New Birth (New Life Series)

Introduction

A couple of weeks ago my step-daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. For months there was a lot of anticipation and some concern as there were indications of some possible issues. But praise be to God our Father through Jesus Christ, the baby was born healthy although she was almost half the weight of her siblings at birth. The worry that we had faded quickly after we met here. We are enjoying the little chunk and now we are anticipating what she will be like when she grows older. Her bother and sister have their own personalities. In a year or two we will begin to see the personality of our new grandchild blossom.

In John 16:21, Jesus made a comparison between a woman having a baby and his death and resurrection. The image of woman in labor is used in various places in the bible to describe judgement, anxiety, and even salvation. In Romans 8:22, the image of childbirth is used to describe how the whole of creation groans for the salvation of mankind. But this groaning isn’t in vain. In the previous verse, the scripture says that creation itself has hope. For in the salvation of mankind, there is an expectation of freedom from the corruption it is suffering. Creation earnestly desires the fulness of salvation be fulfilled for mankind.

John 16:21 NASB 2020

Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.

Romans 8:22 NASB 2020

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Story

So we see a picture of anxiousness and pain prior and during labor but that all vanishes away once hope is delivered. There is joy so exhilarating that the previous hardship becomes a distant memory. This picture is likened to a 3-D image that depicts two different but complementary scenes. In one, we see the image of someone struggling with sin and hopelessness and the coming to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In the other we see the pain of the God the Father waiting anxiously for His lost children to come home and then being filled with relief and joy as He sees His child in the distance finally coming home.

In the story of the Prodigal Son, Jesus showed us the love the Father has for his children.

Luke 15:11–32 NASB 2020

And He said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to me.’ And so he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his estate in wild living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began doing without. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he longed to have his fill of the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving him anything. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired laborers have more than enough bread, but I am dying here from hunger! ‘I will set out and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired laborers.” ’ “So he set out and came to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let’s eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you never gave me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’ ”

The father in this story celebrated when his son came back and he restored him as a member of the family. Our Father God's joy over our salvation eclipses the suffering Jesus endured on the cross. He is overjoyed and the angels rejoice in the presence of God when a sinner repents. The anguish God had over sending His Only begotten Son to the cross to save us, has been replaced by the joy He has when we turn and accept His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Luke 15:10 NASB 2020

In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Transition

Likewise, our sins and offenses crush us. We may not have even recognized it as sin. We just knew what ever we were doing wasn’t working out. We were miserable and we made everyone around us miserable too. Our way was turning out to be a dead end and we needed to figure something out and quick. We need to turn things around. We need to stop doing what we were doing.

This is one of the elements of repentance. But repentance isn’t just turning away. It would be like the young man in the story simply leaving the place he was and going somewhere else. Guess what? The story would have just repeated itself. The man had to go home to his father, and that is exactly what we need to do too. We need to turn away from the things that are killing us and others and turn to our Father in Heaven.

But unlike the young man, we don’t have a memory of what a true home with God is like. We don’t know where to go or who to reach out to. That is why God sent His only Son. Jesus showed us the Father. He showed us the love of God and he paid a tremendous price for our redemption. And when we turn away from the dead things in our life and grasp on to the Son of God, we are not only accepted into the home we were intended to live in in the first place, we are also raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places.

Ephesians 2:1–6 NASB 2020

And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Points

So remember, God is anxious for you. He sees you struggling and wants the best for you, but like a good father He will let you choose. You have full authority over your life and how you use it. You also have full responsibility for all you do and everyone you hurt. It’s all on you. Good or Bad. And frankly, many of us know there is something more. Maybe we don’t feel like a horrible person, but we know that the direction we’re headed in isn’t working out completely. We haven’t reached some magical place where we feel fully accomplished. We’re missing something.

Jesus Christ is that something. In Him we find the road to the home where we belong. In Him we find our joy from our labors in this Earth. In Him is all we ever needed or wanted. He is our fulness. And when we accept Him all of Heaven rejoices. We are lifted up and set in place at the table of our Father where we belong.

Application

If this is speaking to you, if you have tried it all and are still looking around and asking yourself, “Is this it?” Then, I dare you to turn around. Hit the breaks and reach out to the only One who can bring joy and peace into your life. You can do that right now. It’s the simplest of things and yet one of the hardest, because we have to give up going our own way. For me that was easy, I had messed things up going it alone. Now, I’m going where Jesus goes. I’m headed home to the place I belong. I hope you come along too. God is worth it. We can go now. Call we have to do is call out to God. It goes like this...

“Father God, before I knew You, You knew me. You know everything about me. You know the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yet You still love me. You sent your only Son to die on the cross for my sins so that I might have new life. So I turn away from my old life. It was leading me nowhere. It will killing me and wrecking my life and everyone else around me. Now I choose Jesus. I don’t want to do it my way any longer. I want You. Bring me home. I want to follow Jesus now. Amen”

Remember, God is ecstatic that you have turn to His Son Jesus Christ. All of Heaven is rejoicing as we speak. You are a rightful child of God and are welcomed into the house of the living God. It is now your birth right. I encourage you to share this good news with someone today. And get plugged into a local church. It doesn’t have to be this one, but we certainly would love you to walk with us on this journey. We’re just like you. He saved us just like He saved you now. We’re on the same road heading home to where we belong. Come join us.