1 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,300 Good morning to you. Want to say, welcome to New Life 2 00:00:07,300 --> 00:00:10,700 Community Church. My name is Kyle, a service lead, 3 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:13,900 Pastor here and grateful that you've chosen to worship with us 4 00:00:13,900 --> 00:00:15,800 today. If you're a member here, we're 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,800 happy to see you. If you have your Bible, would 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,200 you turn to John chapter 3 should be no surprise? 7 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:28,500 Now, where will be at will be in John 3 today and for the next 8 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:31,200 several weeks. But today, we'll be examining 9 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,700 together verse 3. We started a series of few weeks 10 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:39,800 ago, called the law and the gospel and the point of the 11 00:00:39,808 --> 00:00:45,400 series is to expose the law as unable to save us to highlight 12 00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:50,100 the good news of Christ Jesus. As the only way to Salvation and 13 00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:53,400 this idea that you must be born. Again, when we say the law is 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:54,500 unable to say. We don't mean that. 15 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:56,600 The law is not good, the law is good. 16 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,600 But you following the law perfectly will not result in 17 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,900 Salvation, or could you follow the law perfectly anyway? 18 00:01:04,300 --> 00:01:06,800 And so you must be born again. And that's what we've been 19 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:12,600 looking at with Nicodemus. Here is that he like every other 20 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,600 person as we'll see. Today must be born again. 21 00:01:16,500 --> 00:01:19,800 And so we'll get into that today, I'm going to ask that you 22 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,400 stand again. If you're able for the reading 23 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,700 of God's word, we're going to read verses 1 through 3 of John 24 00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:31,500 3 today. John 3 verse 1. 25 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,200 Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. 26 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:40,300 A ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night 27 00:01:40,300 --> 00:01:44,000 and said to him. Rabbi, we know that you are a 28 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,100 teacher. Come from, God, for no one. 29 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:51,300 Can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,300 Jesus answered him. Truly, truly, I say to you, 31 00:01:56,300 --> 00:02:02,400 unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 32 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,000 We pray for us, Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. 33 00:02:06,700 --> 00:02:11,400 We thank you for the kindness of Revelation that we have in your 34 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:17,300 word. Our Triune God revealing himself 35 00:02:17,300 --> 00:02:20,700 to us. And so, father, we come to you 36 00:02:20,700 --> 00:02:24,100 with, with that in mind, we want to know you. 37 00:02:24,100 --> 00:02:29,300 We want to know your son, we want you to work in our hearts 38 00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:31,400 and Minds by the power of your spirit today. 39 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:37,200 And so we ask Lord for that. We asked you to Enlighten us to 40 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,400 illuminate the passage for us today. 41 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:44,700 That we would know you Lord, we praise you for The for your 42 00:02:44,700 --> 00:02:47,200 word, for your written word and we ask that you be with us now. 43 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,400 It's in Christ's name. We pray, amen. 44 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:55,700 You may be seated. But the thing that I want to lay 45 00:02:55,700 --> 00:02:57,800 before you today, if you're taking notes you can write this 46 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:02,100 down. What what Jesus is just said is 47 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:07,000 shocking. It's a shocking statement and 48 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,600 the thing that I think this passage reveals this is at the 49 00:03:09,608 --> 00:03:15,900 shocking news of the new birth reveals to us the saving news of 50 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:20,400 New Life In Christ reveals to us the saving news of New Life In 51 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,400 Christ. Have you ever received shocking 52 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,000 news? if we got that phone call with a 53 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,700 report on the other end that rocks you to your core, the kind 54 00:03:33,700 --> 00:03:38,300 of news that causes your world to spin in a moment. 55 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:45,200 Maybe it's the kind of news that etches a day and a time into 56 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,400 your mind forever. You'll always remember that 57 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,900 moment when that phone call or when that news broke, or when 58 00:03:52,900 --> 00:03:59,600 that thing happened to you? I can remember where I was when 59 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,300 I got the call that my dad had a heart attack a little over a 60 00:04:03,308 --> 00:04:08,400 decade ago now. But Maybe one incident that we 61 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:10,500 can remember together would be that. 62 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:14,000 It's an impacted us like this would be the terror attacks of 63 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,000 9/11. Most of us can easily recall and 64 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,899 we do so yearly where we were in that moment, what we were doing. 65 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,500 Nicodemus would have felt rocked. 66 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,900 As Jesus exclaims to him. Unless one is born again, he 67 00:04:29,900 --> 00:04:38,700 cannot see the kingdom of God. But statement pierced no doubt 68 00:04:38,700 --> 00:04:43,400 it pierced Nicodemus, much of God's word is meant to pierce 69 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,800 us. God, describes his word in this 70 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:50,000 way, as an object that pierces us to the very depths of our 71 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,500 soul. Exposing who we are, what we are 72 00:04:53,500 --> 00:04:55,100 for. What it really is for, what we 73 00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:59,100 really are. And that would have happened to 74 00:04:59,100 --> 00:05:02,300 Nicodemus In This Moment Nicodemus, no doubt thought he 75 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:07,200 had a secure status with God, due to his religious pedigree, 76 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,100 we've talked about it already Nicodemus, a Pharisee, he's a 77 00:05:10,108 --> 00:05:15,200 member of the Sanhedrin, even which is the ruling body of the 78 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:20,100 nation of Israel. He was called, Jesus calls him 79 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:23,200 here in verse 10. In this passage, he asked him, 80 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,000 are you the teacher of Israel? And yet, you do not know these 81 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,300 things. It was the teacher of Israel, 82 00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:32,600 which came with another set of certain pedigree. 83 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:37,500 Nicodemus, probably thought something was missing. 84 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:38,800 I think this is why he comes to him. 85 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,300 We establish this a couple of weeks ago, so I comes to him. 86 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:45,700 In the cover of Darkness, white comes asking Jesus questions in 87 00:05:45,700 --> 00:05:49,500 a manner where he won't be seeing where his reputation 88 00:05:49,500 --> 00:05:54,100 won't be exposed or ruined, rather. 89 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,800 And so he's knows something's missing but there's no way he 90 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,700 would have ever imagined a Chasm like the one Christ just 91 00:06:03,700 --> 00:06:08,900 revealed to him unless you are born again, you cannot see the 92 00:06:08,900 --> 00:06:12,600 kingdom of God. That's possible that Nicodemus 93 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:14,500 was curious about Jesus identity. 94 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:21,700 He is in Jerusalem. It's just after Passover. 95 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,500 There's many there would have been many thoughts in the mind 96 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:30,000 of Nicodemus about the Messiah about him coming to rule the 97 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,500 Earth. And so maybe he comes wanting to 98 00:06:32,508 --> 00:06:35,100 know it. And what way is he from God? 99 00:06:35,100 --> 00:06:37,300 Because he's already said, we know that you're from God. 100 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,200 But in what way are you a prophet or you a forerunner to 101 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:43,300 the Messiah? Maybe he's wanting to know. 102 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:46,600 Are you the Messiah? Are you going to establish your 103 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,600 rule and Reign on the earth now or soon? 104 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,300 Knowing what is in the heart of man, though. 105 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,100 Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter. 106 00:06:58,100 --> 00:07:00,900 If you remember at the end of chapter 2, it says that Jesus 107 00:07:00,900 --> 00:07:03,600 did not entrust himself to some of the ones who had believed in 108 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,800 his name. Because he knew man, he knew 109 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,200 what was in the heart of man. And so he cuts to the heart of 110 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,500 the matter he looks at Nicodemus Square in the eyes. 111 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:16,800 And with laser-like Focus he speaks directly to him. 112 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:21,700 And he says, unless you are born again, you will not see the 113 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:29,100 kingdom of God. Jesus exposes Nicodemus exposes 114 00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:32,000 all his religious efforts. He exposes all of his religious 115 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,800 strivings all of his religious achievements. 116 00:07:35,900 --> 00:07:39,700 This great teacher knew nothing about what it takes to enter the 117 00:07:39,700 --> 00:07:44,000 kingdom of God. This great teacher would have 118 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,400 thought he was seeing in some way the kingdom of God. 119 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,500 And Jesus says, you do not see the kingdom of God. 120 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,200 His whole life to this point, has not gained him anything in 121 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:59,100 God's kingdom, and yet, Nicodemus can't see that. 122 00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:05,000 He doesn't understand that yet. What Christ is saying is that 123 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:10,200 Nicodemus must start over. He must begin again. 124 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:15,000 He must be born again and the shocking news of the new birth 125 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,800 applies to you. Also you two must start over. 126 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:27,500 You also are not good enough by your religious pedigree to see 127 00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:31,000 the kingdom of God. You also, if you're an 128 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:37,700 unbeliever, Will not see the kingdom of God unless you are 129 00:08:37,700 --> 00:08:42,299 born again. And so you must be born again, 130 00:08:42,299 --> 00:08:45,200 otherwise you will miss the kingdom all together. 131 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:48,900 And so the shocking news. Again of the new birth, this 132 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:51,200 idea of a new birth. You must be born again. 133 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,600 It shocks because it's meant to reveal. 134 00:08:55,300 --> 00:08:58,700 Its meant to expose. And then on the, on the backside 135 00:08:58,700 --> 00:09:03,400 of that, that exposing we see our need for Christ. 136 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:08,000 We see our need for a savior, we see our need to be born again, 137 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,100 and so we see the good news of a new life in Christ, Jesus. 138 00:09:14,700 --> 00:09:17,200 Why though must somebody be born again? 139 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,900 The question begs to be asked Nicodemus, was surely good 140 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:29,000 enough, right? Why must somebody be born again? 141 00:09:30,500 --> 00:09:32,900 Well for that, we've got to go back to the beginning of the 142 00:09:32,900 --> 00:09:37,500 book and what we read in Genesis is that when God created Mankind 143 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,900 and he created them in His image and likeness. 144 00:09:41,300 --> 00:09:45,300 And we know that in that moment there in Genesis 1 and 2 before 145 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:48,400 the fall in Genesis 3, we know them in that moment. 146 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,700 And those days this man and woman were perfect. 147 00:09:53,600 --> 00:10:00,000 They were without sin. When Adam and Eve fall to 148 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,200 Satan's Temptation, in the garden sin, and death entered 149 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,600 the world. This is what God says to the man 150 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,700 about what happens if you eat that fruit of which I have 151 00:10:09,700 --> 00:10:13,700 commanded you not to eat that when you do, you will surely 152 00:10:13,700 --> 00:10:19,200 die, death, enters the world, The thing about death entering 153 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,800 the world in Genesis chapter 3 is we might initially think that 154 00:10:22,900 --> 00:10:28,000 it's just a physical death that physically you die, but then you 155 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,500 get to the end of Genesis 3. And the man and woman are not 156 00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:33,300 dead. God spares their life. 157 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,600 He kicks them out of the garden but he spares their life so 158 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,900 there must be. Another meaning surely they will 159 00:10:38,900 --> 00:10:40,500 die. Death has entered the world to 160 00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:43,700 be sure but they don't they're not killed in an instant God 161 00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:48,300 starts over. and so, what we know is that another kind of 162 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:55,100 death enters the world in the fall, spiritual death Mankind is 163 00:10:55,100 --> 00:11:00,200 spiritually dead and so Adam and Eve's nature was no longer 164 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,900 perfect. It's Fallen they're no longer 165 00:11:02,900 --> 00:11:05,700 spiritually. Alive dwelling in the presence 166 00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:08,500 of God. They are spiritually dead. 167 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:13,200 Their offspring received the same Fallen nature as they're 168 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,200 born in the image and likeness of Adam, to be sure. 169 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,300 They're still in the image and likeness of God. 170 00:11:18,300 --> 00:11:21,600 But they're not perfect. And this is what Genesis 5, 1 171 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,500 through 3 describes as it describes. 172 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,500 The descendants of Adam. It says this is the book of the 173 00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:29,600 generations of Adam when God created man. 174 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,600 He made him in the likeness of God, male and female. 175 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,400 He created them and he blessed them and name. 176 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,500 The man when they were created and when Adam had lived a 177 00:11:38,500 --> 00:11:41,900 hundred and thirty years, he fathered a son in his own 178 00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:44,200 likeness after his image and named him. 179 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:49,300 Seth And so we see the transition there that mankind is 180 00:11:49,300 --> 00:11:53,100 created in the image of God and we still exist in the image of 181 00:11:53,100 --> 00:11:55,500 God. But were broken, because we're 182 00:11:55,500 --> 00:11:58,500 now born into the likeness and image of Adam. 183 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,200 He catch that there in Genesis 5. 184 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,500 And so, King David even God's anointed later on and song King? 185 00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:10,600 David has just committed the travesties of adultery and 186 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,000 murder. And in Psalm 51, he's offering a 187 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,000 prayer of repentance, and this is what he's saying. 188 00:12:16,100 --> 00:12:19,200 Saying about his sin. He saying behold I was brought 189 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:25,400 forth in iniquity and in sin, did my mother conceive me? 190 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:31,200 now, we we know that David's not saying my mother was sinning as 191 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:37,400 she conceived me, he's saying that at conception I have a 192 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:41,700 heart that is plagued with sin. I'm Fallin. 193 00:12:42,900 --> 00:12:48,000 And I'm prone to selfish, sinful desires. 194 00:12:48,300 --> 00:12:51,100 Oh, Lord. And this is David being honest 195 00:12:51,100 --> 00:12:54,300 in Psalm 51. With God, as he's pleading for 196 00:12:54,300 --> 00:12:58,100 the mercy of God. To not cast him away. 197 00:13:00,900 --> 00:13:04,800 The Apostle Paul in Romans 5 gets much more explicit with 198 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:06,400 this idea of what I'm talking about. 199 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:11,000 In Romans 5 verse 12, he's talking about in Romans 5, he's 200 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:16,800 showing us the first Adam and the second Adam Christ and how 201 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,600 there's death that comes with the first atom and then there's 202 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:23,000 life that comes with the second Adam and this is what he says 203 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,100 about. The first atom in verse 12, he 204 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:28,900 says just as Sin came into the world through one man and death 205 00:13:28,900 --> 00:13:32,800 through sin. And so death spread to all men 206 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:39,000 because all sinned. Well wait a minute and work 207 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:40,600 there. Weren't all born yet. 208 00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:43,600 They weren't all walking the Earth yet. 209 00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:49,600 So, Paul is affirming what David is saying that at conception 210 00:13:49,600 --> 00:14:00,500 your born with a sin nature? In verse 18 of chapter 5, he 211 00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:05,300 says it again. One trespass, led to 212 00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:09,700 condemnation for all men. One Trust pass led to 213 00:14:09,700 --> 00:14:17,200 condemnation for all men. Adam sin led to condemnation for 214 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:23,300 all. and Romans 3:10 just a couple of chapters before those 215 00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:27,100 Paul's writing but he's quoting the prophet here. 216 00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:29,500 He says as it is written. None is righteous. 217 00:14:29,500 --> 00:14:32,200 No not one. No one understands. 218 00:14:32,300 --> 00:14:36,000 No one seeks for God all have turned aside together. 219 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,900 They have become worthless. No one does good. 220 00:14:38,900 --> 00:14:44,700 Not even one. And so you buy your first birth. 221 00:14:44,700 --> 00:14:48,900 You are sinful. By your conception, you are 222 00:14:49,100 --> 00:14:53,200 sinful. There's an idea out there that 223 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:57,600 exist that that an age of accountability happens for a 224 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:01,800 child. And and that age of 225 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,300 accountability is varies, it seems depending on who you talk 226 00:15:05,300 --> 00:15:07,600 to. But the idea is that a child is 227 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:12,300 born sinless without a sin nature. 228 00:15:12,300 --> 00:15:14,600 And if you're a parent of a toddler, you like of who, that 229 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:18,800 ain't true. The most mean as toddlers. 230 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,900 We are the most selfish individuals we might ever be 231 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,600 some of us, never grow out of it. 232 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:32,000 Right. But there's clearly sin there 233 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,600 when a child hauls off and hits their brother or sister at two 234 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:38,200 years old. It's not because they're perfect 235 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,500 it's because their sin presence. There's a rebellion in them 236 00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:47,100 that's present. And so children need Christ. 237 00:15:48,300 --> 00:15:50,400 Children. Need the salvation of the Lord. 238 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:57,500 Amen. If not, then maybe Christians 239 00:15:57,500 --> 00:16:01,300 shouldn't stand aboard against abortion so ferociously because 240 00:16:01,300 --> 00:16:05,300 really we would be saving a ton of children by not, allowing 241 00:16:05,300 --> 00:16:08,800 them to experience sin. But we know that abortion is 242 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:10,400 wrong because murder is wrong. Amen! 243 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,600 And so we stand against abortion because it's good and writes a 244 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:18,800 stand against abortion. And so, we've got to follow our 245 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,500 theology to the end there and make sure we're consistent. 246 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:26,900 I think the picture is probably mostly clear for you but if 247 00:16:26,900 --> 00:16:30,000 you'll consider what happens when you read Ephesians 2 1 248 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,900 through 3 in the present tense rather than the past tense as 249 00:16:32,900 --> 00:16:35,700 Paul wrote it because Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus 250 00:16:35,700 --> 00:16:39,700 so he's writing to a gathering of people who have been saved, 251 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,100 but if you read to one through three as though you've not yet 252 00:16:43,100 --> 00:16:45,800 been saved, this is how you would read it. 253 00:16:45,900 --> 00:16:49,200 Paul would be saying this and you are dead in the trespasses 254 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,400 and sins in which you walk current. 255 00:16:52,500 --> 00:16:55,600 Sorry following the course, it's of this world, following the 256 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,900 prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is at work in 257 00:16:58,900 --> 00:17:02,600 the sons of Disobedience. Among whom we all live in the 258 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:06,200 passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and 259 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,599 the mind and are by Nature children of Wrath, like the rest 260 00:17:10,599 --> 00:17:16,000 of mankind. That's how Paul describes. 261 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:23,900 Christian's pre-conversion, pre salvation, pre regeneration, pre 262 00:17:23,900 --> 00:17:27,500 being born again. He describes them as dead in 263 00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:31,100 their trespasses and sins, another walking, so they're 264 00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:32,000 alive. It doesn't mean they're 265 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,300 literally that he means they're what spiritually dead. 266 00:17:36,900 --> 00:17:42,700 They're spiritually, dead. It's been said, I don't know who 267 00:17:42,700 --> 00:17:44,800 coined the phrase but I think the phrase is good. 268 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,200 It's been said that the heart of the human problem is the problem 269 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,100 of the human heart. This is true. 270 00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:54,300 You look into our world today. I mean, you only have to look 271 00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:56,800 into your world but we'll use that you look into the news 272 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:01,000 today. The problem in our world, Is the 273 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,500 problem of the human heart, we need. 274 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:11,500 Salvation. We need a Revival. 275 00:18:12,700 --> 00:18:18,600 You look into your own life and the problems that you have, the 276 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,100 problems that you're going through, are either because of 277 00:18:22,100 --> 00:18:26,300 your own heart, you're trying to establish your own kingdom. 278 00:18:26,300 --> 00:18:32,600 Do your own things, or it's inflicted upon you by someone 279 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:37,100 who is doing that trying to establish their own kingdom, do 280 00:18:37,100 --> 00:18:40,700 their own thing. And so they're inflicting harm 281 00:18:40,700 --> 00:18:42,500 in that way. The heart of the human problem 282 00:18:42,500 --> 00:18:44,200 is the problem of the human heart. 283 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,500 We know that this is true from the scriptures. 284 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,800 It's one of the things that we go over as I do. 285 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:54,000 Premarital counseling with couples as we think about 286 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,700 conflict, resolution in our marriages. 287 00:18:57,500 --> 00:19:01,700 Conflict comes from in a marriage, comes from one person 288 00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:05,000 in the marriage saying I'm building my kingdom. 289 00:19:06,900 --> 00:19:11,200 I'm establishing my own kingdom here and you're in the way of 290 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,700 that. And so, you end up in Conflict, 291 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:19,400 you did this to me and that imposed upon the walls that are 292 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,900 built around my kingdom. And so now, we're at conflict 293 00:19:22,900 --> 00:19:26,800 with one another, when a husband and wife do not work together to 294 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,200 build the kingdom of Christ. They're in danger of 295 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,700 establishing their own kingdoms and therefore, having a lot of 296 00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:36,800 marital conflict. Amen. 297 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,800 And so by your first birth, your physical birth, you stand 298 00:19:43,900 --> 00:19:48,100 condemned before God by the by your sin nature. 299 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:54,200 You stand condemned by. The sins that you've committed, 300 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:59,200 the sins that you will commit and you are sentenced to death. 301 00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:06,200 That's what Romans 6:23 says. As for the wages, the payment of 302 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:13,100 sin is death. And so you must be born again. 303 00:20:15,100 --> 00:20:18,600 You must be born again. When Jesus says to Nicodemus, 304 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,600 unless you were born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. 305 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,300 He's telling him. You must be born again 306 00:20:25,300 --> 00:20:27,800 Nicodemus. Now the interesting about this 307 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,500 is Nicodemus doesn't raise that question, does he? 308 00:20:31,300 --> 00:20:35,800 He just says, Hey Rabbi teacher, we know that you must be from 309 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,300 God because no one can do these things, unless he's unless God 310 00:20:39,300 --> 00:20:44,400 is with him. And Jesus says, unless one is 311 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,600 born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 312 00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:56,000 Because Jesus knows the heart of the man, the man thinks, hey, 313 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,500 I'm one. He called them signs so he knows 314 00:20:58,500 --> 00:21:00,700 they point to something different. 315 00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:03,100 He doesn't call them Miracles, we covered that last week, he 316 00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:07,300 calls him signs and so he knows these are meant to show some 317 00:21:07,300 --> 00:21:09,800 spiritual truth. And so he comes looking for the 318 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,500 answer to the signs. What are these signs showing? 319 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,100 And Jesus says, you will not see those things, unless you are 320 00:21:17,100 --> 00:21:27,800 born again. the the word again here is Is a Greek word called 321 00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:30,800 an othon. I know 'then I think it. 322 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,900 So I'm saying that correctly. What's interesting about this 323 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:37,100 Greek word is it carries two meanings and it's used for 324 00:21:37,100 --> 00:21:44,500 either describing again or from above And so, when Jesus says, 325 00:21:44,500 --> 00:21:48,300 You must be born again. He's describing. 326 00:21:48,900 --> 00:21:52,900 Again, you must be reborn but he's also describing where that 327 00:21:52,900 --> 00:21:57,700 birth comes from. He's saying, from above And you 328 00:21:57,700 --> 00:22:00,500 don't have, I don't know, Greek. I just use bible study tools 329 00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:02,800 that help me. But you don't have to know Greek 330 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,900 because Jesus in the rest of the passage makes us explicitly 331 00:22:05,900 --> 00:22:07,400 clear where this birth comes from. 332 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,400 It comes from the spirit of God and so we'll get into that in 333 00:22:10,408 --> 00:22:13,500 the coming weeks. But let's look at this idea of 334 00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:17,900 being born again being born Anew that that initial meaning of 335 00:22:17,900 --> 00:22:21,200 being born again, the truth that Jesus is expressing is that you 336 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:26,300 must live a new life. You must have brand new life. 337 00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:29,800 You must begin afresh. You must begin a new you. 338 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,700 You cannot patch up the old building rather we need to work 339 00:22:33,700 --> 00:22:37,100 on the foundation. We need a new Foundation. 340 00:22:38,500 --> 00:22:41,700 We're not, we're not trying to add Christ and church and 341 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,100 spiritual things to our lives. So that we become a patched up 342 00:22:45,700 --> 00:22:50,400 building a whitewashed tomb, as the Pharisees were described by 343 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:54,100 Christ. What we need is an altogether 344 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:57,300 New Foundation. You must have crisis saying, You 345 00:22:57,300 --> 00:23:02,200 must have a new nature. Your old nature is sinful. 346 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,200 You need a new nature. Your old nature is dead. 347 00:23:06,300 --> 00:23:08,600 You need a nature, that is alive. 348 00:23:10,300 --> 00:23:14,500 You need an utterly new nature and altogether new nature. 349 00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:17,100 You need new standards. You need new desires. 350 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:24,900 Need a new life. And so Christ the Same by your 351 00:23:24,900 --> 00:23:28,000 first birth Nicodemus. I know. 352 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,800 It doesn't look this way, but by your first birth, you are 353 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:38,600 corrupt your corrupted. You're bound to sin and you're 354 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,900 destined for Eternal condemnation. 355 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:47,200 And so you need a second birth. You must be born again. 356 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:52,600 Your soul needs to be recreated. Which is, which gets us to the 357 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:57,400 second meaning of again, this idea that you must be born from 358 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:05,600 above. And so, John uses this an othon 359 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:09,400 word in this way to other times in his gospel in John 3 31. 360 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:14,700 He says, he who comes from above, he who comes an othon is 361 00:24:14,700 --> 00:24:19,400 above all. In John 19, 11, Jesus answering. 362 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,300 Pilot he says you would have no authority over me at all unless 363 00:24:25,300 --> 00:24:29,700 it had been given you from an othon from above. 364 00:24:30,700 --> 00:24:33,600 Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin. 365 00:24:34,700 --> 00:24:38,500 John especially has this idea in mind here in John 3:3 to be born 366 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,400 from above, is to truly be born Anew. 367 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,300 It's to truly be born again, when you're born from above and 368 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:48,500 so you're in need of a new birth that comes from God. 369 00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:54,600 And that coming from God is the only place to find New Birth. 370 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:57,600 It comes from outside of yourself. 371 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,800 It's not from within you, don't look to yourself. 372 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,500 You don't become the fullest expression of yourself. 373 00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:06,200 You don't become the truest self that you can. 374 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,600 What side are? You can't achieve any way unless 375 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:14,900 you're born again. But it's not from pursuing. 376 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:22,000 You know, Nirvana. That you are born again. 377 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:27,100 It comes from outside of you, it comes from looking to someone 378 00:25:27,100 --> 00:25:28,700 else. You don't look to your family, 379 00:25:28,700 --> 00:25:33,400 you don't look to your heritage. You look to God Alone to be born 380 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:39,800 again. And we see that this is found in 381 00:25:40,300 --> 00:25:44,800 Christ. John 1:12 through 13 again, we 382 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,400 started the series with this passage but I'll read it, but to 383 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,400 all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave 384 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,400 the right to become children of God. 385 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,500 This is the idea of being born again. 386 00:25:55,500 --> 00:25:59,900 We know that because in verse 13, He says, who were born not 387 00:25:59,900 --> 00:26:04,600 of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of, man, 388 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:07,900 but of God. So there was nothing about their 389 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:11,200 first birth. Nothing about their good works. 390 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:15,300 Nothing about Out their Heritage that could cause them to be born 391 00:26:15,300 --> 00:26:18,700 again but they were born again from God. 392 00:26:19,900 --> 00:26:22,900 And so the new birth comes from heaven and when the new birth 393 00:26:22,900 --> 00:26:28,800 hits your life, it creates a new a new heart and it grants to you 394 00:26:28,900 --> 00:26:31,600 new life. And that new life is motivated 395 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,300 by the motivations of Heaven. It's motivated by the 396 00:26:34,300 --> 00:26:37,100 motivations of God. You have the desires of God 397 00:26:37,100 --> 00:26:41,500 implanted into your life. The truth of the new birth isn't 398 00:26:41,500 --> 00:26:46,200 A New Concept at all. And that Nicodemus is going to 399 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,200 be exposed for not understanding the new birth as this passage 400 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:54,700 unfolds. God had told his people about 401 00:26:54,700 --> 00:26:57,500 their need for the new birth through the prophets of the Old 402 00:26:57,500 --> 00:27:00,300 Testament. One such profit is a guy named 403 00:27:00,300 --> 00:27:04,300 Ezekiel and this is in Ezekiel 36. 404 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,700 We read this in verse 26 and 27. He says and I will give you this 405 00:27:08,700 --> 00:27:13,100 is God speaking to his people about a day that is coming and I 406 00:27:13,100 --> 00:27:16,600 will give you a new heart and a new spirit. 407 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,100 I will put within you and I will remove the Heart of Stone from 408 00:27:20,100 --> 00:27:24,300 your flesh and give you A heart of Flesh and I will put my 409 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:29,300 spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be 410 00:27:29,300 --> 00:27:36,100 careful to obey my rules. New Birth comes from God. 411 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,300 It was always going to come from God. 412 00:27:40,300 --> 00:27:44,500 Everything about the Old Testament points to the coming 413 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,100 of the Messiah. Jesus Christ. 414 00:27:47,100 --> 00:27:53,400 Who would Usher in by his perfect sacrifice The new birth. 415 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,700 By his death and his resurrection. 416 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:01,500 We would now have the opportunity to have the spirit 417 00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:04,900 of God dwell in us. That's what the amazing event of 418 00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:08,800 Pentecost is, describing the spirit of God, coming to dwell 419 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:15,000 in, man. And so what, what happens when 420 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:19,300 God gives you a new heart? And God says, I'm going to take 421 00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:21,600 your old Heart of Stone and give you a heart of Flesh. 422 00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:24,400 What's happening in that moment? What hat? 423 00:28:24,500 --> 00:28:28,000 What's the results of that? What happens when God says I'm 424 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:32,500 going to give you a new spirit? I'm going to put my spirit in 425 00:28:32,500 --> 00:28:36,400 you. This is the new birth. 426 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:41,800 And so, what happens in the new birth I've laid out at the 427 00:28:41,808 --> 00:28:45,300 beginning of the series and kind of mentioned him throughout but 428 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,400 dr. Stephen Lawson wrote a book on 429 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,200 this subject and here's what he talks about. 430 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:59,500 About the New Birth five things that the new birth does in your 431 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:02,700 life. And the new birth, you get a new 432 00:29:02,700 --> 00:29:05,400 heart. And the first thing we see is 433 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:07,900 that you get a new heart to love God. 434 00:29:08,900 --> 00:29:14,200 You get a new heart to love God. Once you were not a lover of God 435 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,800 and now in the New Birth you receive a new heart and you are 436 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:22,400 a lover of God, once you put all sorts of things above God, once 437 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:27,300 you had many gods including your self and now you have one God 438 00:29:27,300 --> 00:29:31,900 and you put nothing above him. The new birth is the result of 439 00:29:31,900 --> 00:29:37,200 receiving a new heart and instills in you a new love for 440 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:42,100 God, a real love for God, a genuine love for God. 441 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,600 This exchanged heart possesses new desires for the kingdom of 442 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,400 God. It throbs with new affections 443 00:29:48,700 --> 00:29:53,800 for the truth of God and it beats in sync with God. 444 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:58,600 Now we love what God loves, and we reject what he rejects. 445 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,800 And in a similar way, we do not love what we once were sorry, we 446 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:07,900 love what we once rejected, and we reject what we wants loved, 447 00:30:08,100 --> 00:30:11,800 we've been transformed by this new heart and our new heart 448 00:30:11,900 --> 00:30:14,700 longs for God. We love him. 449 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:19,900 As the psalmist says, as a deer pants for the water. 450 00:30:19,900 --> 00:30:28,100 Oh my soul thirst for you. Oh God. if you don't have a 451 00:30:28,100 --> 00:30:35,100 thirsting for God, You need to ask yourself, have I truly been 452 00:30:35,100 --> 00:30:39,600 born again. The second thing lost some 453 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:41,700 points out as you get a new mind to think, right? 454 00:30:41,700 --> 00:30:43,500 Thoughts about God and His works. 455 00:30:44,100 --> 00:30:48,200 Again once we thought wrong things about God, maybe you were 456 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:53,200 a scoffer, a mocker of God and his people When you have a new 457 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:58,600 birth from above you now, have the ability to think, rightly 458 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:04,000 about God and his work Ephesians 4:22 through 24 talks about this 459 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,900 idea of sanctification. It says, to put off your old 460 00:31:06,900 --> 00:31:09,700 self, which belongs to your former manner of life and his 461 00:31:09,700 --> 00:31:12,600 corrupt, through deceitful desires and to be renewed in the 462 00:31:12,608 --> 00:31:16,800 spirit of your minds. And to put on the new self 463 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:21,500 created after the likeness of God in true, righteousness and 464 00:31:21,500 --> 00:31:27,700 Holiness, the new birth gives us an entirely new mindset and we 465 00:31:27,700 --> 00:31:31,500 see life as God sees it. We're happy to let go of the 466 00:31:31,500 --> 00:31:36,100 former manner of life so that we can take on God's Manor for 467 00:31:36,100 --> 00:31:39,000 life. We're able to see with a new 468 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,400 understanding. What God says in his word. 469 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:46,200 We see how his truth relates to our life, and we put it on 470 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:52,100 Happily joyfully. We recognize again as the 471 00:31:52,100 --> 00:31:56,900 psalmist says in some 16. That he has made known to us the 472 00:31:56,900 --> 00:32:00,900 path of life. And at his right hand are 473 00:32:00,900 --> 00:32:05,300 Pleasures forevermore. The third thing we get with a 474 00:32:05,308 --> 00:32:08,800 new heart as we get a new heart to believe God's word. 475 00:32:10,100 --> 00:32:14,500 The new heart accepts, 2nd Timothy 3:16 which says that all 476 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:19,000 scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching and 477 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,600 for reproof, and for correction, and for training in 478 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:27,100 righteousness and verse 17 says that the man of God may be fully 479 00:32:27,100 --> 00:32:29,800 mature or complete lacking nothing. 480 00:32:32,300 --> 00:32:37,200 And so we have a new desire, a new heart toward his word, We 481 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:41,300 Believe God's word and it transforms us. 482 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:49,600 Again Psalm 119 David says they're not confirmed his day 483 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,700 but I believe it's David. He says that I've hidden your 484 00:32:53,700 --> 00:32:57,200 word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 485 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:01,500 He says they're about God's word that it is sweeter than drops of 486 00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:04,200 honey. It's to be more desirable than 487 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:08,700 silver and gold. You see the transformation of a 488 00:33:08,700 --> 00:33:14,100 heart towards the word of God. When somebody is born again or 489 00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:17,000 no longer a skeptic of the word, they're Believers of the word. 490 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:21,400 I don't doubt its validity its truthfulness they don't doubt 491 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:25,000 its inspiration they don't doubt it's infallibility. 492 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,500 They don't doubt any of those things instead. 493 00:33:27,500 --> 00:33:30,900 They humbly submit themselves to the word of God. 494 00:33:31,900 --> 00:33:36,100 Because the end of his life, and it is all things necessary for 495 00:33:36,100 --> 00:33:41,700 godliness and salvation in, it is the answer to every problem. 496 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:48,200 And it is wisdom for every situation and so they humbly 497 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,900 come to it, a new birth gives you a new heart full of praise 498 00:33:51,900 --> 00:33:54,900 for God. So once you were negative 499 00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:57,300 towards the Lord, once you didn't love the Lord at all, 500 00:33:57,300 --> 00:34:01,200 once you may have talked bad about the Lord, but now you 501 00:34:01,300 --> 00:34:05,400 bring praise to God. Once we were self-absorbed and 502 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,100 we praise ourselves and we thought only of ourselves and 503 00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:11,699 now we've stopped gazing at our own belly buttons. 504 00:34:11,699 --> 00:34:13,800 And we're We're looking to the Lord. 505 00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:20,500 We're staring at him. We're walking towards him. 506 00:34:20,500 --> 00:34:25,500 We're moving his Direction. And praise for God, which used 507 00:34:25,500 --> 00:34:30,000 to be a struggle for us. Somebody would praise the Lord 508 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:31,900 for something we'd kind of wince about that. 509 00:34:31,900 --> 00:34:35,699 Like, come on, it's God really care about that. 510 00:34:35,699 --> 00:34:38,100 That's got really busy really involved in that. 511 00:34:38,100 --> 00:34:41,800 I mean, looks like that was just simply the doctors doing 512 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:45,400 something to me. You win sick? 513 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,800 God, you went that the idea of God, being involved in life and 514 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:53,000 now praise for God. Freely flows from your tongue. 515 00:34:54,699 --> 00:34:59,700 Blessing instead of cursing. Are on your lips. 516 00:35:05,900 --> 00:35:08,400 The fifth thing, we see the final thing, a new birth gives 517 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:12,900 us a new heart to obey. God what were describing here 518 00:35:12,900 --> 00:35:17,900 about the new birth as a desire to obey the Lord to make him 519 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:24,100 Lord of everything? To see him as Lord and submit to 520 00:35:24,100 --> 00:35:27,800 him as Lord of every area of our life. 521 00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:32,600 Jesus says in John 14:15, if you love me you will keep my 522 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,000 Commandments. He doesn't say to earn my love. 523 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:40,400 You must keep my Commandments. And John later says in his 524 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:44,300 Epistles, that we love because Christ, first loved us. 525 00:35:44,300 --> 00:35:48,500 We love because he first loved us, he initiated the 526 00:35:48,500 --> 00:35:51,700 relationship. He started the contact and we're 527 00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:57,200 responding in love. If you had a good father growing 528 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,400 up you loved to obey his commands. 529 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:03,200 Maybe not all of them but it brought you Joy. 530 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:07,800 If you had a good father growing up to obey his commands, if you 531 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:12,900 had a bad father growing up, then this idea of loving someone 532 00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:16,100 by obeying their commands might be a real struggle for you. 533 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:20,400 But when you know that the father is perfect, and he's good 534 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,600 and he's holy and righteous and he never means anything. 535 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:30,200 For your harm. Even the bad things that he 536 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,300 allows in your life are not meant for your harm, therefore 537 00:36:32,300 --> 00:36:35,200 you're good there for your growth, your development, your 538 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:39,800 maturity, or strengthening and so you happily then submit to 539 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,300 him. I love the Lord because he saved 540 00:36:43,300 --> 00:36:45,700 me for my sins. I was once dead in my trespasses 541 00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:48,100 and sins and now I'm alive in Christ Jesus. 542 00:36:48,100 --> 00:36:52,400 Because of the work of God in my life, I'll give him everything. 543 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:57,300 There's not an area of my life that I will not submit to his 544 00:36:57,300 --> 00:37:01,200 Rule and reign. It doesn't mean I haven't 545 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:04,100 struggled to submit to his Rule and reign in areas of my life. 546 00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:11,000 I absolutely have and I'm sure I will still but it's not my 547 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,100 deepest desire. My deepest desires to submit to 548 00:37:14,100 --> 00:37:18,600 God in every way. This is evidence of a new life 549 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:22,100 in Christ of a new birth. The new birth takes us off of 550 00:37:22,100 --> 00:37:24,500 our old path. That puts us on an entirely New 551 00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:28,800 Path of obedience to God. The world is behind you, and 552 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:34,600 Heaven is before you And that your central Focus. 553 00:37:35,300 --> 00:37:39,200 As you can see being born again, then utterly transforms your 554 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:43,500 life, you are literally turned into a new creation in Christ 555 00:37:43,500 --> 00:37:45,300 Jesus. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, 556 00:37:45,300 --> 00:37:48,700 therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 557 00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:52,700 The old has passed away. Behold that means to take hold 558 00:37:52,700 --> 00:37:55,600 of with your eyes and don't let go. 559 00:37:55,700 --> 00:37:59,400 The new has come Behold, the new has come. 560 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:04,100 If you were born again, you are now alive in Christ. 561 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:10,800 If you're born again, you should now be pursuing him, not running 562 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:15,200 from him. And you pursuing with every part 563 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:18,700 of your being with everything that you are, again the shocking 564 00:38:18,700 --> 00:38:24,700 news of your need for New Birth, reveals the saving news of 565 00:38:24,700 --> 00:38:30,300 Salvation in Christ Jesus. And so I asked how have you been 566 00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:35,800 born again? Have you been born from above? 567 00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:44,200 Have you been born anew? Have you received Christ and so 568 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:53,500 received New Life in him. John 3:3, Jesus answered him. 569 00:38:53,500 --> 00:38:57,200 Truly truly, I say to you. Unless one is born again, he 570 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:03,000 cannot see the kingdom of God. Truly truly is used to declare 571 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:06,000 the utter truthfulness of something but there are not 572 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:10,900 truer words that can be spoken. Jesus has quite literally saying 573 00:39:11,100 --> 00:39:14,600 I the amen, the amen, say it to you. 574 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:22,600 He's saying I the faithful and true witness say this to you. 575 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:27,100 Nicodemus you can take this statement to the bank that there 576 00:39:27,100 --> 00:39:31,000 is nothing more true. This is the truest of true and 577 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,800 it's been declared to you by the son of God. 578 00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:41,000 That you must be born again. Or you will not see the kingdom 579 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:45,500 of God. The Greek words, hear the phrase 580 00:39:45,500 --> 00:39:50,300 cannot see reveals a lack of power to perceive something by 581 00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:53,300 sight. It means you lack the power. 582 00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:56,500 Not that you're blind physically, but that there's a 583 00:39:56,800 --> 00:40:00,700 other worldly power, a supernatural power, which must 584 00:40:00,700 --> 00:40:04,100 be present in you to see the kingdom of God. 585 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:08,300 And so this, coincides with this idea of being born from above, 586 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:11,200 when you're born from above, you have an otherworldly power, 587 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:13,200 amen. You've been supernaturally. 588 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:16,900 Transform the spirit of God is now inside of you, and he's 589 00:40:16,900 --> 00:40:20,300 granted to you new life. And so, in that power, you can 590 00:40:20,300 --> 00:40:25,500 see the kingdom of God. What if you've not been born 591 00:40:25,500 --> 00:40:28,000 from above? You cannot see the kingdom of 592 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:32,400 God. This means that the kingdom of 593 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:36,500 God, excludes, all of those who are unregenerate. 594 00:40:40,300 --> 00:40:42,500 There's not a heaven for the unsaved. 595 00:40:52,300 --> 00:40:56,700 There's not. There's not a limbo for them to 596 00:40:56,700 --> 00:41:00,200 rest in. Once they pass. 597 00:41:09,100 --> 00:41:14,000 Do you feel the gravity of that? Unless you were born again, 598 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,600 there is no life in you. And there will be no life for 599 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,200 you. An eternity. 600 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:26,300 You will stand forever condemned. 601 00:41:28,500 --> 00:41:31,800 So we don't beat our chest as those who have been born again, 602 00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:37,700 gloating that we have new life. We feel the gravity of the 603 00:41:37,700 --> 00:41:43,000 statement and it ought to motivate us to share the good 604 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:46,700 news of Jesus Christ with everyone that we come into 605 00:41:46,700 --> 00:41:50,800 contact with. Without the message of the 606 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,900 Gospel, there is no salvation for anyone. 607 00:41:58,900 --> 00:42:02,500 God has commissioned to you. Minister of reconciliation. 608 00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:07,500 Ambassador for Christ. God has commissioned you. 609 00:42:09,100 --> 00:42:13,100 To be an evangelist to share the good news with your children, 610 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:19,000 your spouse with your neighbors, your students, your coworkers. 611 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:27,900 the guy who washes your car, Person, you're standing next to 612 00:42:27,900 --> 00:42:29,500 in the aisle at the grocery store. 613 00:42:31,500 --> 00:42:33,200 And wherever you have an opportunity. 614 00:42:34,900 --> 00:42:38,800 God has given you a dinner table in your home, not just so your 615 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,800 family can gather, but so that you can practice Hospitality 616 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:48,700 with unbelievers to invite them in, He'll share the good news of 617 00:42:48,700 --> 00:42:55,000 Christ with them. Truly, truly, I say to you, 618 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,300 unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 619 00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:00,200 Christ is leaving. No other option here. 620 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:05,900 Leaving no other option and so we shouldn't explain away 621 00:43:05,900 --> 00:43:07,700 sinfulness. We shouldn't explain away 622 00:43:07,900 --> 00:43:09,800 depravity. We shouldn't explain away. 623 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:15,100 This idea that you were born with a sin nature As though, 624 00:43:15,100 --> 00:43:19,300 like will surely a good? God won't send people to hell. 625 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:22,500 Would he really be good if he overlooked sin? 626 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,900 No. There's no justice in that. 627 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:35,800 And so we must be born again and we must be Ministers of this 628 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:39,200 being born again. The kingdom of God will contain 629 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:43,000 all of the people across time and space who have and will 630 00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:46,500 receive Jesus Christ as their lord and savior through the new 631 00:43:46,500 --> 00:43:48,900 birth. That's who will see the kingdom 632 00:43:48,900 --> 00:43:50,500 of God. No, one else. 633 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,900 Nicodemus was looking for an Earthly reign in the Messiah but 634 00:43:54,900 --> 00:43:59,000 Christ came to First establish a king that he says is not from 635 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:03,300 this world and one day when he splits the heavens open and he 636 00:44:03,300 --> 00:44:07,700 descends and his return, the second coming of our savior when 637 00:44:07,700 --> 00:44:10,400 he does that, he'll establish his kingdom in the new heavens 638 00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:14,400 and the new Earth, but it'll be too late for unbelievers. 639 00:44:15,700 --> 00:44:21,200 That's when judgment will come. And so we that's what Jesus says 640 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:26,000 again to Pilate. He's asking him, are you a king? 641 00:44:26,700 --> 00:44:29,100 If you are, where's your kingdom ads? 642 00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:33,900 And Jesus says to him, he says, my kingdom is not of this world. 643 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:36,400 If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have 644 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:38,800 been fighting that. I might not be delivered over to 645 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:43,300 the Jews, but my kingdom is not from This world. 646 00:44:45,900 --> 00:44:48,700 The kingdom is from above because it is made up of people 647 00:44:48,700 --> 00:44:51,000 who have been born Anew from above. 648 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:58,700 And it's a leader is from above its savior, it's Lord is King 649 00:44:59,100 --> 00:45:03,400 and he reigns from above. God is redeeming a people unto 650 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,000 himself through the finished work of Christ on the cross. 651 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:10,000 Make no doubt and he's doing it through regenerating people, by 652 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:13,800 the power of His spirit, and those people will dwell with him 653 00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:21,000 eternally in heaven. Revelation 7 again the Apostle 654 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:25,800 John, he's all over the New Testament. in Revelation chapter 655 00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:27,900 7, the same guy, who wrote the Gospel of John writes 656 00:45:27,900 --> 00:45:31,500 Revelation, and this is what he says, as he's giving this vision 657 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:36,000 From the Lord he says in Revelation 7 verse 9 through 10. 658 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:41,100 And after this I looked and behold a great multitude that no 659 00:45:41,100 --> 00:45:44,700 one could number from every nation from all tribes and 660 00:45:44,700 --> 00:45:48,500 peoples and languages standing Before the Throne and before the 661 00:45:48,500 --> 00:45:52,700 lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches, in their hands 662 00:45:52,700 --> 00:45:56,000 and crying out with a loud voice salvation. 663 00:45:56,000 --> 00:46:01,600 Belongs To Our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb. 664 00:46:02,900 --> 00:46:05,700 Amen. Brothers and sisters. 665 00:46:05,700 --> 00:46:12,000 This is the hope of the new Heaven and new earth, and you 666 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:16,400 may not see it yet. You may not see it yet. 667 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:22,700 But hold on. The day of Christ is 668 00:46:22,700 --> 00:46:25,500 approaching. And for now, you live, as 669 00:46:25,500 --> 00:46:29,300 sojourners in this land, your gaze, is to be fixed on the 670 00:46:29,308 --> 00:46:35,300 hills of Zion, as you go through this life and the day, when all 671 00:46:35,300 --> 00:46:38,600 is made, right? Because Jesus Christ comes into 672 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:42,900 view that day is coming. It's coming. 673 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:46,900 The only way you can see the kingdom of God partially for 674 00:46:46,900 --> 00:46:50,200 now. And in full later on is if you 675 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:56,900 have been born again, This is the only way Jesus says in John 676 00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:59,800 10. Sorry, John 14 that I am, the 677 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:04,300 way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father, 678 00:47:04,300 --> 00:47:10,900 except through me. And so I ask again, have you 679 00:47:10,900 --> 00:47:16,200 been born again? And maybe you're kind of in that 680 00:47:16,200 --> 00:47:26,100 place and I don't know. Let me describe for you again 681 00:47:26,100 --> 00:47:29,100 using some Lawson's points here. Let me describe for you what the 682 00:47:29,300 --> 00:47:34,200 being born again looks like In case it's not clear yet. 683 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:39,800 If you have been born again you will surely, see a dramatic 684 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:45,200 change in your life. You're no longer the person you 685 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:48,900 once were, but you have become a new person in Christ. 686 00:47:48,900 --> 00:47:54,300 Jesus, You've received so much more than the Forgiveness of 687 00:47:54,300 --> 00:47:56,700 sins. It's not a ticket to Heaven. 688 00:47:56,700 --> 00:48:00,500 It's not, you know, it's not fire insurance, it's so much 689 00:48:00,500 --> 00:48:04,500 more. You've received a new life that 690 00:48:04,500 --> 00:48:09,100 transforms you at the deepest level of who you are, it changes 691 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:14,700 your heart literally from being dead in sin to alive in Christ. 692 00:48:18,700 --> 00:48:23,300 You've been altered. At the very base of your soul. 693 00:48:24,900 --> 00:48:27,800 God has put his Spirit within you. 694 00:48:29,500 --> 00:48:32,500 You've received a heart transplant to love, God, more 695 00:48:32,500 --> 00:48:35,600 than anything or anyone else in this world. 696 00:48:37,300 --> 00:48:40,500 And so you have a new heart that desires to obey God. 697 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:43,700 You have a heart that no longer wants to go its own way. 698 00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:46,700 Not saying you don't, you don't fiddle with that at times, 699 00:48:46,700 --> 00:48:49,200 right? Prone to wander Lord, I feel it 700 00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:53,600 prone to leave the God, I love We know this is our heart. 701 00:48:56,600 --> 00:49:01,600 And so we're begging God, take us, sill US by your spirit. 702 00:49:02,700 --> 00:49:06,000 And that's what you get in Ephesians 1:13-14 that you've 703 00:49:06,008 --> 00:49:08,300 been sealed by the spirit of God. 704 00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:12,100 It's a sign of your salvation and it's a seal. 705 00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:19,000 Of its effect. And the spirit of God will not 706 00:49:19,100 --> 00:49:23,700 let you fall away. Moreover, you've received a new 707 00:49:23,700 --> 00:49:27,200 desire to want to know God, you're no longer content to 708 00:49:27,207 --> 00:49:32,400 merely know about him, you've received a new heart to believe, 709 00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:37,600 God to trust his word to go to it for daily guidance. 710 00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:42,700 You're in love with the word of God, your new heart Praises God, 711 00:49:43,500 --> 00:49:46,600 you no longer direct attention to yourself, rather you are 712 00:49:47,100 --> 00:49:50,900 directing attention to God. You live to magnify the name of 713 00:49:50,900 --> 00:49:52,400 the Lord above all else. Else. 714 00:49:54,500 --> 00:49:56,900 And if you've been born again, that's the supernatural 715 00:49:56,900 --> 00:50:01,700 transformation from above. That is taken effect in your 716 00:50:01,700 --> 00:50:06,300 life. Let me pray for you. 717 00:50:06,500 --> 00:50:07,800 You stand your feet this morning. 718 00:50:09,300 --> 00:50:12,600 Heavenly Father, we love you. We thank you, Lord for your 719 00:50:12,600 --> 00:50:16,900 kindness and in saving us your kindness and granting to us 720 00:50:16,900 --> 00:50:23,700 salvation. Father, I do pray for anyone in 721 00:50:23,700 --> 00:50:28,600 here who has not experienced. This new birth from above. 722 00:50:30,500 --> 00:50:32,800 Maybe they've adapted to the Christian Life. 723 00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:38,600 Maybe they've taken on some of the The moral effects of it. 724 00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,600 And so their God is moralism, their God is Not Christ. 725 00:50:44,700 --> 00:50:49,100 Father, I pray that you would reveal that to them remove the 726 00:50:49,100 --> 00:50:53,100 blinders from their eyes that they might see Christ today. 727 00:50:58,100 --> 00:51:04,400 Want to pray for anyone in here who's Who's walking with you? 728 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,000 Yes. Who is a new creation? 729 00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:08,400 Yes. Who is experienced the new 730 00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:11,400 birth? But who is wrestling? 731 00:51:12,700 --> 00:51:18,600 With their flesh. And maybe so much so that they 732 00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:21,200 Wonder have I received a new life Lord. 733 00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:25,700 I pray that you would That you would comfort them not in their 734 00:51:25,700 --> 00:51:30,000 sin but Comfort their Spirits Lord, that they would be sure of 735 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,800 their salvation that they would know you and know you will, and 736 00:51:33,800 --> 00:51:37,000 that they would continue to fight the good fight of faith. 737 00:51:38,100 --> 00:51:42,500 To continue to wage war against their flesh, to put to death the 738 00:51:42,500 --> 00:51:46,100 old man so that the new man may come alive. 739 00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:51,600 Father, we thank you again for the Salvation. 740 00:51:51,600 --> 00:51:56,400 We've received in Christ, it is on him that we depend. 741 00:51:58,100 --> 00:52:02,100 And we thank you that Hebrews 7 tells us, he is able to save to 742 00:52:02,100 --> 00:52:08,200 the uttermost all of those who draw near to you through him. 743 00:52:12,900 --> 00:52:15,500 Lord help us to do that in Christ's name. 744 00:52:15,500 --> 00:52:17,100 I pray. Amen. 745 00:52:12,900 --> 00:52:15,500 Lord help us to do that in Christ's name. 746 00:52:15,500 --> 00:52:17,100 I pray. Amen.