Ephesians 2:4-7: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Man has been working on creating a living cell from the bottom up for the past many years. He says he’s always been fascinated by the question, “What distinguishes life from non-living matter?” For more than twenty years, researchers have been trying to create artificial cells, piecing together biomolecules in just the right context to approximate different aspects of life.
What modern science is attempting is the old story of Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein is a Swiss science student who seeks to create an artificial man from pieces of human corpses. He runs around stealing pieces of vital organs from mortuaries and even trapping animals for parts to put his artificial man together. Eventually, he brings the artificial 8-foot man to life. The monster seeks affection but he’s so creepy that everyone runs from him.
In John 3:1-15, we are told of a conversation that Jesus had with a religious teacher in which HE tells him that you must be given spiritual life in order to have eternal life. No human effort can create a spiritual Frankenstein. Spiritual life is only created and given by God Himself. Let's take a look at John 3:1-15:
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 are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered 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? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life”.
This is the most complete, the most comprehensive definition of what it means to be born again in the Bible. (I know from personal experience that many of you reading this will be laughing at that born-again experience. Over the years, I have heard a lot of people say: "Oh yes, you are one of those Born Againers").
Nicodemus is a religious insider who is like a Kennedy, a Bush, or a Roosevelt in Jerusalem. There is good evidence outside of the Bible that Nicodemus belonged to one of the three largest landowning families of the time. He is an elite in every way conceivable. He’s the Micky Mantle of the New York Yankees or the Frank Hamer of the famed Texas Rangers who took down Bonnie and Clyde. Nicodemus is the religious insider of religious insiders.
Jesus is still a newcomer at this point. The two gather for a nighttime conversation that still makes us talk over 2,000 years later!
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’” (John 3:5-6).
Nicodemus is confused. Jesus says three times, “Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (See verses three, five and seven)
Remember, God will enable your will, but God will not coerce your will. If God coerces your will—if your relationship with Him is forced—then you’re no longer a man, you’re a machine or you are a puppet and God can have no fellowship with a machine or puppet. If you want to come to Christ, you may. But if you don’t want to come to Christ, He’ll not force you. The Bible says “whoever believes” may come (John 3:16). If you’ve not yet given your heart to Jesus Christ, I invite you to be made whole.
If you don’t want to come, there are not enough angels in Heaven that God would allow one of them to drag you down the aisle. But if you want to come, there are not enough demons in Hell or out of Hell or wherever they may be to keep you from coming to God. God has given you a will. And He asks you, “Will you be made whole?” Do you see the brokenness in your life that needs to be redeemed by Him? Are you sick and tired of being blind in your sin? You can be made whole.
Of all the people, Jesus could be telling this to, HE tells it to Nicodemus, a Pharisee. History tells us that there were only 6,000 Pharisees at any given time. Plus, as a “a ruler of the Jews,” he was 1 of 70 members who were part of The Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Israel. The Pharisees weren’t just religious; they were religious on steroids. They went by the book, and they kept all the rules. They never missed temple services. They were the Eagle Scouts of religion.
Here was a superstar of religion before Jesus. The last person you would have thought needed the born-again experience was this man, Nicodemus, who now sat in front of Jesus. Maybe we could understand this better Jesus were talking to a felon, a prisoner, a child molester, a murderer, the worst of the worst. But Nicodemus was one of the best of the best...and even he needed to be "born-again". Jesus very clearly drops the hammer, “You, Nicodemus, judge Nicodemus, chief justice Nicodemus, ruler Nicodemus, Pharisee Nicodemus, Dr. Righteous Nicodemus - you must be born again.”
That same message is the same thing that JESUS is saying to you today. Now matter how good or bad we are, you matter what we have done, we all need that born-again experience. WE ALL MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
Take a moment today and be sure that you are BORN AGAIN! It is one decision you will rejoice over for all eternity!
Man has been working on creating a living cell from the bottom up for the past many years. He says he’s always been fascinated by the question, “What distinguishes life from non-living matter?” For more than twenty years, researchers have been trying to create artificial cells, piecing together biomolecules in just the right context to approximate different aspects of life.
What modern science is attempting is the old story of Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein is a Swiss science student who seeks to create an artificial man from pieces of human corpses. He runs around stealing pieces of vital organs from mortuaries and even trapping animals for parts to put his artificial man together. Eventually, he brings the artificial 8-foot man to life. The monster seeks affection but he’s so creepy that everyone runs from him.
In John 3:1-15, we are told of a conversation that Jesus had with a religious teacher in which HE tells him that you must be given spiritual life in order to have eternal life. No human effort can create a spiritual Frankenstein. Spiritual life is only created and given by God Himself. Let's take a look at John 3:1-15:
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 are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered 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? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life”.
This is the most complete, the most comprehensive definition of what it means to be born again in the Bible. (I know from personal experience that many of you reading this will be laughing at that born-again experience. Over the years, I have heard a lot of people say: "Oh yes, you are one of those Born Againers").
Nicodemus is a religious insider who is like a Kennedy, a Bush, or a Roosevelt in Jerusalem. There is good evidence outside of the Bible that Nicodemus belonged to one of the three largest landowning families of the time. He is an elite in every way conceivable. He’s the Micky Mantle of the New York Yankees or the Frank Hamer of the famed Texas Rangers who took down Bonnie and Clyde. Nicodemus is the religious insider of religious insiders.
Jesus is still a newcomer at this point. The two gather for a nighttime conversation that still makes us talk over 2,000 years later!
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’” (John 3:5-6).
Nicodemus is confused. Jesus says three times, “Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (See verses three, five and seven)
- “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3).
- “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God’” (John 3:5).
- “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7).
Remember, God will enable your will, but God will not coerce your will. If God coerces your will—if your relationship with Him is forced—then you’re no longer a man, you’re a machine or you are a puppet and God can have no fellowship with a machine or puppet. If you want to come to Christ, you may. But if you don’t want to come to Christ, He’ll not force you. The Bible says “whoever believes” may come (John 3:16). If you’ve not yet given your heart to Jesus Christ, I invite you to be made whole.
If you don’t want to come, there are not enough angels in Heaven that God would allow one of them to drag you down the aisle. But if you want to come, there are not enough demons in Hell or out of Hell or wherever they may be to keep you from coming to God. God has given you a will. And He asks you, “Will you be made whole?” Do you see the brokenness in your life that needs to be redeemed by Him? Are you sick and tired of being blind in your sin? You can be made whole.
Of all the people, Jesus could be telling this to, HE tells it to Nicodemus, a Pharisee. History tells us that there were only 6,000 Pharisees at any given time. Plus, as a “a ruler of the Jews,” he was 1 of 70 members who were part of The Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Israel. The Pharisees weren’t just religious; they were religious on steroids. They went by the book, and they kept all the rules. They never missed temple services. They were the Eagle Scouts of religion.
Here was a superstar of religion before Jesus. The last person you would have thought needed the born-again experience was this man, Nicodemus, who now sat in front of Jesus. Maybe we could understand this better Jesus were talking to a felon, a prisoner, a child molester, a murderer, the worst of the worst. But Nicodemus was one of the best of the best...and even he needed to be "born-again". Jesus very clearly drops the hammer, “You, Nicodemus, judge Nicodemus, chief justice Nicodemus, ruler Nicodemus, Pharisee Nicodemus, Dr. Righteous Nicodemus - you must be born again.”
That same message is the same thing that JESUS is saying to you today. Now matter how good or bad we are, you matter what we have done, we all need that born-again experience. WE ALL MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
Take a moment today and be sure that you are BORN AGAIN! It is one decision you will rejoice over for all eternity!
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