The Miracle of the New Birth

6 16 19

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 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?” 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 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 do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?” (John 2:23 – 3:10 – NASB)

Introduction:

As most of you are aware, we are working through the Gospel of John and have been camping out at the beginning of chapter 3. Here we find Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night and having a conversation Nicodemus probably was not expecting.

We noted in the previous messages that Jesus, having heard Nicodemus initial statement, seemingly changed the subject. This is likely due to what is said at the end of chapter two regarding Jesus knowing what was in the heart of man. Jesus knew both what Nicodemus was thinking as well as what Nicodemus really needed.

This prompted Jesus’ unexpected response. No matter what Nicodemus was looking for, or did or did not understand, Jesus was clear and wanted Nicodemus to understand one fact very clearly. That Nicodemus, in his fallen state, as a result of his natural human birth, possessed no ability, no power to see or enter the kingdom of heaven.

We noted earlier that what Jesus said in verses three and five mark two of the twenty-five times in the Gospel of John that Jesus used the phrase “truly, truly” (or “verily, verily” or “amen, amen’), which makes the hearer aware that something of monumental importance is about to be said.

 John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

 John 3:5 “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.”

We also noted the importance of two words in verses three and five. The first, found is verse three is “avjnwqen” (an'-o-then) which is translated “again” in several English translations, but a more accurate rendering would yield the meaning “from above” or “from a higher place.” This same word is not repeated in verse five, but the meaning “from above” comes out in what appears to be an explanatory elaboration of the same truth found in the phrase “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

The second word in these verses that must be understood is “duvnamai” (dunamai), which means “to be able” or “have power by virtue of one's own ability and resources.”

Jesus is redundant and Jesus is clear. Nicodemus, the way he was when he came to Jesus, possessed nothing that would commend him to God in any way. Something had to happen, and that something must come from another source besides Nicodemus himself….it was the new birth and it had to come from above.

In working through the text we read at the beginning, we spent some time working through the dialogue and then we went down what may seem to some of you as a rabbit trail. It is important to reiterate the reason for the two messages that have been interjected into the flow at this point. 1

As we encounter Nicodemus, we see a man who is no different than any other lost and fallen human. There are two aspects of this. Nicodemus in a sense represents all of fallen humanity in his complete and total inability to come to God on his own. Furthermore, he is also a picture of the religious lost who think they can merit God’s saving favor by works and external appearance.

This is why it is important to understand what the Bible says about the fallen state of sinful man in his unregenerate condition. This ugly reality leads naturally into the reason the new birth from above is an absolute necessity.

So not only does the context of the chapter deal with the awful state of fallen man and the reality new birth, but really we find here the storyline of the entire Bible in a bit of a nutshell. Another reason for dealing with this here is the multitude of statements coming up in the Gospel of John that would necessitate the same conversation anyway. These were mentioned last week.

As we wrap up this introduction and begin to hone in on the focal point of the sermon, which will be the miracle of the new birth, I would like to remind you of the truth we spent two weeks looking at. Here is a restatement and a summary of the description we found in Scripture regarding man in his natural, unregenerate, fallen state. Every human born into the world naturally is described as…..

 Lost  Blind  Dwelling in spiritual darkness  Haters of light  Hostile to God  Enemies of God  Reprobate  By nature are sons of disobedience / children of wrath  Alienated from God  Condemned by God  Perishing  Dead in sin  Void of any righteousness that would commend them to God  Completely unable to understand anything spiritual  Unable to come to God of their own accord  Slaves of sin  Taken captive by satan and are doing his will  Totally depraved  Without hope and without God – in and of themselves

 Remember that there are no contrary verses…there is not one verse that says man is any different than the description given here… the closest we come is a statement by Solomon….

 Ecclesiastes 7:29 “Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”

 Man was created upright  BUT…They blew it

The Bible has much to say about the condition of the lost and is quite clear as to exactly what the unbeliever is at the very core of his being.

Add to this the reality….

 That broad is the way that leads to destruction

 Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

 That they have not been given eyes to see and ears to hear

 Deuteronomy 29:2-4 “Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land -- 3 "the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders. 4 "Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.”

 Matthew 13:9-11 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

 Matthew 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”

 Of the difficult nature of salvation

 1 Peter 4:18 “Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

 Matthew 19:25 “When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?”

 Remember what Jesus said about rich people?

 Matthew 19:23-24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

 Remember the follow-up dialogue?

 Matthew 19:25-26 “When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 That everything inside them is against them and almost everything outside them is as well

 We have seen what the lost are on the inside

 What about what is outside of them and around them?

 The devil wants them to die and be separated from God for all eternity  The world doesn’t know any better and doesn’t care  Most believers don’t show any concern

 That the very thing that can help them, the Word of God, even comes with difficulty….remember the parable of the sower?

 The seed that fell on the wayside was snatched up by satan

 The seed that fell on the stony place was inhibited by the trials and tribulation and did not take root

 The seed that fell among the thorns grew but was choked out by riches and the cares of the world

 Only the small percentage of seed that fell on the good ground produced fruit

Let us not be deceived. A dead man, born in bondage to sin is in a condition from which he has absolutely no ability to free himself.

 He cannot ditch or change his sin nature  He cannot break his bondage to sin  He cannot change his hostile disposition toward God  He cannot escape from Satan, stop doing Satan’s will and begin to do the will of God  He cannot make himself alive from the dead

We are asking a lot from a dead man when we do evangelism!

 You can kick him as much as you want…. He cannot respond  You can beg him…. He cannot respond  You can ask him if he wants to live…. He cannot respond  You can tell him how much life has to offer…. He cannot respond  You can tell him to say a prayer…. This is never recorded in any of the conversion experiences in Acts or the New Testament for that matter

The good news is that though lost, sinful man cannot make himself alive, God has a provided a way for that to happen. Jesus explains it to Nicodemus in John 3. Let’s go back to the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in verse 6. Jesus says….

 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus compares the new birth that comes from above to the wind that we know is there, but cannot fully understand much less control.

I. The New Birth comes by the Will of God

 John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

 James 1:18 “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

 Note the NIV

 “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

 1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

 John 6:44-45 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”

 Colossians 1:12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”

II. The New Birth comes by the Spirit of God

 John 3:5-8 “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. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

III. The New Birth comes by the Word of God

 1 Peter 1:23-25 “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” And this is the word which was preached to you.”

 Romans 10:13-17 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just 4

as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

 James 1:18 “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

 James 1:21 “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” (able = “duvnamai”)

IV. The New Birth is a Result of God’s Mercy

 Titus 3:4-6 “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”

V. The New Birth is Given for an Intended Purpose

 James 1:18 “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

 II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

 Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

 Colossians 3:9-10 “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him”

VI. The New Birth is Marked by Certain Behavior

 The new birth is made evident by righteous living

 1 John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

 The new birth is made evident by the absence of habitual sin

 1 John 3:7-10 “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

 The new birth is made evident by love

 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

 The new birth is made evident by overcoming faith

 1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 5

VII. References to the New Birth in the Old Testament

 Jeremiah 31:33-34 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

 Ezekiel 11:19-20 “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 "that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”

 Ezekiel 36:24-28 “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”

 Joel 2:28-32 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”

VIII. Conversion Experiences in the New Testament

 John the Baptist

 Luke 1:15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.”

 Converts on the Day of Pentecost

 Acts 2:37-39 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

 The Samaritans

 Acts 8:5-6 “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.”

 Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.”

 The Ethiopian Eunuch

 Acts 8:36-38 “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" 37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”

 The Apostle Paul

 Acts 9:3-6 “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

 Cornelius

 Acts 10:43-44 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.”

 Acts 11:15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.”

 Lydia

 Acts 16:14-15 “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us.”

 The Philippian Jailer

 Acts 16:30-33 “And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.”

 The Corinthians

 Acts 18:8 “Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.”

 Acts 18:9-10 “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 "for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

 The Disciples of John the Baptist

 Acts 19:4-6 “Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

 In most of these accounts Christ was preached in some way

 This is not the case with John the Baptist  This is not the case with Paul initially --- later with Ananias it was

 In every account they believed, received the Word, gave heed, etc.

 The “Wind” blew differently in different situations

 John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb  The converts at Pentecost were “cut to the heart” and received the Word gladly  The Samaritans heard the preaching and accompanying signs and believed, but did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John prayed and laid hands on them  The Ethiopian Eunuch was taught from Isaiah by Phillip  The Apostle Paul was confronted by Jesus himself with a bright light – in the act of persecuting Christians  The Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and company while Peter was speaking  Lydia’s heart was opened by the Lord to heed the things spoken by Paul

 The Philippian Jailer heard Paul and Silas in prison and having been scared by the supernatural events asked what he had to do to be saved  The Corinthians heard and believed  The disciples of John the Baptist heard, believed and then received the Spirit by the laying on of hands

 Never was a sinner’s prayer even alluded to and is not the source of the new birth

 It is not in the O.T. / Gospels / Acts / Epistles / Revelation (Some refer to Romans 10:9-10)  Saving faith causes one to call on the Lord – calling does not bring saving faith

Conclusion:

 Reflect back to John 3

 Consider what Nicodemus was up against  He was born into a condemned, unregenerate state in bondage to sin  He could not merit heaven with religious activity  He could do nothing to make himself alive from the dead

 Consider the reality of the New Birth  It is an act of God  It is unmerited on the part of the dead, condemned sinner

 Reflect on 1 Peter 1:3

 Consider the work of your heavenly Father of your behalf

 He caused you to be born again  He was motivated by His great mercy

o You brought nothing to the table but filthy rags o You were just like Nicodemus o You were everything the previous list said you were o You deserved God’s wrath, punishment and hell o God punished Jesus for you – He knew no sin o God gave you the entrance into heaven through the new birth made possible by the blood of His Son

 Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 Consider your attitude

 Have you become complacent in your walk with God?  Are you thankful that God made you alive from the dead through the new birth?  Do you understand the dreadful state you were in?  Do you understand the miracle that your new birth is?  Do you bless God like Peter? And Paul? (“the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”)

 Reflect on Father’s Day

 Thank your Father for His mercy  Like Jesus --- you can say that your Father is greater than all!

 John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.”