What does it mean to be born again?
Notes
Transcript
I love how God works. Last week after the service, someone approached me and asked if I would take some time at some point and expound on what it really means to be born again compared to saying a magical prayer and your good no matter how you live. They asked me to explain what it really looks like to be born again. Then a friend this week sent me a sermon by Pastor John Piper on Hebrews chapter 3 verses 12-14 and it was by far the best sermon I have ever heard about what does it mean to be born again and what our role is in the salvation of others. Let me begin by explaining how my view of salvation has matured over the years. My early years, I believed I was saved at 5 or 6 years old at the 5 day club at my neighbors. But as I progressed through my teen years and into college my life looked nothing like Jesus’ but everything like the world. My life looked no different than my atheist classmates. Nothing in my life would indicate that I was a follower of Jesus. Then everything changed one weekend when I was home from college. Do you remember our text from last week?
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
At this point in my life I had quit going to church and reading my Bible and praying completely. Some would argue that I made that commitment at 5 or 6 on my neighbors porch and how I lived didn’t matter and if I died I would have been in heaven. I ask where is the evidence that I was born again. I prayed a prayer one time. Where is that in scripture? Look at verses 12 - 14 of Hebrews chapter 3
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
My question to you this morning is when are you saved? When you pray a prayer? After 10 years after 20? What does our text say? Verse 14
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
You can’t pray a prayer and coast. You can’t pray a prayer and live like the world can you? Back to my story. One weekend I was home from college, the Holy Spirit blew on my heart. I was getting ready to go back to school and I saw my Bible and the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said take it with you. I remember laughing to myself and asking why would I take it I am not going to read it! I remember being stuck in this moment of indecision. Finally I was like what ever and grabbed it. It is scary to think could I have said no? The a couple weeks later as I was walking to class, the Holy Spirit blew across my heart again. This time the Spirit challenged me to read the Bible from cover to cover. He said you call yourself a believer but you have never read the Bible cover to cover. So once again I conceded to The Holy Spirit and began reading the Word. My life initially didn’t change but I kept reading and then I read this verse.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
When I read this verse for the first time in my life I felt damned. I felt the full weight of sin and at first I felt hopeless and lost and then the truths that I had been taught from a young age came rushing back in. Turn to Jesus! I turned and pleaded for forgiveness. I felt the weight lifted. I was born again. The seed that was planted when I was 5 or 6 sprouted. Then the journey began. I was filled with the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 1:21–22 (ESV)
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
See salvation doesn’t end there. remember verse 14 of our passage?
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
We know we are saved when we hold fast to the end! Amen! Did you know God uses you in the salvation of others?
Look at verse 13
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Before we expound on that look at verse 12
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
The author of Hebrews tells us to Take care! Pay attention why? Because there is a real danger. What is that danger? You can have an evil, unbelieving heart, that will lead you to fall away from the living God. How how does that happen after we have heard the truth of the gospel? Verse 13
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Our sin lies to us! The culture lies to us, the world lies to us. And these lies lead to a hardened heart. The most important question this morning. If you have been day dreaming or sleeping this morning now would be a good time to wake up and answer this question. Your eternal destination depends on it. Do you know what is feels like when your heart is being hardened. Can you tell it is happening or do you know if it already has happened? What does a hardened heart feel like? Do you know when your heart is hardening?
Pastor John in his sermon shared a story of a young woman they came to him for counseling. She was living in fornication and it was bothering her. She was afraid that God was going to have to use a car accident or something to get her attention. Pastor John loo her in the eye and told her that if she did not repent, she would spend eternity in hell. 7 Years later she wrote him a letter thanking him for loving her enough to tell her the truth.
Look at our passage again when are you saved? When you said a prayer in 1984? No look at verse 14
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
So salvation isn’t complete until we hold fast till the end. I use to view salvation and sanctification as separate events. You prayed and were saved that was the important part. Then sanctification was extra credit. I don’t see that in our text. And do you know you have a role in others salvation? And I am not just talking about sharing the gospel. Look back at our text Verse 13
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
We all, not just the pastor are called to exhort one another when? every Sunday morning? No every day. Everyday you need to be exhorting one another. Let’s pause and look closer at this word exhort.
to urge strongly, appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage
to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
to admonish, exhort
to beg, entreat, beseech
to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort
to instruct, teach
That is you assignment from this passage. You are called to encourage, strengthen, beseech, beg and console one another to follow the Lord to hold fast to your original confidence and stand firm to the end.
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.