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YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

John 3

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 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?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 marvel 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 cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

 

Today, we wish to explore what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus, Ye must be born again! Let us begin by asking the question, Why must I be born again?

 

In Genesis 1:12,21,25, we see that God created everything after its own kind.  There is something we call the seed principle.  That is, the qualities that are in the original are transmitted to the next generation through the seed.  When Adam sinned, sin entered the world, (See Romans 5:12) and the seed was corrupted. Every person born from the seed of Adam is born in sin.  This sin nature separates us from a Holy God (Is.59:2).  It prevents us from entering the Kingdom of God! (Gal.5:19-21)  So how do I enter God’s Kingdom, you ask?

 

The simple answer is that we must be born into this Kingdom.  We must be born again. I Peter 1:23 tells us that when we are born again, we are born of incorruptible seed.  In the same way as when I was born on this earth, I was born a citizen of the USA, so also when I was born again, I was born a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. (See Eph. 2:19)

 

We need to understand that the Kingdom of God is indeed a kingdom!  We need to understand kingdom principles if we are to understand God’s Kingdom, and how we enter into it.

Let us begin by observing some Kingdom principles.

 

A Kingdom has a King.  Jesus is that King.  When the Jews brought Jesus before Pilate, one of the accusations they presented, was that Jesus claimed to be King of the Jews.  Pilate asked Jesus if this was true.  Jesus responded, “If my Kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight.  But my Kingdom is not from here…Jesus replied…For this reason I was born…” John 18:36, 37

 

Every kingdom is sovereign.  Each kingdom has its own set of laws governing their kingdom.  If we desire to enter an earthly kingdom, we must do so lawfully, or suffer the consequences. As it is with the natural, so it is with the Heavenly.  The Kingdom of God has its own set of laws.  So let us examine what God has to say about entering His Kingdom!

 

One requirement for entering the Kingdom of Heaven is that we must enter by the door.  John 10:9 tells us Jesus is that door.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man comes to the father except through me.  John 10:1 says he who enters some other way is a thief and a robber.

Another principle of the Kingdom tells us that it is the grace of God by which we are saved.  Ephesians 2:8 tells us, For by grace we are saved, through faith.  Grace is unmerited favor.   It is a gift of God, not something we earn.  We receive it only through faith.

 

Another law of the Kingdom is the law of faith. Romans 3:27 tells us:  27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. God has been promising mankind a plan of redemption ever since the day Adam and Eve first sinned. (See Gen. 3:15)

 

Romans 10:9 tells us that if we confess with our mouth, and believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, we would be saved. When we believe God, and believe Jesus is our Redeemer, and confess it, something very profound happens:  We are born again!  The events leading up to that decision may take hours or days or even years.  But the moment we choose to believe, a miracle happens:  We are born again!

 

So what happens when we are born again?

 

When Adam and Eve sinned, God had told them they would surely die. (See Gen.2:17).  Isaiah 59:2 tells us our sin separates us from our God.  Romans 5:12 tells us that because of Adam’s sin, death spread to all men.  When we are born again, God revives our spirit, and our spirit is joined with God’s Spirit.   I Cor. 6:17 says he who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him!  John 3:16 tells us that whoever believes, should not perish, but have eternal life!  God’s Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom (Daniel 2:44, 4:3), and we will live with Him forever! (Jn.14:2)

 

When we are born again, we are born into a family-God’s family!  God becomes our Father, Jesus is our elder brother (Ro. 8:29), and we are brothers and sisters to the rest of God’s family.  (Eph. 2:19, Rom. 12:4-5).  Galatians 4:7 tells us that we are no longer slaves, but Sons of God, and if Sons of God, then we are Heirs of God through Jesus Christ.  I Peter 1:4 tells us we have an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fades not away.

 

As children of God, we are called by His Name.  Numbers 6:27 tells us, So they shall put My name on the Children of Israel. This new name commands authority.   In Matthew 28:18 Jesus tells us, All authority is given to me in Heaven and on Earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Have you chosen to believe God, and been born again, into God’s Family and Kingdom?  If not, let me lead you to HIM with this prayer:

 

Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner.  I repent of my sin, I repent and believe that you died on the cross to pay  for my sins; you are not buried any more, but you resurrected from the dead, I crown you King and LORD over my LIFE, I receive my new Family Name in you, I receive my new place with you (Heb. 11:16), I receive you FATHER, I receive you HOLY SPIRIT you are welcome in my heart, thank you for receiving me today and letting me be born again!

 

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