Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. the new birth. is for every one of us here. without Exception. Take this very personally, friend.
You must be born. Again, to enter heaven you need spiritual life. That's why you need to be born again. Welcome to the Verdict with Pastor John Monroe. At the core of Christianity is the astounding truth that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, buried, and then rose from the dead.
And because of this powerful truth, each one of us is offered spiritual rebirth. Today, John continues our series called Encountering Jesus by dealing with what it really means to be born again in Christ. to introduce this message titled Being Born Again. Here's Pastor John Monroe. We're continuing in our series, Encountering Jesus from the Gospel, according to John.
We're learning that when people encounter Jesus, they're never the same again. Today we meet Nicodemus who has a personal encounter with Jesus. He's one of the rulers of the Jews and seems to be a sincere seeker of truth. He comes to Jesus by night. to have a personal and private conversation.
Perhaps you have some preconception of who Jesus is. This is why it is essential to have a personal encounter with Jesus. Have you sought them out? Have you brought your questions to him? Let's hear the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus and learn more about this intriguing subject of being born again.
Nicodemus was in for a shoe surprise. Perhaps you are as well. Two thousand years ago a man who died on the cross on Good Friday. who was buried in a tomb rose from the dead. on Easter Sunday.
And we believe that Jesus Christ is alive, that Christ is risen. that he has risen Indeed. At the very heart of the Christian faith is this historical fact. Please note it is a historical fact. This is not religious myth, this is not psychological tricks that we play on ourselves, this is not something that we pump up ourselves once a year to get excited about.
The Christian faith is based on historical fact. Two thousand years ago, A man was crucified on a Roman cross. He actually died. He was then buried in a tomb. The tomb was guarded.
A large stone was put in front of the tomb. and on that first Easter Sunday, the Can you think of this? On that first Easter Sunday, that stone was rolled away and Jesus Christ bodily came out of that tomb, and he is alive, and he is alive forever. And that is what we believe. And what then is a Christian?
A Christian is an individual who is being supernaturally changed by the living Christ. When we think of Christianity at its most fundamental form It is not us giving lip service to certain creeds. Although that is important that we understand their doctrine, It is a living relationship A living and growing relationship with the living Christ, who was dead, who died for our sins, who was buried and who rose again. And Christianity Please hear me. is meeting and being personally changed by this Christ who is alive.
We call all of that. being born. Again, and this is our subject. subject of being born again in nineteen seventy six Not far from here. A peanut farmer from Georgia won the election for President of the United States of America.
I was gonna try and imitate his accent, but I I'm gonna refrain. But I do love y'all. But President Jimmy Carter claimed to be born again. President Nixon's hatchet man, Chuck Coulson, who ended up in prison as a result of Watergate wrote a book called Born Again. And now this term born again has passed into popular usage.
It's a term I would suggest that all of us here have heard. According to the opinion polls that I look at, Forty percent of Americans claim to be born again. But I would suggest that while the majority of us have heard this term born again' And while many of us would say we are born again, Probably only a minority of us here understand what born again really means.
So I want to explain to you. using the words of our Lord Jesus Christ what it means Be born again. I ask you to open your Bibles to John chapter 3, and we're going to read the first 16 verses and learn from Jesus what it means to be born again. Let's listen. Carefully, this is God's.
Word.
Now there was a man. of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. A member of the Jewish Ruling Council. He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, We know you're a teacher who has come from God. for no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing If God were not with him.
In reply, Jesus declared, I tell you the truth. No one can see the kingdom of God unless he He is born again. How can a man be born when he's old? Nicodemus asks, surely. He can't enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born.
Jesus answered, I tell you the truth. No one can enter the kingdom of God. unless he's born of water and the spirit Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you can't tell where it comes from or where it's going.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. How can this be? Nicodemus asked. You're Israel's teacher, said Jesus. And do you not understand these things?
I tell you the truth. We speak of what we know, and we testify to what we've seen, and still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe. How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one.
has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life For God So loved the world. that he gave his one and only son And whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have. Eternal.
Life. That's Jesus' teaching on what it means to be born again. And we want to look at these sixteen verses a little closer. We see right there on the surface, even on a superficial reading, if you've never heard these words before, it is clear that Jesus is saying to enter heaven. You must.
Be born again. To enter heaven, you personally need to be born again. Nicodemus, you need to be born again.
Now, who is Nicodemus? We're told a little bit about him, particularly here in John 3. He's a very religious person. He is a Pharisee at the time of the Lord. The Pharisees was a very strict, religious Jewish sect.
He's also a ruler of them. He is a member of the Sanhedrin. the Supreme Court in Judaism. And he comes. To see Jesus by night.
Now, why? He came by night isn't disclosed. Possibly, he's so busy as a ruler of the Jews and as a teacher among them that his duties prevented him from seeing Jesus during the day. Or possibly more likely, he may have been afraid. That his fellow Pharisees would have found out that he's entering into the spiritual dialogue.
With Jesus. He does. recognize that Jesus is different. Verse two, he says, we know you're a teacher, come from God. He himself is a teacher.
He recognizes the brilliant teaching of Jesus and says, we realize that you're a teacher, come from God, for no one can do the signs that you're doing unless God is with him. And he was absolutely right. He's a religious man. He's a sincere inquirer, demonstrated that he comes to Jesus by night. The important thing is He came.
to Jesus and he's in for a big, big Shock. Because Jesus said to Nicodemus, verse 3, I tell you the truth. No one can see the kingdom of God. Unless he's born again. Verse five.
I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he's born of water and the Spirit. Verse seven You should not be surprised at my saying you must. Be born. Again. Nicodemus here is faced with the most important issue of human existence.
Is he or is he not ready to enter into the kingdom of God? Are you as you sit here this morning? Are you ready at this moment to enter the kingdom of God? Are you right with God? Do you have the assurance, sir?
that you have eternal life. And that if you were dying, not only would you see, but you would enter into the kingdom. of God.
Something is being made very, very clear to Nicodemus. Nicodemus. You must Be born Again. That is, to enter heaven. You and me.
We need to be born again.
Now, as I talk to people about this expression, born-again, people will say to you, as you begin to talk to them about spiritual things, oh, tell me, I hope you're not one of these born-again Christians. And some people have this idea that being born again is a kind of optional extra for a few of us who are particularly fanatical about Jesus. We're kind of Jesus freaks going around trying to convert everyone. And people say, well, you know, I'm a believer, but I'm not born again. I want to tell you.
No one. Forget what you have heard in the past. Perhaps you have some negative Ideas, negative connotation about this concept of being born again. We're looking at it from the word. of God.
I know that political pundits try to predict how born-again Christians are going to vote. This has nothing to do with politics. This has nothing to do with some culture. Nothing to do with a particular segment of society. No one, Jesus says, will enter the kingdom of God unless you're born again.
Unless you are born again, you will not enter the kingdom of God. If you're seeking the truth about eternal life, if you're wondering how can I be ready to enter heaven, This is the message for you. It is certainly a message for me. I want to have the assurance that when I die, I will go into the kingdom of God. And so what I'm saying, these are not my own ideas.
This is not my own philosophy that I've thought about. It's not something that we at church have cooked up. It's not something that a group of people have devised. This is why I asked you to get the Bible, to look at the Bible, to read with me. These are the words of Jesus Christ.
I didn't write the script. If you don't like it, don't be angry at me. These are the words of Jesus. and they are coming With all of their power. Power of the living Christ.
Right to your heart. And your soul. And Jesus is saying to you, and is saying to me, put your name there, John, Susie, whoever you are. If you're going to see the kingdom of God, If you're going to enter the kingdom of God, you must. Notice how emphatic it is.
You must. Be born. Again, not an optional extra for a few people who want to be particularly pious, essential for everyone to get into heaven. I think of this that Jesus is having this conversation with Nicodemus. Interesting, isn't it?
that Jesus chooses Nicodemus to talk to on the subject of being born again. He's a ruler. He's a moral man, he knows his Bible, he's a teacher of spiritual truth. He's a sincere seeker. And if he needed to be born again, A man who knows his Bible, a man who's always in the synagogue, a man who's moral, a man who's respected.
If he needed to be born again, who's got a lot of religion, how much more the rest of us? the new birth. is for every one of us here without Exception. Take this very personally, friend. You must.
up in the balcony, sitting at the back. Sitting away over here. You, whoever you are, you must. Be born. Again, to enter heaven.
you need spiritual life. That's why you need to be born again. Notice what Jesus says here in verse 6. Flash gives birth to flash. But the spirit gives birth to spirit.
That which is of the flesh is flesh. You must be born again because physical life. can only produce physical life. Jesus is saying there are two fundamental dimensions of life. There is on this side physical life, we understand that, we are all physically alive, and on the other hand there is spiritual life.
Two different dimensions. On this side, physical life can only produce spiritual life. Nicodemus, I'm not talking about that. You're confused in that area. I'm talking about spiritual life.
And in order to get spiritual life, you will never get it on this side. You will never get it from physical life. No, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. The flesh, the physical, can never ever produce the spiritual. two entirely different dimensions of life.
This is so important to understand because I think it's at this point, this very point, some of us go wrong. with disastrous consequences.
Some people think Yes, I understand there is a spiritual dimension. And I understand there's a heaven, and I understand that I must pursue the spiritual. And so they put a lot of effort. Into their religion. They're very sincere, they're very moral, they are very good people, and all of these things are very, very commendable, but they will never take you.
Yeah. The flesh always produces the flesh. And however hard Nicodemus could try. And remember, he's got religion, he's got his Bible. He is sincere.
He observes the tenets of his particular religion very, very seriously. We say he observes them religiously. But, Nicodemus, you need something else. You need Spiritual. Life.
He has outstanding human credentials, he has got an impressive Jewish pedigree, excellent education, sincere, respected in the community, a leader. in the community. A high court judge, as it were. But left to himself, Nicodemus cannot produce spiritual life. Nicodemus, says Jesus, you.
For all of your religion, you must. Be born. Again, utilize that, doing the best you can, trying your hardest. Observing your religion, whatever it is, will never get you into heaven. Why?
Because to get into heaven, you need what? Spiritual life. And the only way to get spiritual life is to be born again. Billy Graham put it so well when he said, God created us, only God can recreate us. That's right.
Only God gives physical life. That's true. The life that we are living just now on the physical dimension comes from God. God created you. He gave you physical life, and only God can give you spiritual life.
Only God can recreate you. You, with your physical life, with all of your endeavor, with all of your religion, with all of your church going, will never ever. recreate you will never get you into heaven. And this, of course, brings us to the miracle of Easter. Easter is what?
It's about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That our Lord Jesus Christ conquered death, that He's alive, and that the risen Christ gives His life yes, His life, His spiritual life To those of us who who place our trust in him. To those of us who come into contact with Him, who meet Christ and have a personal encounter with Christ, we are forever changed.
Now, let's take a little closer look at the meaning of being born again. We've said, first of all, to enter heaven, you You must. Be born again. Secondly, the meaning of being born again. We're saying it's a second birth, it's a spiritual rebirth.
It's a birth from above, it's a birth from God, from heaven. And of course Nicodemus was confused in that area. He he says in verse four, you've got to admire his honesty. How can a man be born when he's old? You're telling me I've got to be born again, Jesus.
I don't get it. Surely, he can't enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born. Listen, I'm a grown man.
Well what are you talking about? Saying I've got to be born again.
Well, we've all been born physically. We all have had a physical birth. But we have not all had a spiritual Birth. To be spiritually alive. You need, as I need, a spiritual birth.
Our spiritual life must have a beginning. All of us are born physically into a family to be part of God's eternal family. We need a spiritual rebirth. We need Christ who Who is alive? risen from the dead in our hearts And in our life, and this new birth.
Is not self-produced. It comes from above. It comes from outside of us. Do you get that? That's rather humbling, isn't it?
The answer It's not finding yourself. It's not found deep within. It's not found in other people. It's found from outside of ourselves. It is of God.
Jesus explains that earlier in chapter 1 when he explains that those who come to him, who receive him, he gives the right to To become children of God, those who were born not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of flesh, but of God, that's it. Being born again then Is something which God does. How wonderful. And a miracle, yes, a miracle. You said you believe in miracles, John?
Of course I believe in miracles. This is the miracle of the new birth, something which God does In us. He gives us new life. His life.
so that we are radically changed from the inside out. What does religion do? It gets you to look a certain way externally. tells you you've got to go through these various Stages, you've got to observe these certain things, you've got to believe certain things, and there you are. It's all to do.
with the outward. The new birth starts inside in our hearts. It is the result not of us changing ourselves But of God changing us from the inside out. And it is not something we work for, but something we receive as an act of grace. What does it mean?
Jesus says in verse 5: I tell you the truth: no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he's born of water and the Spirit. This concept of water and the spirit. Nicodemus should have been aware of. It's found in Ezekiel chapter thirty-six in the Old Testament. And Jesus is telling Nicodemus, verse 10: Nicodemus, you should have understood these things.
Why? What does it mean to be born of water and of the Spirit? Water is a symbol of cleansing. Cleansing from spiritual defilement, impurity, and sin. The Spirit emphasizes that those who are spiritually dead are given new life by God Himself.
So the emphasis entirely is on what God does through His Spirit. in our hearts. You're spiritually defiled. I hope you agree with that. I can look inside your heart.
But I could guarantee if I spent a week with you, if I spent a day with you, I would find out that you, like me, are a sinful person. We blow it, we do things wrong. We lose our temper, we say things we shouldn't say. And we do many, many things. which are wrong.
That's a great human dilemma. We are spiritually unclean. What do we need? We need a spiritual cleansing. And it is only God who can do that.
It's only God that can forgive our sins. We need to be born of water and of the Spirit. Why? Because we're spiritually dead because of our sins. And so, what we need is not reformation of character, it's not a new lifestyle, we need new life.
So, this expression, born of water and the Spirit, refers to the supernatural spiritual cleansing and renewal which we need, which you need, and I need in order to enter God's kingdom. I'm saying first of all this morning to enter heaven you need to be born again. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. and the first half of a message titled, Being Born Again. But don't go anywhere just yet because John will be back in a moment with a few closing remarks.
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Where he shares his personal thoughts on relevant topics like church and politics, the uniqueness of Israel, and how to engage the culture for Christ. You can hear it all by subscribing to the Verdict Podcast. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. and we invite you to come join us for worship this Sunday. For more details, visit theverdict.org.
And now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? I'm sure you've heard the expression born again before. What are your preconceptions about that term? Isn't it helpful to hear Jesus explain? Jesus is saying that unless you're born again, you will not enter the kingdom of God.
So have you been born again? Following Jesus is a supernatural life. Jesus not only died for our sins, but rose again. And if you trust him as your Saviour and Lord, you too. can be born again.
Join me next time as we continue this intriguing subject of being born again. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
