FBCWest 557 | Born Again
Recorded On: 05/28/2023
Bulletin
Hymn # 499 “When Morning Comes”
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 145:1 - 7
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Holy Forever”
“Raise a Hallelujah”
“Overcomer”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Born Again”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“At the Cross (Love Ran Red)”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “There Is Freedom”
Sermon Notes
John 3:1 & 2 Religious leader comes to Jesus at night, but with wrong assumption
John 3:3 Jesus tells him that unless born again no one can see the kingdom of God
John 3:4 Nicodemus asks how cant that happen, it essentially is impossible
John 3:5 – 8 Jesus repeats that you must be born again
John 3:8 Nicodemus still does not understand
John 3:10 – 13 Nicodemus is criticized for being a teacher and does not understand. Jesus does because He came from above
John 3:14 & 15 Jesus reminds him from the Scriptures –
it’s about faith
Numbers 21:6 - 9 Looking at the bronze serpent allowed people to live
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Audio file
FBCWest557.mp3
Transcript
You must be born again. That was a statement that Jesus made to a religious leader who was extremely religious and everybody thought that that was the way to enter into the Kingdom of God or heaven. He was perplexed that Jesus statement didn't understand what Jesus meant by you must be born again today. We're going to take a look at what it means to be born again.
If you have your Bibles, please turn to John Chapter 3. We'll start with verse one. Now the context is has been took a look last time Jesus had entered into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and when he was there he cleansed the temple because there were commercialism happening and everything except treating God's house as a House of prayer. The place to meet the Lord, and in this context we come to verse. Chapter 3, verse one and it says this, and now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, A ruler of the Jews now. The Pharisees were the epitome of religion. When it came to. The Jews, they were the leaders. They were those who people would aspire to be. Like because they were following the law, they were teaching the law and they were the rulers, they were made-up of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees were together and part of the Sanhedrin. But the Pharisees were the more conservative of the two groups, and so. We had this man who was a Pharisee, whose name, Nick Davis, comes to see Jesus. Is that the Pharisees? Were openly hostile in opposing Jesus here. Here's this one who comes to meet him. And this man came to Jesus by night. So there's some questions of whether he did so because he didn't want the other Pharisees to be aware of it or other situations or the schedules of Jesus and him were so busy that that's the only time they can meet. But however they meet at night. And Nick Adiba says rabbi. Now, even though the Pharisees generally have been. Hostile and opposing Jesus. He seems to come and respect because he teaches.
He addresses him as Rabbi, which his teacher and Jesus didn't come from any rabbinical forms that they would have appreciated her soon, but he gives him that name, Rabbi, teacher showing him some respect. So at least at this point, he's not like the other fierce Pharisees who are so opposed to him says we know that you have come from God as a teacher, or no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him now, he says these things and he's being generous if he will. To the sense that he has treated Jesus with respect, but he's misunderstood who Jesus is. He says that we understand that you come from God because no one can do the signs you do unless God is with him. The mistake he made is not God is with him, he is God. That's a significant difference and a lot of people, even today will say, well, Jesus was a good teacher and he was this and he was that. His claim and his statement and his proof and his veracity and authenticity as he is the son of. And so Nicodemus, while giving him some. A lot more. Respect, if you will, then the other Pharisees. He still misunderstands exactly who Jesus is. When Jesus answered and said to him. Now when you see these words, basically it means. I'm I'm being really honest with. You it's truly, truly. Or verily, verily, as the oldest, as the King James says, it's a statement saying what I'm about to tell you is. Simply the truth. I say to you. Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Now I want you to notice that he doesn't limit it to. The statement is no one can see the Kingdom of God unless you are born again. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when? He is old. He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. Can he? So big baby goes. Wait a minute. That seems impossible. It's impossible because I don't care. How old you are? You could be 5 minutes old, your mother doesn't. Want you back? She had a lot of pain. Delivering her to begin. With, but so he he misses and he goes. But basically what Nicodemus is. Saying is not. He totally misunderstands because what Nicodemus is saying is to be reborn. Jesus is talking about being reborn. He's talking about being born again. So even if you were capable and it wasn't impossible to back up and go back into your mother's womb, he would simply be being reborn, not born again. So he's he's flummoxed. He's for flexible. I don't understand how can this be. And you, Jesus answered. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, Jesus double s down. He doesn't back up his OK, well, if you don't understand, I'll explain.
He goes no, no. You must be born again, and not only can you not see the Kingdom of heaven. You can't even enter into the Kingdom of and so it requires 2 that you must. Be born of water and the spirit. Now when it comes to this spirit, most people understand what that is. That's the spirit of God or whatever. But there is about three major views of what the water means. Some people say, well, what the water means is, well, you're born the first time and so there's the placenta that it first. And you've got the water that comes out. And so it's talking about your first book. That doesn't feel comfortable to me. The second one says, well, it talks about baptism and so it's water is baptism near downtown or whatever. The Scriptures don't teach that baptism is a sacrament. Is something that believers do in response to the fact that they claim that Jesus is Lord and they're going to, in essence, make their first statement of faith. In the Lord. So I don't think that's it. The third is well, water is simply a repetition of spirit. So water means spirit and the spirit means spirit. And so it's spirit spirit. That has flown right to me either. So I have a solution. That you can take my solution and 5 bucks go buy a coffee at Starbucks. I have found when you have difficulty in understanding a particular passage.
Wait a little bit. So for instance, I remember Jesus reading Jesus gave a parable about the sore. And the seeds? And I read commentaries about what Jesus. Meant by that. But if you waited another chapter. Jesus would tell you what he meant. The next chapter? When Jesus is talking to the. The lady at the well. He says if you knew who you were talking to, you would ask him to give you living water. I believe what Jesus is talking about is the fact that Jesus, who who he is and your faith in him gives you that living water and in the Spirit United confirms your. This to me is more satisfying. You may disagree I. You have the right to be wrong. That's OK, but that's that's my. So I have I have 4 solutions. I'm not happy with the three. I like mine better. You can like whichever you like, but Jesus is definitely saying you must be born again and he's telling this to a. Listen, who is religious? Everybody thinks if this guy can't make it to heaven, no one can make it to heaven. And later Jesus will say, unless your righteousness exceeds the Pharisees, you can't do this. And so Jesus is saying. I don't care how religious you are. I don't care what. Standards and what people think you are. Unless you are born again, you're not saying or going to. He repeats it. And then he said whenever he goes that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. He's saying there's there's a birth. In the flesh in people live in the flesh and and whatever, but there is a birth that takes place because of the spirit, and that changes a person. Do not be amazed that I. Said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the spirit. Why are you so confused? You don't understand earthly thing.
The next thing is going to many things said damn, how can these things be? Because again, Nicodemus. Has been taught. He's a chosen person. He's a part of the chosen people, called the Jews. Called the Israelites, Israelites. And on top of that, he specifically religious and thought of as an example, and he's a leader. So wait a minute. I don't understand. How is it that I don't qualify? And you're talking about the spirit. But Jesus isn't talking about anything that we should be aware of, because throughout the scriptures it talks about the spirit of God. Even there this is 1. And Jesus answered and said to him. Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Wait a minute, you claim? To be able to teach. About the scriptures. And you can't understand what I'm teaching you. What I'm saying to you. This is something that should be second nature to you because you are a person of the book. You've read the scriptures. You understand you're supposed to be a teacher, and yet you don't seem to understand. Again, I'm speaking the truth I see to you. We speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen. And you do not accept our testimony? Isn't I'm speaking to you as one who knows what I'm talking about. It's not theology. It's not philosophy. It's not speculation. It's not hopeful. I know what I'm talking about. How is it that I know what I'm talking about? If I told you every thinks about the wind and where it goes? And you do not. Believe how will you believe if I tell you?
Heavenly things, no one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the son of man. Saying I know because I was there. And I know what the restrictions are, because the father sent me to open up heaven for y'all. If you become born again. I want to share something that I want. You to think about. Because I know what I'm going to say. Is going to upset. Many of the theologians. To determine how you get safe. But I just want you to think about it once you consider it. And then I want you. To investigate the scriptures to see. If I'm a heretic or right. If you will analogy of that, you must be born again. It's dead on. And I'll tell you why. Jesus says born of the flesh when you're born of the spirit. Let's talk about being born in the flesh. You weren't there when your mother and father. Fell in love. You didn't give them permission. You weren't there when they, and I'm going to try to keep this GPG, but you weren't there when they got together and each contributed something from their body. And it united. And it ultimately would become you. You didn't say. I consented that I want that I'm going to be that. You those two cells just merged. You didn't even say I'm going to grow. Because the code in your DNA you've started to develop cells and more cells and more cells and some of those cells became. Bone and skin and organs like eyes and lungs and ears and. All these different things he had fingers and noses and. And all of these, I'm. Not because you willed it, but because the code in your.
Cells set to replicate and become a baby. And then when? You got to that point where you had matured and some of some of you. Were born a little early and some of you were born. A little late. Some of you were born. About a decade or so. Ago and some of you were born about 80. I mean, I'm sorry, not 88 decades or more ago. On that birthday. You didn't choose it. See, I was supposed to be born June 30. I became. I was. Born July 20. 7th so I was almost a month later. But even I didn't choose my birthday. My mom pushed me out. It was her body who determined it was time for me to leave. And if you had a normal bird, it was your mother who decided in her body it was time for you to leave. And she pushed you out. You didn't crawl out, you didn't move out. She pushed you out. And if there was some difficulty in the delivery, a doctor came and did what we call a cesarean section and cut your mother open. And he took you out. Think about that. To think about. How much control? You have or we're being born again. Who is your father? Be born again. Nicodemus is so confused about Jesus's teaching, about being born again. And how do? I do this and and the spirit and all this. Helps them out. Because the Pharisees believe in the scriptures. They still protect the scriptures that they do all kinds of stuff to prevent you from ever violating the scriptures by putting roadblocks on you to to violate the scriptures. I gave you an example that I often give. There is a prescription against eighting, a lamb. Boiled in its mother's milk. You got a sheep? And then then you're not to boil it. And the milk that comes from. That cheap that we want. So to avoid ever violating that. You're not allowed to. If you're a Jew, you know cheeseburger. Now the last I checked, especially in the United States. Hamburgers isn't made from ham. It's made from beef. Are made from the lamb. And the cheese that comes on doesn't come from a goat or a lamb. It comes from a cow. And the dairy cows are different than the beef cow, so there's no chance that you're going to boil a. Baby calf and his mother's milk because. They're two separate. Types of things. So they don't want you to violate the scripture, so they put all these hedges around it.
So Jesus goes, OK, you've blown it, you don't understand. So I'm going to reference a scripture that takes place in numbers. A part of the Predator, a part of the scriptures that even the Sadducees knowledge as controlling. And he says this. As no Moses lifted up the servant and the wilderness. Even so, must the summer man be lifted up? So that whoever believes will and him have eternal life. There is an example in the Old Testament and I'm going to go there quickly. So that so those of you who don't recall numbers or you haven't read it because you started out trying to read numbers and there's a whole bunch of numbers and and you got bored, there's some really great stories and numbers. So I encourage you, if you start it and it you start, I don't care if there's 357. People from gap. Let's buy that and and get to the resources. And so in numbers chapter. 21 starting with verse six, it says. The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people. And they bid the people so that many of the people of Israel died. Now, the reason that the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people is because the people did what the peoples always did. And of Israel. They griped and complained.
And bid bite. Back and they complained about Moses and they complained about God. And they complained. They complained, they complained. And it sounds like people today. And so God had enough of it. For recent serpents. And they started biting people and serpents who bite people usually incepting with poison. And if you get poisoned. You're going to die. And so that's what happens. So the people came to Moses and said we have sin, so they acknowledge it. We've, you know, and again noticed we have sinned. We made a mistake. We spoke against God. We spoke against Moses. We have sinned because we have spoken against the Lord and you. Now this shows great mercy. Because most of us if people send against you. You made your bed, lion.
But they're coming to Moses saying, well, we spoke against God and we spoke against you. But we want you to intercede for us. Intercede with the Lord that he may remove the serpents from us. They're asking Moses intercede. We. Don't want these serpents? We're tired of painfully dying and all these things happening. And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses. Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it. He will live. If you want to know what it looks like. Take a look at the medical profession. That's their symbol, which I find interesting. As they always talk about. This is talking about the. Because looking at a snake on a pole. Unless God said so. How does that remove the poison from me? But God doesn't want you to say that he goes. This is what I said. It may make no sense to you. If you believe you will be delivered. And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard. And it came about that if a serpent bid it any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent. He is man. Jesus is telling Nicodemus this situation doesn't mean oh, God sent a bunch of doctors and they gave them antibiotics and they were living. No, no, they said believe what God tells you. If God tells you to look. At a pool with a snake on it. To live and you look on a pole with a stake on it now. God, who Jesus is telling you want to live as an eternal life. And look at the crucified. And you believe in him? And it may not. Make any sense as the scriptures even say enrollment not in Romans in First Corinthians. This whole thing about the cross. To the Jew is a stumbling block. And to thee Gentile foolishness. And it's still for today. 2000 years later. Do you still? Have difficulty with Jesus being on a cross. And your friends and mine have difficulty understanding that it's faith. That causes us to be born again.
It's not turning over a new leaf. It's not becoming a better person. It's not being religious. It's not doing the right things. It's not doing more good things than bad things. It's about faith in. The Lord Jesus Christ. And as Paul says, all it may be a stumbling block to them and A and foolishness to the Gentiles for us. It is the power of God. And Jesus says there's going to come a time very soon. When I, as the son of man, will be placed. On a cross. And I will be lifted up. And Nicodemus is going to be there. He's going to see this very thing come to fruition. We're looking for faith. Jesus tells us. Where to find? Looking at him and what his death burial. And resurrection means. That not only. And we get to see the Kingdom of God. Or how will it be? And what Moses experience? When God said, I'll take you up to a mountain and I'll let you look at the promised land. But you're not going in. How devastating would it be to go to this mountain and see heaven and the Kingdom of God and say you can't go? But Jesus says because of your faith in me. Not only we can see it. You will enter it. And he will enter into his rest in his love and his patience and his mercy and his tenderness. All because not because we're great people, not because we're more righteous than Nicodemus, not because we are.
More observant with the law and no more doctrine. Than anyone else. We know it. Because we had to leave on who God said to believe.
And all God’s people said.