The New Birth
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Tonight in our doctrinal studies by Porter Barrington we are going to start looking at “The New Birth”. When we consider this topic we need to completely understand that when Jesus talks about being born again, it is more than just a figure of speech.
There is a natural birth then there is a spiritual birth. The natural birth is of the seed of man [sin]. Whereas the spiritual birth is of the seed of God [righteousness].
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
The only way to become a child of God is not by joining a church or by being baptized, but by being “born again”. When a person goes through the New Birth, there are some things that happen in his/her life.
The New Birth is trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by faith surrendering your will to Him [John 1:12]
In the New Birth a person becomes a new creation in Christ [2 Cor. 5:17]
The New Birth is the regeneration of a person [Titus 3:5]
The New Birth is a spiritual resurrection [Eph. 2:1]
The New Birth is being made the “righteousness of God” [2 Cor. 5:21]
The New Birth is partaking of the divine nature of God [2 Pet. 1:4]
But the New Birth will not be forced upon a person, it is a choice we must make when the opportunity arises!
2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
So let’s look at the first mention of the New Birth in the scriptures as Jesus talks with Nicodemus.
Text; John 3:1-8
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
1. Nic at Night; 1-2
1. Nic at Night; 1-2
Nicodemus was the best that the nation of Israel had to offer from the religious community. He was a Pharisee, teacher and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. Only Nicodemus, Gamaliel and Joseph of Arimathea appear in the scriptures as favorable Pharisees in the sight of God.
Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus at night? John doesn’t actually say why, but many thoughts about why he did.
He had a fear of being seen with Jesus in the daytime by his fellow Pharisees
Maybe he wanted to have undisturbed time with Jesus so he could really get to know him
Maybe it was both, because Jesus had just cleansed the temple on the first day of Passover [John 2:13-25].
Or maybe Nicodemus had great admiration for Jesus and was seeking something that religion wasn’t satisfying in his soul.
Rabbi- A doctor, teacher, master; a title of honor in the Jewish schools; a Jewish teacher and scholar recognized for expertise in interpreting the Jewish Scriptures
Nicodemus has only witnessed Jesus for just a short time as he saw Him in the temple and possibly at the wedding of Cana in Galilee, and saw the miracle of water being turned into wine, but he already knew there was something different about this man Jesus than the rest of the religious leaders.
People should be able to tell if we have been with Jesus! Amen!!
2. The Natural Birth vs. New Birth; 3-6
2. The Natural Birth vs. New Birth; 3-6
[v.3] I have often wondered why Jesus responded to Nic’s remark about him saying to Jesus, “we know You come from God as a teacher”.
Nicodemus just simply greeted Jesus with honor by calling Him Rabbi. He didn’t ask about being born again. And it was no doubt that was the farthest thing from his mind because he didn’t understand it when Jesus responds to him.
Why did Jesus respond this way? The answer is because Nic called Jesus “rabbi”. See both of them are considered by the people as “rabbi’s” [teachers, masters, scholars in the scriptures]. But Jesus was pointing out that there is a great difference between a “rabbi in the flesh” and the “Rabbi of the Spirit”.
[v.3, 5] Jesus makes it clear in these two verses that unless you are born of water and the Spirit, “New Birth”, you will never see nor enter into the kingdom of God!
The “water” refers to the natural birth of a child, but more-so the repentance ministry of John the Baptist, and the “Spirit” refers to the application by the Holy Spirit of Christ to an individual in salvation.
John the Baptist had stirred the nation by his ministry and stress on repentance and baptism.
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
“Water” would remind Nicodemus of the John’s emphasis. So Jesus was saying that Nicodemus, in order to enter the kingdom, he needed to turn to Jesus(repent) in order to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
[v.6] Jesus now tells Nicodemus about the difference in those who know the Law [born in the flesh] and those who know the Law Giver [God, born of the Spirit]
The nature of the Natural Birth/flesh;
Sinful nature
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Perishable nature
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
Nature of Death
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nature of evil
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
The nature of the Spiritual Birth/righteousness;
Changed nature
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Sinless nature
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Righteous nature
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Divine nature
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus that regardless of how nice he is, religious he is, and however hard he tries to keep the Law of God and to help others to do so, he cannot enter in the kingdom of God without the New Birth, a Spiritual Birth!
3. Born Again; 7-8
3. Born Again; 7-8
[v.8] This verse contains a wordplay which cannot be adequately expressed in English. The Greek word pneuma means both wind and Spirit. The work of the Spirit (pneuma) is invisible and mysterious like the blowing of the wind (pneuma). And man controls neither, it is a work of God!
The only way to experience spiritual life is to be born of the Spirit. It’s like the wind. You hear it, but you don’t see it. You can’t control it; all you can do is see its effects. It’s the same way with being born of the Spirit, God’s Spirit invisibly does its work inside the human heart. We can’t see it happening. All we see are the results.
When Jesus had an encounter with the Rich Young Ruler and the boy walked away because he wouldn’t give up his money to follow Jesus, Jesus made a statement that shocked his disciples;
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Close;
No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace!
We might not completely comprehend the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth in one’s life, but we can trust God in it!
If you have been born again, you will know it for sure and others will see it in you!
