SF895 - Let The Church Be The Church - 7 of 9 A Biblical Understanding of Conversion (John 3 1-21)
John 3:1-21
Introduction
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church
1) Expositional preaching, 2) Biblical church leadership, 3) Biblical church discipline, 4) Biblical theology, 5) a Biblical understanding of the gospel 6) a Biblical understanding of church membership, 7) a Biblical understanding of conversion, 8) a Biblical understanding of evangelism, and 9) A concern for promoting Christian discipleship and growth.
Can a person really change?
The world says no, but the Bible says yes – called regeneration, new birth!
It should be noted that regeneration is only one aspect of salvation. Scripture teaches us that there are a least three aspects of salvation.
Ø A Christian is truly saved right now (Ephesians 2:8-9, “have been”).
Ø A Christian is in the process of being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18, “are being saved”)
Ø A Christian is waiting in hope to be fully saved in the future (Romans 5:10; “we shall be saved)
In John 3, Jesus answers two critical questions for us. First, why is the new birth needed? Second, what is the new birth?
1A. Why is the New Birth Needed?
1B. Because of the nature of man
Nicodemus was a good man (3:1)
Ø He was a Pharisee
Religious exclusive
Separatist by belief and practice
Maintained the oral law ‑ traditions of men
Ø He was ruler of the people
Literally "great man"
Member of the Sanhedrin
One of the three richest men in Jerusalem
Nicodemus was a sincere man (3:2)
Ø He believed that Jesus was a good teacher
didaskalos = teacher, doctor
He believe that Jesus as only a teacher
Nicodemus was a lost man (3:3)
Nobody by nature delights so much in the character of God that he hungers after the true God.
Ø We are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
Ø As David said in Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me."
Ø We come into the world bent on being independent from God and loving the things of the world. Something has to happen to us if we are to be saved from the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We must be profoundly changed.
2B. Because of the nature of the new birth
Ø We must change slave masters; we must cease from being slaves of sin and become slaves of God (Romans 6:17-23).
Ø We must die with Christ and be raised to newness of life (Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:12).
Ø We must put off the old man and put on the new man created after the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10).
Ø We must repent, that is, we must experience a change of mind that causes us to turn from trusting man to trusting God's mercy (Acts 2:38; Luke 3:3, 8).
Ø We must receive a new heart according to Ezekiel's prophecy:
Ezekiel 11:19 (NASB) 19“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Ø We must become a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Ø We must become like children
Matthew 18:3 (NASB) 3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
From cover to cover the Bible declares that human beings must change. If we do not change, we will not be saved: no peace with God, no hope for eternal life, but only wrath and fury (Romans 2:8). So there is nothing more important for any individual than that he experience this change, this new birth, as Jesus called it.
2A. What is the New Birth?
1B. The new birth is spiritual not physical (3:4-6)
The word “flesh” in John refers to our humanity.
John 1:14 (NASB) 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Ø So Jesus is saying here, your human birth merely makes you human.
1 Corinthians 2:14-15
Ø Paul's terms for the person before and after new birth are "natural man" and "spiritual man."
The connection then between verses 5 and 6 of John 3 is this:
We must be born of the Spirit, because until we are, we are unfit for the Kingdom of heaven.
2B. The new birth is supernatural not natural (3:7-13)
A fundamental change must take place in the sinner’s heart (John 3:7; Romans 8:5-7)
Faith is the most beautiful, God-honoring and humble act that a human can perform, and therefore we must not imagine that it can be performed by a "natural man" who "does not welcome the things of the Spirit of God." (Romans 8:7)
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
The new birth operates independent of man’s control (3:8)
Ø Therefore, for you or I to try to determine or control God’s exercise of His grace is pointless.
Ø First, we learn that new birth is mandated, “you must be born again.”
Ø Second, we learn that the new birth is mysterious; men can neither control nor predict it.
God both initiates and completes salvation. (John 6:44; 64-65; 1:12-13)
Regeneration (new birth) always results in repentance and faith (Acts 2:37-38)
It must be remembered that the new birth (regeneration), repentance, and faith are so closely connected that in experience we cannot distinguish them.
3B. The new birth is the result of God by the Holy Spirit and through His Word calling men to Himself and into saving faith. (Romans 10:8-17)
The emphasis in Scripture is not on the manner, process, or order in which God calls and saves men, but on the means by which He does so.
The means is by the preaching of the gospel.
God’s Spirit takes God’s Word and so applies it to the heart of lost men in such a way that those who once opposed God now desire Him and willfully turn from their sins and place their faith in Christ.
Only God can accomplish this work and He has chosen the means of the proclaimed gospel to do so.
Application
Six biblical truths concerning salvation…
1. Man must repent and believe in order to be saved. (Acts 16:30-31)
2. Every one who repents and believes the gospel will be saved. (John 6:37)
John 6:37 (NASB) 37“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
3. Man must personally, knowingly, and willingly repent of his sin and place his faith in Christ. (Luke 13:3).
4. Man in his natural lost condition will not and indeed cannot repent and believe. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB) 14But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
5. God in His grace must change man through regeneration before man can and will repent and believe. (Titus 3:4-7)
Titus 3:4-7 (NASB) 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
6. Faith and repentance are the evidences not the cause of regeneration. (John 3:3; Acts 16:14)
LET THE CHURCH BE THE CHURCH - Part 7 of 9
A Biblical Understanding of Conversion
John 3:1-21
1A. Why is the New Birth Needed?
1B. Because of the ____________________ of man
Nicodemus was a good man (3:1)
Nicodemus was a sincere man (3:2)
Nicodemus was a _________________ man (3:3)
Ephesians 2:3; Psalm 51:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10
2B. Because of the nature of the new birth
Ø We must change slave masters (Romans 6:17-23).
Ø We must die with Christ and rise to newness of life (Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:12).
Ø We must put off the old man and put on the new man created after the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9,10).
Ø We must repent (Acts 2:38; Luke 3:3, 8).
Ø We must get a new heart (Ezekiel 11:19)
Ø We must become a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Ø We must become like children (Matthew 18:3)
2A. What is the New Birth?
1B. The new birth is spiritual not physical (3:4-6)
The word “flesh” in John refers to our humanity. (John 1:14)
Paul's terms for the person before and after new birth are "natural man" and "spiritual man." (1 Corinthians 2:14-15)
2B. The new birth is supernatural not natural (3:7-13)
A fundamental ____________ must take place in the sinner’s heart (John 3:7)
Romans 8:5-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17
The new birth operates independent of man’s control (3:8)
God both initiates and completes salvation. (John 6:44; 64-65; 1:12-13)
Regeneration (new birth) always results in repentance and faith (Acts 2:37-38)
3B. God by the Holy Spirit and through His Word calls men to Himself and into saving faith. (Romans 10:8-17)
Application
Man must repent and believe in order to be saved. (Acts 16:30-31)
Every one who repents and believes the gospel will be saved. (John 6:37)
Man must personally, knowingly, and willingly repent of his sin and place his faith in Christ. (Luke 13:3).
Man in his natural lost condition will not and indeed cannot repent and believe. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
God in His grace must change man through regeneration before man can and will repent and believe. (Titus 3:4-7)
Faith and repentance are the evidences not the cause of regeneration. (John 3:3; Acts 16:14)