You Must Be Born Again (Part 4)
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide Its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Scripture Reference: John 3:17-21
Context
Context
We have reached the end of our journey with Nicodemus and Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I know that I have enjoyed this time spent with the two of them.
So far, we have looked at “The World’s Greatest Tragedy”, in which we surveyed how awful it is for such an intellectual mind as Nicodemus to miss the most basic and vital of truths, “Ye must be born again.”
We then looked at “The World’s Greatest Truth”. This is where Jesus took Nicodemus on a journey through the OT, explaining through previous Mosaic events, the detrimental need of mankind to exalt the Son of God and believe on Him for salvation.
Then last week, we examined “The World’s Greatest Text”. We dug into the unity that exists between the love of God and the justice of God, and why Jesus had to the cross. There is no other satisfactory way to appease the wrath of God against sin except through the sacrifice of Jesus’s shed blood. There is no other name under heaven that men can be saved. If we are to be saved, we must come by way of Calvary. We must come by way of Jesus the Christ.
Today, we are going to be speaking on this topic, “The World’s Greatest Test”.
After explaining to Nicodemus the details of what it means to be “born again”, He finishes the conversation with a rather direct and troubling truth.
I want to warn you now, Jesus pulls no punches with His final words. They are difficult to hear. They are words to be wrestled with. They are words that challenge the status quo. These words are upsetting to some. But as we will see by the end of this message, these words are not meant to be so. They are meant to be uplifting. They are meant to be encouraging. They are words spoken by the giver of life to set free those who are bound in chains of death.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Content
Content
Defining the Rules of the Test
Defining the Rules of the Test
Everyone must participate.
When we look closely at the wordage within these verses, we find that all people are in mind when Jesus says these things.
“The World” - Vs. 16, 17
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ...
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Everyone must participate individually.
Not only must we participate, but we must participate individually. In other words, the result of how you score on this test will be determined by your own beliefs. We will all be scored individually. Mom may pass the test but dad may fail. Mom and dad may pass the test while children fail. Children may pass the test while parents fail. It is 100 % scored individually.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
There is only one question. It is worth 100% of your grade. There will be no make-up tests. There will be no grading on the curve.
As we have already seen, the basis of this test is based upon whether or not one believes in Jesus Christ. That is the test. Do you believe? It is the only question and it is the only criteria. Your answer to that one question will determine whether you are admitted into glory or turned away.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
The length of this test varies by individual:
It starts the very moment you reach the age of accountability.
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
It ends the very moment God brings Holy conviction upon you for the last time.
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For one to come to God, God must first draw him. This means that mankind cannot come to God anytime they wish. They can only come once the Holy Conviction of God has settled within their spirit, which results in them being drawn to the foot of the cross.
Some people will experience this many times in their life. Others will only experience this a hand full of times within their life. We can easily see how this is true. Regardless of the many possible scenarios we could play out within this understanding, one thing is clear. Man can only come to God when God calls him to come, so the last time a person feels this drawing of God will be the last opportunity they have to get things right with God.
Now, we have defined the rules of the test:
Everyone must participate.
Everyone must participate individually.
There is only question and that question is worth 100% of the grade.
The length of the test will vary from one to the next.
Defining the Reality of the Test
Defining the Reality of the Test
This test is the most important test anyone will ever take, as the result of this test determines where one will spend eternity.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
When we look back at the world’s greatest text from last week, we see very distinct terminology. We see words like “perish” and “everlasting life”.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
As we look at the first verse of today’s text, we see two more words of great importance. We see the word “condemn” and then also “saved”.
This test is dealing with eternity. It is speaking of eternal life through salvation or eternal death, or perishing, through condemnation. This test is of the greatest importance.
Everyone will not pass this test. The Bible actually says that many more will fail this test than pass it.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
We have already established that this test is given to all, to the whole world. But now Jesus breaks down the whole of everyone into two distinct parts: those who believe and those who do not believe.
If you have ever wondered why Christians many times refer to themselves or other Christians as “Believers”, this is why. It is because they believe in the name of Jesus Christ. Those who do not believe in the name of Jesus Christ, are listed as non-believers.
In the grand scheme of the test, those who are believers pass the test. Those who are not believers do not pass the test.
This means that there will be some who decide not to believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and that group of people will receive the condemnation.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The test is one of the easiest tests to understand, but one of the hardest test to pass.
It is not your average written test. The question on this test is not answered by filling in a bubble, circling a letter, speaking your answer out loud, or any other means one would normally answer questions on a test.
This test involves the mind, but it is not merely an intellectual test. This test is not administered to see if you simply know the right answer. Matter of fact, many of the people who will fail this test, actually know what the right answer is intellectually.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
What is it that makes this test so difficult to pass? Why is it that so many know the right answer, but somehow still fail the test?
This test challenges every fiber of your being, not just your mind. The only way to answer the question on this test, is by the way you live it out in your life. How you live your life in response to this question, will determine which answer you choose.
In other words, you may give the right answer verbally, or know the right answer intellectually, but then live a life that is contradictory to that answer. This contradiction within you will not suffice with God, for He is looking for genuine believers only. How you live your life is the proof of which answer you have truly chosen.
OK. We have defined the rules of the test. We have also defined the reality of the test. Let’s now Define the Remarks Within the Text.
Defining the Remarks Within the Text
Defining the Remarks Within the Text
Salvation
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
We see here at the end of the verse, this idea of salvation. This verse makes it very clear, that it is for this purpose, for salvation, that God sent His Son into the world. It is why He came, so that we might be saved. Notice it says He did not come to condemn. He did not come to condemn, but to save.
This only adds to the truth that Jesus has been teaching Nicodemus. If God sent His only Son to bring salvation unto the world, that means salvation can only come through Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to the Father, except through Him. It is His purpose to bring salvation to mankind. Ye must be born again.
Now I want us to think back to the message of last week. We broke down John 3:16, and we talked about how God’s love and justice must perfectly balance out. If God only exercised love and never justice, He would not be a just God. If God only exercised justice without love, then He would not be a God of love. The Bible says that He is both. So both His love and justice must work in perfect unity together, which is why Jesus was the only plausible outcome for the salvation of humanity.
Now, salvation is the natural outcome for whoever leans into God’s love. Remember that God demonstrated His love towards us by sending us Jesus. So when we lean into Jesus, believing fully in who He is, why He came, and what He accomplished, then the natural outcome is that we are saved from the penalty of our sin through Him.
Remember that we discussed the atonement. The atonement is the price of reconciliation. It is the price that must be paid in order for something to be restored to its natural state of unity. Jesus paid the price of atonement for all sin, for all people, when He died on the cross. He paid the cost for everyone, but it is only applied to those who believe in Him.
Condemnation
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
If salvation is the natural outcome of leaning into the love of God, then condemnation is the natural outcome of leaning into the justice of God.
Remember, Jesus did not come to condemn. Do you know why? He didn’t have to, we were already condemned before He came. It says it right here in this verse, “he who does not believe is condemned already...”
Because of our sin, we already stand condemned before a Holy, righteous God. We have already come up short. The only other way to make it to heaven outside of forgiveness and grace, is to live a perfect life, completely inside the will of God. Problem is, every single one of us have already fell short of that. We had already fallen short of that before we even knew what sin was.
That means, the only hope we have of escaping this condemnation is to believe in the name of Jesus. Outside of that, there is no hope.
So salvation is the natural outcome of God’s love being poured out upon whoever will believe in the name of Jesus. Condemnation is the natural outcome of God’s justice being poured out upon upon whoever will not believe in the name of Jesus.
But let me ask you question, what separates the two? What separates those who will be saved from those who will not be saved? Here is the one question that is on your test: Do you believe?
Believe
If believing in the name of Jesus is the only criteria for salvation, we better make sure that we fully understand exactly what it means to believe.
Unfortunately, the true nature of this belief has been missed by so many over the years. In fact, the Bible tells us
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Do you see that? That verses just told us that there will be some, who thought they were believers, just to find out at judgment, that they really were not believers. Wow!!!
The worst part is, when most people hear this verse, they think of it applying to almost everyone in their life.......except themselves. That can’t be me. I know I’m saved. That must be them other people. What other people? Oh, you mean those who think exactly the same thing that you’re thinking right now? You think it must apply to them, and they are thinking it must apply to you.
Listen to me, the next to last thing that I want to do is to cause one to doubt their security in Christ, but the last thing I want to do is preach to the flock that God has entrusted to me without being completely honest with them and then you miss heaven because I was afraid that I might hurt someone’s feelings. Truth is, many will be deceived into believing that they are good to go only to find out that they were never even in the ballpark.
Remember earlier when I outlined the rules of the test? I said that each person must participate individually. So right now, I want you to cast out every possible thought of other people and I want you to focus on your own relationship with Christ. That’s what I need you to do. For the next few moments, I want you to do what
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Do you also remember earlier when I said that the only way to answer the question on this test is by the way you live your life in response to the question?
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Notice that the proof of one’s decision is solidified in how they choose to live their life. Those who truly believe in Jesus will seek to accomplish the will of God in their everyday lives. Those who truly do not believe will seek to accomplish their own will in their everyday lives.
It is the deeds of your life that gives credence to your belief. It is not just enough to say, “Lord, Lord” You must live your life in subjection to Him as Lord.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Here again, we see that the deeds of these individuals are the proof of where their heart truly lies.
Those who are practicing evil stay distant from God. They are afraid if they get too close, their deeds will be exposed.
I don’t want my husband to know I’m doing _______.
I don’t want my wife to know I’m doing __________.
I don’t want my church family to know I’m doing _________.
On the other hand, those who walk in truth can’t get enough of the light of God. They are constantly looking for ways to draw closer to God. They are following as closely to the will of God as they know how to, and the closer they get to God, the more He opens up to them.
Well I think I am living out the will of God in my life, but how do I know for sure? You told me to examine myself. How do I do that? How do I know for sure if I am where I need to be?
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
After reading this verse, you might say, “Well ok then, I am good. I do not love darkness more than light. I do not love doing evil deeds more than doing good deeds. I must be good to go.”
Do you know how the Bible defines someone who truly loves God?
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
Commitment
Commitment
