Three Miracle Births | Part 1

From the Love Word Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler.

Here with Kerry Vaughn, the CEO of Love Word Finding. Kerry, today is only two days away from Christmas. I'm excited. I'm really excited. If you'll drop my present off in my office, I would greatly appreciate it, Byron.

You have to run out of the car and get it. Well, Kerry, today's message, three miracle births. This is part one with Adrian Rogers as he opens up God's Word in John chapter three, verses one through seven today. Explaining those miracle births and telling the story of salvation. And, you know, we could not tell that message without the support of our ministry partners.

We couldn't do anything without our ministry partners. We praise God for them. And it's been a tough year, but God has blessed. And I just want to take this time to thank those that give, that support, that pray, that listen. They are truly, truly a part of this ministry. And I can't think of a better time, Byron, than this time of year to give.

And you can do that if you go to the website, lwf.org. And there's a challenge gift that's a part of this year. Be a part of that as we wrap up this year and as we see what God's going to do in the days ahead. Thank God for this Christian leader. Amen.

I agree with that. He was almost a prophet in our time, and God used him mightily to really not only preach truth, but he would always say this, the Holy Spirit must impart truth. Today, as we look at the birth of our Savior, Jesus, the only way we can know God and be saved, you know, he was born of a virgin. And that seems kind of confusing to some folks.

How could that happen? Well, it did. And we know that based on the book of John. And we also know to be born once is to die twice. But to be born twice, right, physically and spiritually, you would only die once. And that's the essence of this message. Well, as we talk about the baby in a manger, I think Adrian Rogers says it best when he talks about the complete meaning of Christmas.

You remember the angels said when they announced his birth, under you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord. And we need to understand that anybody can get sentimental about a baby. Even the unsaved love babies. Every human being who has any of the milk of human kindness in his or her heart loves a baby. But we need to understand that that little baby is more than an infant. He is the infinite God, God in human flesh, Christ, the Lord.

Kerry, I think this brings us to some honest questions we have to ask ourselves. Do you have the characteristics of someone that's reborn? Do you love Jesus and share him with others? Do you desire holiness and have the witness of the Spirit within you? Dr. Rogers would call that the marks of maturity, right? God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that through him we might become the righteousness of God.

That's what we're talking about. Well, we are so glad we could celebrate with our love we're finding family, Christmas. With this message today, three miracle births, part one.

Here's Adrian Rogers. Question, if God loves the world, why didn't God up in heaven just simply say, look, I forgive you. Are you sorry for your sin? Do you repent of your sin?

I forgive you. Why did Jesus have to come? Why the agony of Gethsemane? Why bloody Calvary? Why did Jesus come to this earth, God in human flesh?

Well, we're going to try to answer that and get a great blessing from the answer to that question. Let's look here beginning in John chapter three, verse one, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man Nicodemus was a very important man.

His name, Nicodemus, means superior. He was a superior man. The Bible says here that he was of the Pharisees. Not only was he religious, he was in the highest echelon of religions. To be a Pharisee was a great attainment. And then it also says he was a ruler of the Jews.

That means he's a part of the chosen race, but not only a part of the chosen race, the Jewish race, he is a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court. He was one of only 71 in all of the land. Now, this man was not a six or seven in the eyes of men.

He was a nine or a 10. He was an important man and 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. Nicodemus had seen Jesus opening blind eyes, straightening withered limbs, unstopping deaf ears, loosing dumb tongues.

Nicodemus had seen that. He said, surely God is with this man. We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles except God be with him. Now, if Jesus says to him in effect, Nicodemus, you want to understand miracles, then you're going to have to become a miracle.

Look in verse three. 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's old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? There are no reverse gears in life. I can't go back and enter into my mother's womb and be born.

I've been there, done that, now what? Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he's old? Verse five, Jesus answered, verily, verily. Now, when Jesus says verily, verily, that means truly, truly, 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. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.

That is what marvelous material there is for our hearts and our minds today, and we're going to understand why God in human flesh. It must have been a shock to this erudite, educated, dignified man of Israel to be told that one birth was not enough for him, that he needed to be born again. God calls here to say, friend, if Nicodemus needed to be born again, every man, woman, boy and girl in this place needs to be born again because none here in the flesh could even begin to measure up to this man, Nicodemus.

Three things I want to lay on your heart. First of all, the deficiency of the natural birth. Nicodemus had already had one birth, but Jesus said in John 3, verse 6, that which is born of the flesh is flesh. Now, what is the deficiency of the natural birth? Well, first of all, Nicodemus was born into the natural world. He had a birth like all of us have had a birth. I'm so glad that God uses the illustration of a birth for salvation because that's something universal.

That's something we all know something about. But Jesus is saying, Nicodemus, one birth for you is not enough. It is something deficient in your natural birth. Now, Nicodemus was born into the natural world and he was bound, listen, he was bound to the sinful world. He was born with a sinful nature. I want you to jot these verses down.

Psalm 51, verse 5. The prophet David said, behold, I was shapen in iniquity. Shapen in iniquity. In sin did my mother conceive me. Now, he didn't mean that his mother was in an adulterous relationship when he was conceived, but what he meant was, I had a sinful nature the moment I was conceived.

I was shapen in iniquity. Oh, let me give you this verse, Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 3. The Bible says there we are by nature the children of wrath. That is, we are born with a sinful nature. That sweet little baby that was born into your house, that little child is born with a depraved sinful nature. We are by nature, by nature, by nature the children of wrath. Nicodemus had had a natural birth and therefore he was by nature a child of wrath. That which is born of the flesh is flesh.

And what is the flesh like? Put this verse down. Galatians chapter 5, beginning in verse 19. Now, the works of the flesh, that is your natural birth.

Listen. The works of the flesh are manifest which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variants, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and in case he hadn't gotten to you yet, and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I've told you in the past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, this catalog of sins is true of all of us.

You say, well, I've never done all of those things. That's not the point. It is not the amount of sin. It is the fact of sin that condemns us. If we break one law, we don't tell the judge, look at all the laws I've not broken. The Bible says, he that keepeth the whole law and yet offends in one point, the same is guilty of all. Which of us would ever say we've never had a prideful thought? Which of us can say we've never lusted?

We have always been scrupulously honest and kind and done that which we ought to do. No, the Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The dirty well is our sin nature.

The dirty water are the sins that come out of that well. We are by nature the children of wrath. Here was Nicodemus. He was born into the natural world. He was bound to the sinful world and he was blind to the spiritual world. Now, Jesus says to this man, except you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.

Look in verse 3. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, he was well educated. Jesus said he was a master in Israel. That is, he was a man who was learned. He was very religious, but he was still spiritually blind. He came to Jesus by night, but there was a greater darkness and a soul he could not see. Now, friends, let me tell you something. If you know a friend who's not a Christian, don't try to argue with that person.

Nobody was ever argued into the kingdom of heaven. His problem is that he cannot see. Would you scold a blind man for not seeing?

Ephesians 4, verse 18, describes it. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of the heart. Now, the eyes may be fine, but the heart is blind.

There are people listening to me right now. They have not got a clue as to what I'm saying, what it's all about, and they never will have until the Holy Spirit of God opens their understanding. But a blind man sitting in this building would be foolish to say there's no light just because he cannot see it. There is light, but man needs more than light. Man needs sight. Except a man be born again, he cannot see. That's the reason we need to pray to God. Oh, God, open the eyes of those who have been blinded that the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ will not shine unto them because, friend, it takes more than preaching to get somebody saved. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit of God, and that's the reason before I ever come out here, I get on my knees and pray, and that's the reason you ought to pray and say, oh, God, anoint the service, and for those who need Jesus Christ, would God give them sight?

It doesn't matter how much education they have. Nicodemus was a master in Israel, but Jesus said, except a man be born again, he cannot see. He was born into the natural world. He was bound to the sinful world. He was blind to the spiritual world.

That's what I call, number one, the deficiency of the natural birth. Now, number two, I want you to see the efficiency of the virgin birth. Now, Nicodemus says to Jesus, I know that you're a teacher come from God. Look, if you will, in verses one and two. There was a man with a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, the word rabbi means teacher. 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.

Well, he was partly right. Jesus was a teacher come from God, but he was not totally right, because Jesus was more than a teacher come from God. Listen, Jesus was God come to teach. He was God come to teach. He was God who stepped out of heaven, came to this earth, suffered, bled, and died. He was God in human flesh.

And this same chapter teaches that. Now, notice verse 14. Jesus is talking now to Nicodemus, and Jesus says, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. He called himself Son of Man.

That speaks of his humanity, but stay on. Now, listen. Must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life?

Now, listen. Here's John 3, 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but should have everlasting life. How did Jesus Christ come into this world? He came into this world through the portals of a virgin's womb. He is the only begotten Son of God.

The monogenai, that's a term used only by the Son of God, never another like him. He is the God-man. He is God's only begotten Son. That which was conceived in the womb of Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God, and he was begotten of God never like another man.

He is the virgin-born Son of God. Now, the question comes again. Why did Jesus have to come? Why dark Gethsemane? Why bloody Calvary?

Why all of that? Why couldn't God just say, I forgive you? What is the efficiency of the virgin birth? Well, first of all, Jesus came as a ministry in the flesh, a ministry of revelation. The only way we could know God, the Son of Man has displayed God.

You want to know what God is like? Look at the Lord Jesus Christ who could say, He that hath seen me hath seen my Father. Now, remember that Jesus said, except a man be born again, he cannot see.

So, Jesus has come to open eyes so that they might see. I read of Helen Keller. Her mother took that little baby who was blind and could not see and deaf and could not hear, just a helpless baby. And Helen Keller's mother held that baby in her arms and said, oh, Helen, little Helen, my precious baby, I love you so much.

How can mother let you know? My darling, you cannot see, you cannot hear. How can I let you know how loved you are? You know the miracle story of how finally they broke through and were able to communicate with this child. Surely, the Heavenly Father must say to lost mankind, I love you.

I love you so much. But the problem is that mankind is willfully blind, willfully blind. Look, if you will, in the Word of God in verses 19 and 20. Here's what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus. And this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. And so a person is spiritually blind, but that's not the worst part.

He doesn't want to see. There are people who are listening to me right now. I'll guarantee you, I preach long enough to know this. They're turning me off. They're shutting me out. They don't want to hear. Because if they hear, if they understand, there must come a lifestyle change. And they love evil. They love darkness rather than light.

We may laugh at a little child who's afraid of the dark, but how tragic when a grown man is afraid of the light and he will not come to the light. He is inherently blind and then he is willfully blind because he will not come. So, Jesus came first of all in the flesh as a ministry of revelation to let us know, to let us see, to let us understand, but not only a ministry of revelation, a ministry of redemption.

He came to save. That's what John 3 verses 16 through 18 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that is, his virgin-born Son of God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I go back to our question. Why couldn't God just forgive us? Why did Jesus have to die? Not only for revelation, but redemption.

Now, listen carefully. Our father Adam sinned, and when he sinned, he dragged the entire human race down with him. We're all descendants of Adam, and the Bible says, In Adam all die. Our relationship, our standing with God, our dominion with God was lost by Adam who sold it out to the devil. Adam became a slave of Satan, and the son of a slave is a slave himself, and we were born into this world. The sons, the daughters of Adam and in Adam all die, and so the weight, the burden of sin is upon us.

You say, now, wait a minute. I didn't vote for Adam. What Adam did has nothing to do with what happened to me.

I hope you don't believe that. If Adam had died without children, where would you be? You're connected to Adam, whether you understand it or like it or not. Friend, we're all connected to Adam, and we receive of Adam the sinful nature of Adam. Sometimes people say we're made in the image of God. No, it was Adam in the image of God, but that image was marred and defaced, and the Bible says then Adam brought forth the son after his likeness and in his image. We are in the image of Adam, not the image of God. By nature, we're in the image of Adam. You see, you think you're in the image of God?

Look around. You think God's in this shape? We are in the image of Adam, and in Adam all die. Now, Adam forfeited the whole thing. It was lost by man, and according to God's law of sovereign justice, it must be redeemed by man. God could not just step in and say, I forgive. If he could have, he would have.

Now, listen carefully. If there were some way for us to be saved apart from Calvary, I lose respect for Almighty God. What kind of a God would allow his darling son to be abused, misused, spat upon, beaten, lacerated, crucified when there was some other way? What kind of a God would have allowed that? I'd hate to meet that God in a dark alley.

No, friend, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and of salvation. Why the virgin birth? Jesus could not have been a son of Adam. Had he been a son of Adam, Adam's sinful blood would have been in his veins. He would have been a slave to Satan, just like every other son of Adam was a slave. He had to be the son of God. Therefore, he is not born of Adam. He is born of a virgin, sired by the Holy Spirit of God. He had to do that to be sinless, but he had to be a man to pay the sin debt, for without shedding of blood is no remission of sin. Therefore, he had to be the God-man.

Now, listen very carefully. He came as he did, born of a virgin, to be what he was, sinless. He was what he was, sinless to do what he did, die for our sins. A sinner could die for nobody else's sin except his own.

He had to be sinless to be a substitute. He came as he did to be what he was, to do what he did, that we might be what we are, sons and daughters of God. He came to earth that we might go to heaven. He was born of a virgin that we might be born again. That's the incarnation, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but should have everlasting life. It is redemption. Thank God for the virgin birth.

Don't think it's incidental. Don't think it's mythological. Friend, it is the foundation stone of our faith that God became man. This is the incarnation. Second Adam from above, reinstate us in thy love. And coming up next time, we'll hear part two of this important message. I hope you can join us then. In the meantime, maybe you have a prayer request you'd like to share. We understand the holidays can be a really difficult time for many, and it's one of our greatest honors at Love Worth Finding to come alongside you and pray with you and for you. If you can, go to our website at loveworthfinding.org and scroll down to find our prayer wall. There you'll find the option to either submit a prayer request or pray for others. This resource is one of our favorite ways to keep the ministry and the community praying continually for one another's needs.

We can't wait to hear from you. Again, go to lwf.org slash radio and scroll down to find our prayer wall. Well, thanks for studying in God's Word with us today.

I love this quote by Adrienne Rogers from this message. He came as he did to be what he was, to do what he did, that we might be what we are, sons and daughters of God. He came to earth that we might go to heaven. He was born of a virgin that we might be born again. What good is the word of God? We might be born again. What good news to take with you today. And join us again tomorrow for the powerful conclusion of three miracle births right here on Love Worth Finding.