712 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:33,000 beforehand. And so we do good works because 713 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:37,100 we're a new creation in Christ. We don't do good works, to 714 00:45:37,100 --> 00:45:41,500 become New Creations in Christ, or to hang on to our new 715 00:45:41,500 --> 00:45:43,500 creation. Amen.