Salvation Simply

John 3:1-19
 
In the darkness Nicodemus stands listening to the Lord Jesus.  This deeply religious man has been told by the Lord that to see God's kingdom he must be born again.  To enter God's kingdom Nicodemus for all his religion, must be the recipient of a spiritual birth brought about by God, the Holy Spirit. V5 "..verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Jesus taught this religious man that true religion is being born again.  Jesus teaches that the true religion is being born again.  Jesus teaches Nicodemus that God initiates this new birth, and Jesus teaches Nicodemus that to be born again is absolutely essential.  It is not an optional extra experience that some Christians have and others don't.  You must be born again or you cannot see God's kingdom. 

We must remember that Jesus is talking to this man who is a religious pharisee.  The pharisees liked to be in complete control of their religion.  That is why Jesus says in V8 that Nicodemus has as much control over being born again as he did over the wind. V8 "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."    You must be born again.  Jesus says that in V7 "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."  did you know that this Greek verb means that it is an action completed in the past..it is a passive verb.  You don't do it.  To be born again is something that God does to you.  To be born again is of God.  John 1: 12-13 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."    Born of God.  The new birth is of God.  Nicodemus is astounded and he says "how can these things be"

To be born again is hard to understand:    This religious man cannot understand the kingdom of God because he is not born again.  He doesn't have spiritual life.  The person who is not born again is a natural man (1 Corin 2:14) who receives not the things of the spirit of God, they are foolishness to him, neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned.   Jesus says in V10 "..Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?"   Master means teacher.  Of Israel means renowned in Israel.  Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is a renowned teacher among God's people and yet  he was ignorant in these matters.  

Nicodemus should have had a knowledge of what it says in Ezekiel 36:26 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."   God is going to take way hearts of stone and give living hearts of flesh.  That is God in the old testament talking about the creation of spiritual life within people being born again.   Nicodemus was a spiritual leader who was unacquainted with the basics of spiritual life.  In V9-13 Jesus goes on to say that these things are real, they can be explained.  People being born again change from the inside out.  How these things originated in heaven in God's plan and purpose, Nicodemus doesn't understand.  Jesus said that he was in heaven and that he had planned it all.

Christian Essentials: You Must Be Born Again

The following notes are taken by myself from a sermon preached by Rev Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed) on October 18/15 upon his return to preaching after a serious illness.

Christian Essentials:  You Must Be Born Again

John 3:1-8 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  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.  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.  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? 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.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  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."
 
Everything that is in the bible is important. Everything.  Church practice is important or it wouldn't be in the scriptures.  Some things are more than important, they are absolutely essential.  What brings the essential things home is when we are unwell.  When I was unwell, after I was unwell I thought much about the essential things in the bible that we must be clear on.  The first night when I was taken in the ambulance to the hospital to intensive care, that night when the doctor said that I was seriously ill, and then when the pain came and my blood pressure went down to 50/20,  it just came into my mind, "maybe this is it".  And immediately following that thought, was the thought "are you ready to meet God?" and immediately following that was this "all I know is I am trusting in Jesus Christ alone and if that is not good enough there is no salvation".  The one thing that matters is this, are you trusting in Jesus Christ, nothing else counts for anything.  There is nothing in me or you, there is nothing in any one of us that will commend us to God except being in God's way of salvation, Jesus Christ, and that is the essential thing. 

What Does It Mean to be Saved: It Means to be Born Again

John 3:3-8 "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.  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? 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.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  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."

Ephesians 2:1-5 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (By grace ye are saved.)"
 
How do you describe a saved person? What is a true Christian, what is the distinctive characteristic of a Christian?  Is it someone who is nice? there are lots of nice people in this world and they are not Christians, so this is not the distinctive characteristic.  Is it love? Other people love who are not Christians.  Love is the outflow of the Christian life and it is a great witness, but love nor niceness nor even religious duty, nor faithfulness in attendance at church are the distinguishing mark of a Christian.  Because Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists can do all these things. What about a Christian sets them apart? It is doctrine, it is what a Christian believes, in this generation when no one wants to define a Christian, the distinguishing mark is the gospel which they believe.  Doctrine, theology, what they believe is distinct from any other religion.  A Christian is defined by and identified by what they believe and that is unique and unparalleled in any other religion.  If you don't believe certain things you are not a Christian, simple as that.  If you don't believe the gospel, you are not a Christian under any meaning of the word.  There is no such thing as a nominal Christian.   The Word of God defines what a Christian is.

Bible Men: Nicodemus - Ye Must be Born Again

John 3

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and a ruler of the Jews.  A Pharisee according to Websters 1828 Dictionary, was a sect among the Jews, whose religion consisted in a strict observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, and whose pretended holiness led them to separate themselves as a sect, considering themselves as more righteous than other Jews.

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night.  Perhaps this was because he would have been busy with the duties of the day, as was the Lord Jesus with his ministry.  But Nicodemus sought the Lord Jesus out when they could be by themselves, and Nicodemus could ask the Lord Jesus the many questions he had on his mind.  To Nicodemus, and to some of the others, it was obvious that Jesus was someone worthy of respect and honour.  He addressed Jesus thus "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."(V2)  We know that Nicodemus had seen the miracles the Lord Jesus had done, and known in his heart that God was with Jesus.  But what he did not understand was that Jesus is the Son of God.

 Jesus told Nicodemus, as he is telling every person in the world, "verily verily (truly, truly) I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (V3) But Nicodemus didn't understand this, he was thinking in the fleshly sense, of a baby being born, and how can a man be born a second time when he is old? Could he go back into mother’s womb, and be born? (V4) A very impossible concept to someone who did not understand.  Jesus explained to him that a man must be born of water (the fleshly birth) and of the Spirit (the spiritual birth). And that Nicodemus should not “marvel” that Jesus told him he must be born again.  Jesus gave an earthly example, that the wind blows where it wants to and we can hear it, but we can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so likewise does everyone that is born of the Spirit.  They are led by the Spirit where the Spirit wants them to go, and we don't know where that will be.