You Must Be Born Again

JUNE 27, 2021 STUDY NOTES JOHN 3:1-8 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN INTRODUCTION There are certain sermons that I believe must be preached on a regular basis, an annual event Some of them I will preach on Sunday Mornings for the rest of the summer The first will be today, probably the most important message we all need to hear If you are lost and without Christ in your life it is a must that you hear it If you are saved you must be able to explain this passage to those who are lost So, we all need to learn the truth of “YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN,” John 3:1-8 In the first verse we find a man by the name of “Nicodemus” The story of Nicodemus actually begins at the end of John chapter two Nicodemus, along with many others, had witnessed Jesus performing miracles, Joh 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. Their belief in Jesus was not genuine Biblical faith unto salvation, it was not true saving faith We can learn the true meaning of “believing in Jesus” from this account and in John chapter 3 Listen to, Joh 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, They did not truly commit themselves to Jesus, so Jesus did not commit himself to them In their heart there was no evidence of repentance from sin or a commitment of life to Jesus Salvation is Jesus giving His life to us when we give our life to Jesus (Romans 10:9-13) Sinners do not get saved from their sins because they get excited or emotional about religion We can impress others by a good look, a good talk, and a good walk, but we don’t fool Jesus You may claim to have a personal experience with Jesus and fool the preacher or the deacons But you cannot fool Jesus, Jesus knows you, Joh 2:25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. Jesus does not need the preacher to tell him that you have been saved Jesus knew that they were not genuine believers desiring a new life in Christ Their interest in Jesus was based upon the excitement of the signs and miracles of Jesus Today an emotional excitement in a religious service might be considered a salvation experience But it could be no more than an emotional experience like that at a sports activity Jesus knew that they were only interested in physical miracles and not a spiritual miracle There are many today who want a physical miracle but are not interested in a new spiritual life Jesus knows the mind, heart, and will of every person, that means He knows you and me Man says, “show me and I will believe,” God says, “Believe me and I will show you” The conversation with Nicodemus is an example of the supernatural knowledge of Jesus Joh 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: Such a man as identified in the previous verse (John 2:25) is singled out as an example Why was Nicodemus selected as an example for us? God had a reason, a lesson for us There were many who came to talk to Jesus, so why are we told about this man? Because in the life of Nicodemus were many good characteristics, he was a good man Characteristics that many today put their trust in and accept as a means of salvation Page 1 of 7 Because they can compare themselves with other people and look good, they are alright Believing that they have as good a chance as anyone for it to turn out all right in the end No finer example of a man could have been found than Nicodemus, he was a “good” man “Nicodemus” was a Greek name meaning, “victor over the people,” He was a man of charisma and had a magnetism that attracted people, they admired him He had a mysterious ability to control other people, but he needed Jesus in control of him The destiny of his life was not under his own direction, eternity is in the hands of Jesus As a “Pharisee” he was a very religious person, but religion is not salvation You are not saved because you joined the church, were baptized, and took communion He was a strict keeper of the law of Moses, but good works cannot save (Ephesians 2:8-9) Nicodemus was not a wicked man or a sinful man in the eyes of man He was a good citizen, a good neighbor, and a good family man He was a highly moral person, highly respected, honest, and law-abiding He was even a good example for young men to pattern their life after He was a ruler of the Jews: He was a member of the Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial court among the Jews The Sanhedrin was the Supreme Court of Israel, so we can call him a Supreme Court Judge But he comes to stand before the Judge of the Eternal Court, he stands before the King of Kings Earthly position and earthly authority will not gain entrance into the Kingdom of God Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. “The same” puts an emphasis upon Nicodemus, this is the same man identified in verse one The man of good character and outstanding credentials, the man with a great resume Many different reasons have been given as to why he “came to Jesus by night” As to why he came at night we can only speculate, but it must be significant There are two other accounts of Nicodemus found in John and each speak of his night visit He rebuked the Pharisees for condemning Jesus without hearing Him, Joh 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Joh 7:51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? He assisted Joseph of Arimathea in the burial of Jesus, Joh 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. They prepared the body of Jesus for burial, Joh 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. These verses may indicate that Nicodemus had a life changing experience that night with Jesus Why he came to Jesus is not as important as the fact that he did come to stand before Jesus This is a good place to ask the question, “Why do people come to talk to Jesus?” Some come because they are confused, when all other answers to the meaning of life have failed They come to Jesus when there seems to be no reason left for living You must come to Jesus for life, Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Some come in times of financial loss, when the things you have valued as the good life are gone When there are no more funds and life is no more fun (Like the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32) Some will come in times of financial freedom or prosperity, when life appears to be at its best And then they realize that financial freedom is not always life and certainly not spiritual freedom Page 2 of 7 When they learn that the fullness of life is not in material possessions You must learn that the peace and joy of salvation is found only in Jesus, Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Some will come when sickness or disease strikes, and the darkness of death draws near Some will come when sin has run its course and the path of life is at a dead end street Or when the truth of sin has been realized and sin begins to pay off in full Scripture tells us that the day will come when everyone, will stand before Jesus, Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; Which does not teach that all will be saved but all will know that Jesus is the Savior, Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. At that day every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord The saved will stand before Him by grace through faith and dwell with Him forever (John 5:24) The lost will stand before Him by His power and authority (John 3:18) For the lost the result will be an eternal separation from God, and a state of eternal damnation Now is the time for you to come to Jesus with a believing heart to receive His as your Savior For whatever reason, be sure you come to talk to Jesus, just as Nicodemus did But you must also listen to what Jesus has to say, He knows your greatest need We learn what Nicodemus knew about Jesus, and said unto him, Rabbi, He identified Jesus with respect, calling Him “Rabbi” which means “teacher” He recognized that Jesus deserved to be honored, many today agree with him They believe they honor Jesus by giving some attention to Him in some way or another They own a Bible and want their children to have a Bible out of respect for Jesus, do you read it? They will pray when they know they need God and want God to do something they can’t do They go to church sometimes and will even give some money sometimes People can be kind and respectful toward Jesus, even calling Him “Lord,” Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? But just like Nicodemus, you must be “Born-Again,” or you will hear Jesus say, Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Nicodemus came alone to speak with Jesus, but he spoke in the plural, he said, we know You cannot stand in the crowd before Jesus, it is not “we,” my family, my church, my friends You must make a personal commitment to Christ, Jesus must hear you say, “I know” The dying thief on the cross said, “Lord, remember me” (Luke 23:42) The Samaritan woman said, “I know that Messiah cometh” (John 4:25) The Ethiopian said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37) The Philippian jailer said, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) Nicodemus said we know that thou art a teacher come from God: The emphasis is upon “from God,” Jesus had come “from God” as a teacher Jesus came from God as a teacher, a miracle worker, a healer, and much more But all of those things point to the one important reason that Jesus came from God Jesus came from God as the Savior, Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus did come to teach us and the first thing we must learn is, “You must be born again” We are to learn the truth of who He is from His miracles, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. There is a reason why Jesus had performed miracles, Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in Page 3 of 7 the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: The miracles were for the purpose of believing in Him and accepting “Who He was,” Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. All of the evidence pointed to the fact that Jesus was God’s Man, He was the “Promised Messiah” The Person and Work of Jesus in His life upon earth proved Him to be the “Messiah” Which Peter said should have told them that He was the “Promised Messiah,” Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Peter was explaining why the greatest prophecy for all of mankind was being fulfilled, Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. That is exactly what Jesus explains to Nicodemus, Jesus told him what we must all know Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. We know that Jesus could read his mind and know exactly what he was thinking Evidently Nicodemus was thinking about the promises of the Kingdom of God Jesus spoke the truth and he spoke directly to Nicodemus, “I say unto thee” He was not speaking to the “we” that Nicodemus had referred to in verse 2 Each and every individual must personally hear the words of Jesus Each one of us must put our name in the place of “thee,” Jesus is speaking to “you” Jesus has the same words for each and every one of us “Except” means there is no other way and there will never be another way (Galatians 1:6-9) The only way to ever “see the kingdom of God” is to be “born again” It is impossible any other way for anyone, even someone like Nicodemus “Born again” means to be born “from above,” there must be a heavenly birth A birth that can only be of God the Father, a spiritual birth which is a New Life Without a spiritual birth you “cannot see the kingdom of God” The emphasis of “see” is not visible sight, it is the same word translated “know” in verse 2 Without the new birth it is impossible to have any spiritual understanding of God’s kingdom You cannot become acquainted with it or have any insight pertaining to it There will be no sharing in or no personal experience with the kingdom of God The kingdom of God is unknowable and unattainable through man, 1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. “The kingdom of God” today is a spiritual kingdom where God rules over His people It is the realm of God’s life, His presence, His power, His righteousness, and His glory The place that you must be in-order to be blessed with all spiritual blessings, Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Nicodemus had a question, Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Nicodemus was not being sarcastic or critical of what Jesus had said He was sincere and concerned that he did not understand what Jesus had said Just like all others who are lost, Nicodemus did not understand spiritual truths The lost do not understand spiritual truths, they must be explained to them (Acts 8:26-39) Page 4 of 7 The only birth Nicodemus knew anything about was the physical birth That is why he ask the question about physical birth His question was a natural response, he could relate to the physical birth, he had experienced it Jesus answered his question, Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus did not neglect the question of Nicodemus or change the subject Jesus not only answered his question, he used the question to explain what He had said Jesus placed an emphasis upon the answer by beginning with “Verily, Verily” When Jesus did that at the beginning of a sentence, He was indicating an infallible truth We must all give our undivided attention to what Jesus said to Nicodemus “Born of water” refers to the physical birth that Nicodemus had ask about in verse 4 When the water breaks in the womb of the mother, birth is soon going to take place Born “of the Spirit” is the “Born Again” experience that Jesus spoke of in verse 3 Jesus is revealing to Nicodemus that the spiritual birth is as real as the physical birth Without the physical birth there is no physical life Without the spiritual birth there is no spiritual life, and you cannot enter God’s Kingdom The same truth that was presented in verse 3 The only entrance into the experience of life in the kingdom of God is through the Spiritual Birth Which Jesus explains, Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Nicodemus ask a question in verse 4 concerning what Jesus had said in verse 3 In verse 5, Jesus answered his question, in verse 6, Jesus explains the answer He gave Nicodemus Jesus explains why there must be another birth beside the physical birth Jesus presents the contrast between physical birth and spiritual birth “Flesh” refers to physical existence and the human nature, when flesh is born it is flesh Flesh can only bring forth flesh, from flesh there can only come forth flesh Flesh represents the fallen nature, the sinful nature of man that cannot redeem itself Flesh could be born a hundred times over and it would still be flesh Flesh can never be more than flesh, flesh can never rise above itself You can do anything you want to with flesh and when you finish, you still have flesh You can clean it up, clothe it, paint it, make it look better, smell better and it is still flesh Spirit life can never come forth from the flesh life, Spirit life does not evolve from flesh The spirit life must be born, and it must be born from above Only the Spirit of God can bring forth that which is spiritual That is why Jesus said, Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Nicodemus was bewildered by what Jesus said, Nicodemus was a Jew He was not a Gentile he was born into the covenant family of God He was a Pharisee and a strict keeper of the law, and considered to be “holier than thou” He was a popular man, influential, a leading citizen, well respected by all that knew him But Jesus also knew him and said to him, Ye must be born again. There are no exceptions to the word “You,” not just Nicodemus, but all of us, every one of us You must experience a spiritual birth, there is no other way to enter into the Kingdom of God The spiritual birth is amazing but don’t be amazed, it can happen, you can be saved Don’t be shocked even though salvation is an electrifying experience Page 5 of 7 Literally Jesus said, “You must be born again from above” To be born again is to be born spiritually from above, it is a heavenly birth Without the spiritual birth there is no present spiritual life or an eternal spiritual life If you are lost, may those words ring within your mind until you are “Born-again” Those who are lost must hear Jesus say, “Ye must be born again” Those who are saved must be mindful of the words of Jesus, “Ye must be born again” If you are saved, you must be convicted to tell the lost, “Ye must be born again” In verse 8, Jesus uses the wind as an illustration of how the spiritual birth takes place, Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. No one can deny the wind, the wind does exist, the wind is a real experience of life No one can deny the spiritual birth, it does exist, it is a real experience of life The wind blows wherever it wills, the wind blows as it pleases You cannot see the wind, but you know that it is there You can hear it, you can feel the effects of it, and see what it is doing You can sense its presence and know when it is there, in fact it is always there Jesus gave us a known fact, the wind is always there, but you never see the wind The wind is invisible, mysterious, and miraculous But we have the evidence of the wind, you know that it is there You will know when God sends the wind, you will be able to see the evidence of its coming The wind must become a personal experience in order to explain it Only a personal experience of the “Spiritual Birth” will identify how real it is You will know when God sends His Holy Spirit to touch your life You will not see Him, but you will know that He is there, you will sense His presence You will feel His touch and experience His power You will be able to see the results of His coming upon your life The Holy Spirit is an invisible influence, but He leaves a visible path Who will He touch next? Who will be the next one to be born again spiritually? Like the wind, the Holy Spirit is always present, He is always touching lives Whose life will be changed today because of His touch upon you? Sometimes it is a quiet touch, sometimes He comes with a very strong touch upon your life Sometimes we are surprised at whose life He touches in a worship service Most important of all, be sure you feel His touch upon your life today Be sure that you know that you have been “Born Again” You must go to the cross of Calvary to be born spiritually Listen to the song Page 6 of 7 Page 7 of 7