Jesus = Life / Born Again

So it is August already! School is about to begin. For us around these parts, the HOF celebration is drawing to a close. Labor day is quickly approaching. Time keeps moving. We’re also heading right into a very contentious political season.

In September…and this is a tease…we’re going to have a Sunday where we will focus on one of our ministries, the day care center. Its 23rd anniversary. But we want to have a time when we, as a church family, can learn a bit more of this specific ministry, and…and way that we as a church family can bless and serve this ministry as well. So be watching for details! More to come....fun stuff.

So we’ve been talking about life for a long time now. And so I think we came to the conclusion…from the words of Jesus himself, that He is life. Our life…our full life He promises us comes from us placing our life in His.

Apart from Him we can do nothing…apart from Him we chase life.

And I truly believe that Satan gives us all sorts of ideas of what life might be or could be or even should be....all false forms of life. False ideas. Lies about life.

Now…how do we get this life. If He has it, and He wants to …as His own words state…give it to us, how does that work?

There’s an account that John records of someone who searched out a time to meet with Jesus.

His name is Nicodemus.

I want to read you the account…and then when we get to the very pertinent passage, we’ll put that up on the screen for focus sake.

Remember, the question is, how do we receive this life that Jesus is trying to give us....rather than us chasing around trying to get, build, earn life on our own.

Read John 3:1-18

John 3:1–18 NIV

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

PASSAGE FOCUS - Go back to this verse....verse 3

John 3:3 NIV

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

This verse says a ton. Nicodemus knew it too. He jokingly responds…and I’m sure there was a laugh or a serious grin from Jesus. But then Jesus doubles down.

Two ways to live.

One…you’re born. Physically born. But we’re born into a sin nature. For certain, a baby hasn’t sinned …but we’re all born after the fall. We’re born into a broken world that can’t give us the life we were supposed to have before sin.

Jesus said, you have to be reborn. A second birth. A birth through the spirit of God.

Now what else can we gather from this?

John also recorded this at the beginning of his account of Jesus.

John 1:10–13 CSB

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

John meant for this passage to follow Jesus’ words to Nicodemus.

Jesus came to give us the full life that was intended. A life without worry or anxiety or fear. A life free of chasing false ideas....Satan’s lies about what life truly is. But receiving something entails something else.

To receive a gift, you need to put out your hands and “receive” it.

Football…on Thursday night, the Browns had a late in the game touchdown by one of their running backs. The quarterback dropped back and handed him the ball. The running back had to receive it. Had to be ready to receive it…and then kept it, secured it, ran with it.

Life from Jesus is received much the same way…but with a twist.

Here’s what else Jesus said about receiving new life.

Luke 9:23 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

A commentator wrote this recently about this idea of denying oneself.

When we talk of believing in Jesus, we are speaking of an internal disposition of trust and submission.

Jesus is calling us back to that original idea…in the garden…when we were free to live…but under the rule of God....who gives full life.

Satan tempted Adam and Eve…do decide for themselves what a great life could look like.

Jesus calls us to die to ourselves. Let that sink in. Carry your cross daily. The cross at that point…in the minds of the hearers was…a method of death. They hadn’t yet seen Jesus on the cross. So what Jesus was saying this...

To be reborn, you need to give your current life to Him.

Some of His first words as He entered His ministry are recorded for us by Matthew.

Matthew 4:17 CSB

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Repent....means turn....turn from your way of living. Die to yourself. Be willing to give me everything.

Be completely born again.

Some of us like how we were born. Some of us have used the phrase…I was born like this. Be very careful....Jesus calls every one of us....be born again.

Jesus says…everything…your personality, your strengths, your weaknesses....all of you. So I can give you life…so you can receive it fully…and run with it.

We can’t run with the full life of Jesus if we’re still holding on to parts of our old self. Its so difficult. I’ve been there. In many ways I still battle this part of being born again.

When we fully humble ourselves…to be born again, we’re admitting something.

We can’t fix us.

We can’t fix our world.

We can’t fix anything about this life.

Can we serve Christ and live a life of service to Him and all around us? Yes…absolutely. Can we love our neighbors? Yes!

But in our own strength…we can’t fix the problem of the world.

We talked about politics a bit ago…Politics are tough around they? We have an election day in a couple of days for an issue. Now while I can’t tell you how to vote…I cannot endorse a person or a policy change from this position. But I can let you know what I’ve come to learn about this issue.

Issue 1 seeks to raise the threshold to change the Ohio consitution to 60% vote instead of a simple majority vote. Meaning it is a little harder to change the constitution.

This measure came about in response to a measure that looks to make the ballot this November, making abortion a constitutional right in Ohio.

Now…I’m sure you have heard both sides…commercials that are very confusing.

That’s the basics.

No one is taking votes away…just changing the process by which change is made.

My value about this lies in what is recorded in Genesis concerning God’s design for building families. That’s where my value lies. Every child, an image of God…to fill the earth with His glory.

Now…will this ballot measure…whether it succeeds or fails, will it fix the world?

Might it help us govern ourselves a bit closer to God’s values? Possibly! For certain! And I’m a citizen who has the right and priviledge to be a part of this process ....so I will take part. And do my best to help.

Jesus, however, is the only one who fixes this world. In the end every knee will bow before Him. Those who have been reborn…and those who haven’t.

We need to be very careful to first, in our own lives, to submit fully to Jesus. To give Him everything.

There was a question in a 1905 newspaper out of London…the Daily Press.

The question for the public that specific week was this: What is wrong with the world?

Now…it was geared towards a political atmosphere. A very tough one like we’re in today. “Solomon said there’s nothing new under the sun.”

People could write in their responses.

GK Chesterton wrote a small response.

He first wrote of how people and governments and societies and organizations…and the like…try to change what’s wrong.

But then he wrote about life.

His response was this......

What’s wrong with the world?

In one sense, and that the eternal sense, the thing is plain. The answer to the question “What is Wrong?” is, or should be, “I am wrong.” Until a man can give that answer his idealism is only a hobby.”

GK Chesterton - what’s wrong with the world…I am.

David wrote in the Psalms that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But David also wrote of how in need of God we are…because we all sin. David would also write that no one…no one on earth is good.

Paul wrote that all have sinned and fallen short.

Ephesians 2:1–3 NIV

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

We need Jesus. Jesus said, you must be born again.

Are you willing to give it all to Jesus?

He wants to give you full life! He died to do that very thing. And then rose to show you the truth of the matter…new life is on its way for those who repent…turn, and give everything to Him.

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.