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January 28, 2020 12:01 am
When we are born again, the Spirit of God grants us new affections, new patterns of thinking, and new priorities. Today, Steven Lawson highlights the comprehensive effects of regeneration.
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God took that old heart and he lifted it out and he set it aside, and he put within us a new heart. We now are headed in a new direction.
We have new appetites and they are God given. It's the result of the new birth Jesus and most of the speaking to a man named Beamish who was puzzled by Jesus words you've wondered how can that be today, the term born-again is thrown around so much that its meaning can get lost in the fog of familiarity. So it's turned out to look in her teaching fellow Dr. Steven Morrison as he examines a critical aspect of this new birth last time together. We considered that the new birth is an instantaneous birth.
I want to build on that now. In this session and I want to talk about that the new birth is a comprehensive birth. Some would say it is a radical birth before we look at this. I want to bring to your attention that the noted theologian John Murray great Scotchman who served at Westminster seminary calls John three. The most relevant and explicit episode in the teachings of Jesus is a remarkable statement because Jesus said many relevant things and he had many explicit teachings, but Murray says that it can be argued that the most relevant and the most explicit truth. Jesus ever taught is what we find here in John chapter 3. Murray goes on to say that quote the doctrine of the new birth occupies a place which, if it were not filled would leave an obvious hiatus."
In other words, there be a total gap in our understanding of theology if it were not for this truth of the new birth.
In other words, how redemption that is accomplished is applied to our lives. Murray goes on to say, the sermon on the mount would be unintelligible without the presupposition of the new birth" so in other words, Murray is arguing. How can we ever love our neighbor. How can we ever love our enemies without first receiving a new heart.
How could we ever let our yes be yes and our nobody know anything beyond that evil without first receiving a new heart and new tongues.
How could we ever turn the other cheek and go the 2nd mile in all of these things that the sermon on the Mount calls forth from us except God give us a new heart.
The entire sermon on the mount would be absolutely impossible for any of us to live out were it not for this act of sovereign divine regeneration by which God speaks life into our soul and gives us a new heart in the session.
I want to talk about the comprehensive nature of the new birth help radical this active regeneration is of the new birth involves the entire person being born again is not something merely spiritually cosmetic on the outside, it is not something that is peripheral are marginal, the new birth is something that is radical and is dramatic and is complete and is change on the inside. I would direct our attention again to John chapter 3 and in verse three Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven, but this metaphor of being born again. Now let's think about this in the physical realm. When one is born one is born with every body part from the beginning. He is formed in the womb and is brought forth with two arms, two legs, two eyes two ears of the body parts do not come in stages.
They do not come in phases we we don't work our way up from legs to arms it. It's a comprehensive birth across the board, so it is in the new birth all things are made new, as Stephen char knocked the great Puritan rights of this that no part of the old man remains but that we are made new in Christ turn rock rights regeneration is a universal change of the whole man is a new creature not only a new power or new faculty.
It extends to every part every understanding the will, conscience, affections, all were corrupted by sin.
All are renewed by grace repeat that all were corrupted by sin. We believe in total depravity. We also believe in total regeneration. Every part that was corrupted by sin is made new by the grace of regeneration. Turnout goes on to write. Grace sets up its end signs in all parts of the soul surveys every corner and triumphs over every lurking enemy is as large in renewing as sin was in defacing the whole soul shall be glorified in heaven. Therefore, the whole soul is now being beautified by grace" not a glorious truth from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet every inch every ounce of us is regenerated by the spirit of God and that we are entirely holy completely made new want a few more systematic theologians to weigh in on this before we plunge a little deeper listen to Lewis Burke off. He writes regeneration is an instantaneous change of man's nature to listen to this affecting it wants the whole man intellectually, emotionally, morally, Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield.
His analysis of the new birth is quote. It is a radical and complete transformation wrought in the soul by God the Holy Spirit is remarkable when we take our last session that it is an instantaneous change and this session a comprehensive change when those two are brought together that it is both instantaneous and comprehensive. This is an extraordinary thing that happens on the inside of us.
John Murray, whom I just quoted earlier says that the new birth is a radical and all pervasive change. It is a radical, pervasive and effectual us. Transformation and then he says it is a stupendous change because it is God's re-creative act.
The greatest change that will ever take place within the human soul as long as we are on this earth is in that moment, that instant of the comprehensive nature of the new birth. Now want you to turn with me if you would back to the Old Testament, which in turn back to the book of Ezekiel to Ezekiel chapter 11 chapter 11 in verse 19 and what we will see is that as God spoke through the prophet, so long ago.
He spoke of this comprehensive nature of the new birth in Ezekiel chapter 11 and verse 19 and this is a marvelous text of Scripture.
God is the speaker and God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, and God says regarding the new birth, I shall give them one heart and put a new spirit within them, and I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh. It would be impossible to think of a more dramatic radical change that takes place in the depths of one's soul than in this active sovereign regeneration. Let's look at the individual parts of this verse is, you still have it open in front of you know, God says, I will give them one heart, that is to say he will give us a new heart and the new heart that he gives to each one of us is one and the same that we all have a new nature that is exactly the same.
This new heart has new affections, new desires, new passions, new loves new hungers, new service, and then he says, and I will put a new spirit within them. This new spirit refers to the governing power of the mind. God gives us new attitudes new priorities new inclinations new ways of thinking, a new pattern of thought. We truly become new creatures in Christ Jesus. MNR are our mind is different, our affections are different and he says I will take out the heart of stone heart of stone is what we once had for the new birth, a heart of stone means that our heart was hard was resistant was cold. It was indifferent. It was lifeless. It was unresponsive to the things of God.
It was harder than a rock. Even if you grew up in church, even if you grew up in a Christian home, you still had a hard heart was a heart of stone and in the new birth. It was like open heart surgery and God opened up the cavity of our chested. He removed, he just took out that part of stone. He was hideous. It was foul. It was ugly it it it had a stitch about it it it had death upon it, just took it out and set it aside, and then he says, and will give them a heart of flesh heart of flesh is a heart that is alive is alive to God is living it has a heartbeat. It has a a pulse, a spiritual pulse for God. It's responsive to the things of God. It it reacts to the things of God. It loves the things of God. There could not be more dramatic change take place comprehensive everything on the inside was taken out and everything new is put in is what God says used a pastor many years ago in Little Rock, Arkansas, and in my church. I was privileged to pastor the man who performed the first part transplant surgery in the state of Arkansas. He he was trained personally by Cooley and DeBakey down and Houston. He was a brilliant physician and surgeon and open heart surgery had never been performed before the state of Arkansas. And then one night in the middle of the night.
He got the phone call to head to the hospital that there had been an accident in another part of the country and they had harvested the heart out of someone who had died and they took that heart and put it in whatever container it was put in and then rush to the airport and they put that container into a jet plane and I flew across the country.
With this new heart and when the plane landed, I had the ambulance ready and they took the container with the heart in it and they put it into the ambulance and they sped it to the hospital as fast as they could in there my friend was waiting and here was the person on the operating table and then that decisive moment. He put the patient under and he opened up the chest cavity and he made the incisions and he removes that old heart and he set it aside, and he took this new heart, and he implanted it into the chest and he made just the right connections and it was successful in that person was rejuvenated. That's exactly what God does only exponentially greater. He took out that part of stone is already said it was for how it was hideous.
It was ugly, had the stench of death on it was plagued by total depravity, radical corruption was hard towards God hard towards the Bible resistant to the gospel did not love God did not love the things of God and God in that instant, and in that moment, God took that old heart and he lifted it out and he set it aside, and he put within us a new heart, new mind, new affections, new loves new passions, new desires, a new loyalty a new allegiance, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. The old things passed away, behold, new things have come in you. Thank God for what he's done inside of you. He's given us far more than pardon is wonderful is that is he's given us more than the righteousness of Christ. Glorious as that is. He's made us new people in Christ were not the man were not the woman that we used to be. We now are headed in a new direction.
We have new appetites, new hungers and they are God given. It's the result of the new birth, I want you to look at another passage while were in Ezekiel Ezekiel chapter 36 and in verse 26 Ezekiel 36 and verse 26 I want you to see that God says the same through Ezekiel Ezekiel 36 in verse 26 listen to the word of God.
Moreover, I the I is God. God is the speaker no one else can say this religion can't do this church can't do this no pastor can do this.
No evangelist can do this. No Christian parents can do this. No one can do this but God and God alone.
Moreover, I will give you notice the freeness of it.
Notice the grace of it. God freely bestows this God graciously gives this as a result of his own sovereign pleasure. Notice he is the initiator of this he gives this to us in spite of us. He gives this to us, even when he sees this old heart with NS that is so heartening to him. God does this, toward his enemies.
God does this.
Towards those who are in rebellion against him, how gracious, how kind how long-suffering of God to do this, rather than strike us dead which is what we deserve in the datasheet of this for you shall surely die. The wages of sin is death. Instead of striking us dead.
God strikes us alive. Notice I will give you notice how personal this is notice how individual, not that I will give to the nation. Not that I will give to the corporate group will give to you individually. A new heart and put a new spirit with any and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Verse 27. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances muscular arms around us. This is glorious this is. This is our spiritual biography. This is what God has done in us says I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you that is to say, a new mind, new thoughts, new thought patterns, new heart, new desires anew will anew disposition anew, spirit new loyalties new allegiances. All things are made new. Then he says I will put my spirit within you that this is more than over-the-top. This is far more than we could ever hope for. None is he make us new but he is very Holy Spirit. It is God in us, God comes to live within us. He puts his spirit with in us what we become the temple of God, that the glory of God has come to indwell within us in note he says and cause you to walk in my statutes, I tell you that that's a new heart that it that, is it an entire new disposition God actively powerfully causes us to walk in his statutes. If a person is living in and just a lifestyle with habitual pattern of disobedience over an extended period of time.
I'll just tell you this, this person has never received a new heart, this person has no love for the Bible.
No love for Scripture no desire to to keep the word of God was that person needs to go to the operating table. That person needs to have their heart of stone removed. It matters not a fake site, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name.
Did we not cast out demons in your name.
Did we not do many wondrous deeds in your name. I will say to them, and that date, apart from me you who work iniquity.
I never knew you because those whom he knows those whom he regenerates by his spirit.
He puts his spirit within them and their spirit causes them to walk in God's commandments. There's a new desire for obedience. This does not mean the perfection of our lives, but it does mean the direction of our lives is headed in a new path and he says in you will be careful to observe my ordinances. Glorious thing it is to be born again from above enough that this certainly makes parenting a whole lot easier when your teenage son has a new heart and is born again, this certainly makes pastoring and shepherding a whole lot easier with with some people went they are no longer goats but now there she and they now have a new heart, and they are following after the things of of God. This is what is so desperately needed in our society and in our culture and in this world today. What this world needs is this act of regeneration by God, by which he makes all things new. On the inside. I cannot think of a more glorious thing to ever happen in anyone's life, but that God take out that old heart of stone and give a heart of flesh wanted to again.
It's comprehensive is radical is top to bottom. It's a total overhaul. It is a total re-creation on the inside. We become new creatures in Christ, listening to Renewing Your Mind on this Tuesday we webbing them. Thank you for joining us in those we heard Dr. Lawson reflect on this new birth and the impact it has on our lives. I immediately thought of the great hymn writer John Newton before he wrote the great hymn amazing Grace. He was a slave trader but he came to faith in Christ. He was born again and that's what he was able to write those words, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see we may look at mood and salvation is amazing. But if you're a Christian. If you have been born again. Your salvation is no less miraculous. What we just heard from Dr. Steven Lawson is from a 12 part series entitled the new birth and were offering it for your donation of any amount is contained on two DVDs you can call us at 800-435-4343 or you can go online to Renewing Your Mind.org to make your request when you give a donation of any about your supporting leader ministries in our efforts to defend the truth through teaching series like this. What were thankful for your gifts again. You can reach us at 800-435-4343 or you can go online to Renewing Your Mind.org. Let me remind you that you can take advantage of the technology provided by our free legionnaire app what you made your request the entire series will be available for you to view in your learning library will be able to watch the series while you wait for the DVDs to arrive, just go to your app store and look for legionnaire it's spelled LIGOM by ER. We will continue Dr. Lawson series tomorrow and we will learned another key aspect of this new birth never puts a new heart into it dirty so he puts a new heart into a sanitized Clintons so and the result is that because he cleanses and puts in this new heart he make something beautiful of our lives is he not.
We hope you'll join us Wednesday for Renewing Your Mind