Who will be in God's kingdom?

Introduction

Who will be a part of God’s Kingdom? What kind of people will be part of God’s kingdom?

How would you answer that question?

Religious people? Good people? People who have repented of their sin and believed in Jesus? Perhaps you maight say; everyone?

In John 3:1-2 we are introduced to a man called Nicodemus. We are told that he was a Pharisee, and a ruler of the Jews. This means that he was extremely religious and would have tried to follow God’s law meticulously.

If you would have asked Nicodemus that question he probably would have replied with the common view at that time.

All Jewish people, providing they were not extremely sinful, would be part of God’s coming Kingdom.

If you would have asked Nicodemus if he himself was going to be part of it he probably would have been offended at such a question, because to him it was an obvious yes.

Try to imagine then his shock at what the Lord Jesus said to him in v.3

Nicodemus was a respected religious leader in Israel, he had come to Jesus to find out more about who he was, he confessed that there was something special about Jesus because of the signs he did. Yet the Lord Jesus, begins with a statement that would have called Nicodemus’s salvation into question.

In v.3 Jesus said these words “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This statement would have been shocking to Nicodemus and we see from his response that it confused him.

But what did the Lord Jesus mean by this statement? What did it mean for Nicodemus and what does it mean for us?

I. Important truth

Firstly, what we need to notice is that the Lord Jesus made clear this statement was very important.

The Lord began his sentence with two words. My translation translates it as most assuredly. The NIV translates them as Very truly. The two words are

αμην αμην. This is the greek tansliteration of the hebrew word, which we say as amen. It means certainly or truly. The fact that Jesus repeats the word shows us that this truth is important.

The Lord Jesus is emphasising this truth.

When the Lord Jesus speaks the winds obey him, with a word he casts out demons. We are told in Colossians that he upholds all things by the power of his word.

When the Lord Jesus speaks we must listen. But how much more when he starts the sentence with these two words. Truly Truly.

This truth is important. It was important for Nicodemus and it is important for us.

If we keep reading we see why it was important.

II. A matter of life and death

The Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus; “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This truth is important because it has to do with entrance to God’s kingdom.

Nicodemus would have been anticipating the kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus here makes his clear what kind of people will be part of that kingdom.

He said “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

What did Jesus mean when he said they cannot see the kingdom of God?

Well the kingdom of God refers to God’s sovereign reign. In John’s Gospel it is closely linked to eternal life.

If you are part of God’s kingdom then you have eternal life. You are part of his spiritual kingdom here on earth and you look forward to the day when you will be part of his heavenly kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is entered and enjoyed now in part, but it is fully experienced in eternity, in the new heavens and the new earth. If you enter the kingdom, then you have eternal life.

In Matthew 8:11 the Lord Jesus describes this kigdom as the kingdom of heaven. He says “Many will come from the east and the west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

The Lord Jesus says in this verse that unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

What did he mean by seeing the kingdom?

The point Jesus is making in that the person without the new birth will not participate in God’s kingdom. They will have no share in it. In v.5 he says they will not enter it.

What did this mean for Nicodemus?

It meant that if he did not experience this new birth for himself then he would not participate in God’s Kingdom even though he was looking forward to it.

He was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, very religious. Yet unless he was born again he would be excluded from the kingdom of God.

We can imagine the shock this would have been to Nicodemus.

App- What is true of Nicodemus is true of us as well. It is true of you.

Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.

You will not be entering God’s heaven. It will not all be well in the end.

We must not ignore the clear meaning of the words of Jesus. Unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God. You will by no means enter God’s kingdom.

This truth is important, it is a matter of eternal life and eternal death. But the question we must now ask is what does it actually mean to be born again?

III. Spiritual regeneration

Jesus said “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

But what does it mean to be born again?

Well, it is clear if you keep reading the passage that it has nothing to do with being born physically a second time. Nicodemus expresses the impossibility of this in v.4 and Jesus replies in v.5-8 making it clear that this new birth is spiritual and not physical.

So what does it mean?

To be born again means to be made alive spiritually. It means to be given a new nature. The Bible says we are born with a sinful nature, therefore we need a new nature. This new nature is given to us by God’s Holy Spirit who indwells the Christian.

To be born again means to pass from death to life. It means to be spiritually regenerated. It means to be made a new creation in Christ Jesus, the old things pass away, all things become new.

This experience was promised in the OT.

In Ezekiel 36:25-27 the LORD says “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

God promised in the OT that there is coming a day when he will give his people a new heart, he will take their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, he will put his Spirit within them.

This was promised in the OT and here in the NT the Lord Jesus is saying this is what must take place if a person is to see God’s kingdom. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

App- The question that must be faced by each one here today is has this happened to you? Have you been born again?

Has God given you a new nature? Does His Spirit dwell in you? Have you become a new creation in Christ?

How do you know if this has happened? The reply is how could you not know? When a baby is born they cannot explain what has happened but they know they have experienced a great change.

When a person is born again, All of a sudden everything changes. They love the Bible, they want to meet with God’s people. They desire to be in prayer and they want to know the God that made them. The love the Lord Jesus and desire to live for his glory.

Is this your experience? Has this happened to you? It is important because if it does not happen, you will not see the kingdom of God. The implication of that is you will go to hell.

Maybe you know this isn’t your experience but you want it to be. Maybe you are asking the question; how can this happen to me?

To answer that question it must be made clear that this isn’t something we can do. God is the one who gives the new birth, he is the one who puts his Spirit within us and gives us a new nature. He is the one who gives spiritual life.

So what must you.? Jesus gives the answer several verses later. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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.”

What must you do?

Repent of your sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He died upon the cross to pay for our sins. He died the death we deserved to die and then he rose again so that we can have eternal life.

The Bible commands us to put our trust in Jesus Christ. Repent and believe.

Conclusion

The Words of the Lord Jesus in John 3:3 are very important. They are a matter of life and death. Unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God. To be born again means to be given a new nature by God through His Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you.

We started with the question. What kind of poeple will be part of God’s kingdom? The correct answer is those who have been born again.

This shocked Nicodemus because it meant he was excluded. However if you keep reading John’s Gospel there is good reason to believe that Nicodemus did go on to believe in Christ and therefore would have received this new birth.

The question is have you been born again?

If you have then praise God for his goodnes and grace, and live for his glory.

If not then Call upon God and ask him to give you spiritual life. Ask him to give you a new nature, to put his Spirit within you. Call upon him for mercy and put your trust in Jesus Christ. believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.