You Must Be Born Again

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 STUDY NOTES JOHN 3:1-8 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN INTRODUCTION Last Sunday the sermon was, “Hell Is a Real Place,” a real place where real people will go People who go to Hell will really spend an eternity in real torment (Luke 16:19-31) Today our subject is, “You Must Be Born Again,” which is the “only way” you can miss Hell In the beginning of John 3 we find a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus The story of Nicodemus begins at the end of John chapter two Nicodemus, along with many others, had witnessed Jesus performing miracles, Joh 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. Their belief in Jesus was not the faith unto salvation, it was not true saving faith totally trusting Jesus We can learn the true meaning of “believing in Jesus” from this account and the next verse, Joh 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, They did not truly commit themselves to Jesus in faith, so Jesus did not commit himself to them In their so-called faith was no evidence of repentance from sin or a desire to commit their life to Jesus There are many such decisions among church members throughout America today James calls it a “say-so” faith, Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? The question is not, “Can faith save him?” The thought is not just faith, but that kind of faith Can a faith that claims character but is without conduct be the true faith of salvation? The answer is “no,” a workless faith is not a genuine faith of salvation, it is a worthless faith Salvation is Jesus giving His life to us when we give our life to Jesus in complete faith, trusting Jesus Sinners do not get saved from their sins because they get excited or emotional about religion You can impress others by a good look, a good talk, and a good walk, but you don’t fool Jesus You may claim to have a personal experience with Jesus and fool the preacher (Sometimes) But you cannot fool Jesus anytime, Jesus knows, Joh 2:25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (Jesus knows your mind, heart, will, and the true desire of your decision) Jesus does not need the preacher to tell him that you have been saved Jesus knew that they were not genuine believers desiring a new life in Christ Their interest in Jesus was based upon the excitement of signs and miracles They were only interested in physical miracles and not a spiritual miracle Today there are those who want a physical miracle but are not interested in a new spiritual life I have witnessed many hospital-bed promises to God that didn’t last any longer than their hospital-stay Jesus knows the mind, heart, and will of every one of us The conversation with Nicodemus is an example of the supernatural knowledge of Jesus SUCH A MAN--Joh 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: Such a man as identified in the previous verses of chapter 2 is singled out for an example An important question is, “Why was Nicodemus selected as an example for us?” There were many who came to talk to Jesus, so why are we told about this man? Because in the life of Nicodemus were many good characteristics, he was a “good man” Characteristics that many today trust in and accept as a means of salvation (Good life, good works) Because they can compare themselves with other people and look good, they think they are alright Page 1 of 6 Believing that they have as good a chance as anyone for it to turn out all right in the end No finer example of a man could have been found than the man “named Nicodemus” Nicodemus was a Greek name meaning, “victor over the people” He was a man of charisma and had a magnetism that attracted people (He was well liked by all) He had a mysterious ability to control others, but he needed Jesus to be in control of him The destiny of his life was not under his own direction, eternity is in the hands of Jesus As a “Pharisee” he was a very religious person, but religion is not salvation (No religion is) You are not saved because you joined the church, were baptized, and took communion Nicodemus was a strict keeper of the law of Moses, but good works cannot save (Ephesians 2:8-9) Nicodemus was not a wicked and sinful man in the eyes of man He was a good citizen, a good neighbor, and a good family man He was a highly moral person, highly respected, honest, and law-abiding He was even a good example for young men to pattern their life after, he was “a ruler of the Jews” A member of the Sanhedrin, the religious rulers and governing council of Israel The Sanhedrin was the Supreme Court of Israel, so we can call him a Supreme Court Judge But he comes to stand before the Judge of the Eternal Court, he stands before the King of Kings Earthly position and earthly authority will not gain entrance into the Kingdom of God, Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Regeneration refers to the spiritual birth, born-again) WHAT MAN NEEDS TO KNOW--Joh 3:2 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. “The same” puts an emphasis upon Nicodemus, this was the same man identified in verse one The man of good character and outstanding credentials, the man with a great resume according to man Many different reasons have been given by scholars as to why he “came to Jesus by night” As to why he came at night we can only speculate, but it must be significant There are two other accounts of Nicodemus found in John and each speak of his night visit He rebuked the Pharisees for condemning Jesus without hearing Him, Joh 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Joh 7:51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? (Evidence that he had listened to Jesus and was born-again) He assisted Joseph of Arimathaea in the burial of Jesus, Joh 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. They prepared the body of Jesus for burial, Joh 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. These verses may indicate that Nicodemus had a life changing experience the night he came to Jesus Why he came is not as important as the fact that he did come stand before Jesus This is a good place to ask the question, “Why do people come to talk to Jesus today?” Some come because they are confused: When all other answers to the meaning of life have failed, life wasn’t there And there seems to be no reason left for living Some come in times of financial loss: When the things you have valued as life are gone, when money didn’t pay off When there are no more funds and life is no more fun Some will come in times of financial freedom or prosperity: When they realize that financial freedom is not the answer to spiritual freedom When they learn that the fullness of life is not in material possessions Realizing that peace and joy is not in worldly things, it is found only in Jesus Page 2 of 6 Some will come in times of sickness: When the fear of disease strikes, the doctor’s diagnosis When the darkness of death draws near, the doctor’s evaluation When the darkness of the future comes to light, and you are not ready for the future Some will come when sin has run its course: When you have traveled the roads of sin and the path of sin comes to the dead-end street When the truth of sin has been realized and sin begins to pay off in full, Pro 11:19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. The end of sin and evil is spiritual, physical, and eternal death Scripture tells us that one day everyone will come before Jesus, Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; Which does not teach that all will be saved, but all will know that Jesus is Savior and Lord At that day every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord, Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The saved will stand before Him by grace through faith and dwell with Him forever (John 5:24) The lost will stand before Him to be judged by His power and authority (John 5:27) For the lost the result will be an eternal separation from God in an eternal damnation (Luke 16:25) Now is the time for you to come to Jesus with a believing heart to receive His as Savior For whatever reason, be sure you come to talk to Jesus, just as Nicodemus did But you must also listen to what Jesus has to say, He knows your greatest need We learn what Nicodemus knew about Jesus, “and said unto him, Rabbi” He identified Jesus with respect, calling Him “Rabbi” which means “teacher” He recognized that Jesus deserved to be honored, many today agree with him, but they are lost They believe they honor Jesus by giving some attention to Him at some time (Some Sundays) They own a Bible and read a verse daily, most parents want their children to have a Bible They will pray when they think they need to and want God to do something they can’t do They go to church sometimes and will even give some money sometimes You can be kind and respectful toward Jesus, even calling Him “Lord,” but listen to Jesus, Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? But just like Nicodemus, you must be “Born-Again,” or you will hear Jesus say, Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Nicodemus said, “we know,” he came alone to speak with Jesus, but he spoke in the plural, “we know” You cannot stand in the crowd before Jesus, you do not come to stand with family, church, or friends You must make a personal commitment to Christ, it must be, “I know” The dying thief on the cross said, “Lord, remember me,” Luk 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. The Samaritan woman said, “give me,” Joh 4:15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. She said, “I know that Messiah cometh,” Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. In Acts 8, the Ethiopian said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In Acts 16, the Philippian jailer said, “What must I do to be saved?” Act 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Salvation is a personal decision, you must personally call upon Jesus, Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Nicodemus was thinking right about Jesus, but he must do the right thing in-order to be saved Page 3 of 6 He spoke well of Jesus, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God” The emphasis is upon “from God,” from God Jesus had come as a teacher Jesus did come from God as teacher, miracle worker, healer, and much more But all-of those things point to the one important reason that Jesus came from God Jesus came from God as the only Savior, Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (The good man, Nicodemus, was a lost man and needed to be saved) Jesus did come to teach us and the first thing we must learn is, “You must be born again” Jesus did come to perform miracles, “for no man can do these miracles that thou doest” There is a reason why Jesus had performed miracles, Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: The miracles were for the purpose of believing in Him and accepting “Who He was,” Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. The evidence that Jesus is the Savior has been revealed and written Nicodemus agreed, God was with Jesus, he said, “except God be with him” All-of the evidence pointed to the fact that Jesus was God’s Man Which Peter said should have told them that He was the “Promised Messiah,” Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Peter was explaining why the greatest prophecy of all was now being fulfilled, Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. That is exactly what Jesus explains to Nicodemus, Jesus told him what we all must know WHAT ALL MUST KNOW--Joh 3:3 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. Jesus could read his mind and knew exactly what Nicodemus was thinking Evidently Nicodemus was thinking about the promises of the Kingdom of God “Verily, verily,” called attention to the certainty and truth of what Jesus said Jesus spoke the truth and he spoke directly to Nicodemus, “I say unto thee” He was not speaking to the “we” that Nicodemus had referred to Each-and every individual must personally hear the words of Jesus Each one of us must put our name in the place of “thee,” Jesus is speaking to “you” Jesus has the same words for every one of us, “Except a man be born again” “Except” means there is no other way and there will never be another way The only way to ever “see the kingdom of God” is to be “born again” It is impossible any other way for anyone, even someone like Nicodemus “Born again” means to be born “from above,” there must be a heavenly birth A birth that can only be of God the Father, a spiritual birth which is a New Life You must be born-again or you, “cannot see the kingdom of God” The emphasis of “see” is not visible sight, it is the same word translated “know” in verse 2 Without the new birth it is impossible to have any spiritual understanding of God’s kingdom You cannot become acquainted with it or have any insight pertaining to it There will be no sharing in or no personal experience with the kingdom of God The kingdom of God is unknowable and unattainable through man, 1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. “The kingdom of God” today is a spiritual kingdom where God rules over His people It is the realm of God’s life, His presence, His power, His righteousness, and His glory The place that you must be in order to be blessed with all spiritual blessings, Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God Page 4 of 6 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Note: All spiritual blessings are from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ) THE QUESTION--Joh 3:4 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? Nicodemus was not being sarcastic or critical of what Jesus had said He was sincere and concerned that he did not understand what Jesus had said Just like all others who are lost, Nicodemus did not understand spiritual truths The lost do not understand spiritual truths, they must be explained to them The only birth Nicodemus knew anything about was the physical birth That is why he asked the question, “can a man be born when he is old?” “Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?” His question was a natural response, he could relate to the physical birth, he had experienced it THE ANSWER--Joh 3:5 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. Jesus did not neglect the question of Nicodemus or change the subject Jesus not only answered his question He used the question to explain what He had said Jesus placed an emphasis upon the answer by beginning with “Verily, Verily” When Jesus did that at the beginning of a sentence, He was indicating an infallible truth We must all give our undivided attention to what Jesus said to Nicodemus “Except a man be born of water” refers to the physical birth that Nicodemus had asked about “And of the Spirit” is the “Born Again” experience that Jesus spoke of in verse 3 Jesus is revealing to Nicodemus that the spiritual birth is as real as the physical birth Without the physical birth there is no physical life Without the spiritual birth you “cannot enter into the kingdom of God” The same thought that was presented in verse 3 The only entrance into the experience of life in the kingdom of God is the Spiritual Birth THE EXPLANATION--Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Nicodemus ask a question in verse 4 concerning what Jesus had said in verse 3 In verse 5, Jesus answered his question, in verse 6, Jesus explains the answer He gave in verse 5 Jesus explains why there must be another birth beside the physical birth Jesus presents the contrast between physical birth and spiritual birth “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” “Flesh” refers to physical existence and the human nature when flesh is born it is flesh Flesh can only bring forth flesh, from flesh can only come flesh Flesh represents the fallen nature, the sinful nature of man that cannot redeem itself Flesh could be born a hundred times over and it would still be flesh Flesh can never be more than flesh, flesh can never rise above itself You can do anything you want to with flesh and when you finish, you still have flesh You can clean it up, clothe it, paint it, make it look better and smell better, and it is still flesh Spirit life can never come forth from the flesh life, Spirit life does not evolve from flesh “And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” The spirit life must be born, and it must be born from above DON’T BE AMAZED--Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Nicodemus was bewildered by what Jesus said, Nicodemus was a Jew Page 5 of 6 He was not a Gentile, he was born into the covenant family of God He was a Pharisee and a strict keeper of the law, and considered “holier than thou” He was a popular man, influential, a leading citizen, well respected by all that knew him But Jesus also knew him and said to him, “Ye must be born again” There are no exceptions to the word “You,” not just Nicodemus, but all of us, every one of us You must experience a spiritual birth, there is no other way to enter-into the Kingdom of God The spiritual birth is amazing but don’t be amazed, it can happen Don’t be shocked even though it is an electrifying experience Literally it says, “You must be born again from above” To be born again is to be born spiritually from above, it is a heavenly birth Without the spiritual birth there is no present spiritual life or an eternal spiritual life If you are lost, may those words ring within your mind until you are “Born-again” Those who are lost must hear Jesus say, “Ye must be born again” Those who are saved must be mindful of the words of Jesus, “Ye must be born again” If you are saved, you must be convicted to tell the lost, “Ye must be born again” THE EXPERIENCE ILLUSTRATED--Joh 3:8 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. In verse 8, Jesus uses the wind as an illustration of how the spiritual birth takes place No one can deny the wind, the wind does exist, the wind is a real experience of life No one can deny the spiritual birth, it does exist, it is a real experience of life The wind blows wherever it wills, the wind blows as it pleases You cannot see the wind, but you know that it is there You can hear it, you can feel the effects of it, and see what it is doing You can sense its presence and know when it is there, in fact it is always there Jesus gave us a known fact, the wind is always there, but you never see the wind The wind is invisible, mysterious, and miraculous But we have the evidence of the wind, you know that it is there You will know when God sends the wind The wind must become a personal experience in-order to explain it Listen to Jesus, “So is every one that is born of the Spirit” Only a personal experience of the “Spiritual Birth” will identify how real it is You will know when God sends His Holy Spirit You will not see Him, but you will know that He is there, you will sense His presence You will feel His touch and experience His power You will be able to see the results of His coming upon your life Just like the wind the Holy Spirit is an invisible influence, but He leaves a visible path Who will He touch next? Who will be the next one to be born again spiritually? Like the wind, the Holy Spirit is always present, He is always touching lives Whose life will be changed today because of His touch upon you? Sometimes it is a quiet touch, sometimes He comes with a very strong touch upon your life Sometimes we are surprised at whose life He touches in a worship service Most important of all, be sure you feel His touch upon your life today Be sure that you know that you have been “Born Again” before you leave church today Page 6 of 6