[We Christians often ask the lost around us whether or
not they are saved. We
don’t always blatantly ask, “Are you saved.”
Some times we lead into the principle of the question with other
probing inquiries. We might
ask, “If you were to die today do you know for sure that you would go to
heaven?” Or “Who is Jesus
to you?” Now, I don’t have
any problem with these questions.
I have always been of the consensus that before a person can get
saved they must first realize that they are lost to God and eternity.
So, I too use these same questions and train our faithful
soul-winners to ask these vary questions.]
[However, I wonder how many of the lost around us
might debate whether or not they are really lost.
They might hear us speak and might ask, “Why do I really need to
be born again?” Or “Why do I really need to be saved?”
They might not feel like they are in need of salvation.
They might not fully understand their hopeless and lost
condition. They might not
feel like they are the sinners that we have accused them of being.
They might ask in return, “Why should I be a Christian?]
A.
The
Why Of The New Birth (vs 3,7) [-
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.]
[John 3:7
7
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ]
[No doubt, many in our day wonder why they should be a
Christian when they hear about the hypocrisies of many who, while
claiming to be Christians, have stolen from those who trusted them.
Or when they hear about pastors of trusting Church delving into
the immoralities they preached against.
One might ask, “Why do I want to be like them?”
Those who have called themselves Christian have done more harm to
the cause of Christ than our lost world has ever done.
Yet, none of these really reveal the real reasons that every man,
woman and child should be born again or saved.]
[So just what is it that born again Christians have
that the world, without Christ, does not have?
Why should all people be born again?]
A Born Again
Christian Has,
1.
A
Consolation That Passes Understanding
(Isa 3.11; 57.20-21;
Col
1.12-14; 1 John 3.5; Isa 55.7) [– When I mention this consolation I
am talking about
Absolute
Forgiveness. We
have all done things, at some point, in our lives that we wish we had
never done.]
[Illustration – Just the other day, an old acquaintance of mine,
when he made contact with me on Facebook, asked me a mystic yet direct
question that, by design, probed into a past mistake that I had made.
Most hearing the question would be completely in the dark about
the meaning of the question. This person was asking me, in a round about
way about a sin that I had committed that he was aware of.
He was reminding me of a past failure or mistake I had made.
Our failures, sins, and even mistakes have a way of coming back
to haunt us.]
[However, I’m sure that my response probably
caught this old friend by surprise.
I replied, “Yep that was a really foolish thing to do, but
through that mistake I grew and matured by leaps and bounds.”
What was an act of evil in my past God used to grow character and
godliness into my life.]
[Now, our past has a unique power in our lives.
It seems to be able to hold us back more than anything else in
our lives. Our past
mistakes can overshadow our best intentions for the future.
Our past, especially our failure or sins, really can bring death
to our future. Isaiah once
said,]
[Isaiah 3:11
11 Woe unto the wicked!
it shall be ill
with him: for the
reward of his hands shall be given him. ]
[Isaiah 57:20-21
20 But the wicked
are like the troubled
sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21
There is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked.]
[The truth is that sin really will take you
farther than you want to go, it will cost you more than you want to pay,
and it will keep you longer than you want to stay.]
[So,
how does the new birth provide consolation to sinful people?
Consolation is found through the unconditional forgiveness of
God. When you turn to the
Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior, this
is what we Christians call the new birth, God does some incredible,
supernatural things for you.
The first I will mention today is the complete cleansing and
forgiveness of your sins.
God’s Word reveals,]
[Colossians 1:12-14
12 Giving thanks unto the
Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in light: 13 Who
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
us into the kingdom of
his dear Son: 14 In whom we
have redemption through his blood,
even the
forgiveness of sins: ]
[1
John 3:5
5 And ye know that he was
manifested
to take away our
sins; and in him is no sin. ]
[There is an unspeakable consolation provided
for those who know they have been fully forgiven by God.
Isaiah said,]
[Isaiah 55:7
7 Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the
LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God,
for he will
abundantly pardon. ]
[Now, granted this world and its people may
always remember your past and its mistakes, but when you know that in
Christ your sins and their penalties are all gone, there is an
incredible peace and confidence that follows your forgiveness.
When you know that the eternal judge, Almighty God has fully
pardoned you, there is an unspeakable consolation that follows.]
[Immortal
Forgiveness - But this is not the greatest part of the
consolation granted to a born again Christian, thus far I have only
talked about God’s forgiveness in a mortal sense.
God’s forgiveness reaches far beyond mortality and into
immortality. When a person
receives the Lord Jesus Christ the consolation and forgiveness provided
is eternal in nature. The
Bible reveals,]
[John
3:16
16 For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have
everlasting life.]
[The forgiveness offered by God to sinful
people is eternal in its scope.
God not only forgives you of your sins and failures, but He also
fits you for eternity to come through your New Birth. ]
[If this mortal and spiritual consolation were
the only thing I mentioned today it would be reason enough to receive
the Lord Jesus Christ and be Born Again.]
2.
A Confidence To Live Life (vs 7-10; Rom 8.28; Rom 12.1-2) [–
Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again. 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. 9
Nicodemus answered and said unto him,
How can these
things be? 10
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel,
and knowest not
these things? – The confidence I now speak of deals with
the
Purpose Of Life.
Christians know what life is really all about.
Born Again Christians, having
been enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God through the New Birth have
been empowered to live with direction.
They no longer feel aimless in life, lost in mortality, as though
they are wandering through their existence.
[Now, I am referring to those who are truly
Born Again Christians. I am
not talking about professed Christendom in general.
I am not talking about dead religious traditionalism.
I am not referring to those denominational zombies in life that
walk around claiming to have life in Christ, yet they are dead men
walking. And these are many
and abound.]
[These are just like Nicodemus who responded to
our Lord’s declarations about the must of the New Birth with
“. . .
How can these
things be?”
To whom Jesus responded, in so many words,
“. . . how can
you not know this?”
A lost world and humanity tries to understand life and find
purpose in life but they cannot find it.]
[Trying
to find purpose in life without Christ is like,]
·
[Trying to turn on your television
without electricity or a broadcasting station.]
·
[Trying to start your car without fuel.]
·
[Trying to eat supper without food.]
[Life without Christ is meaningless.]
[But the Born Again Christian knows that God,
their Heavenly Father, has a purpose and plan for their life and that
purpose is not hidden it is revealed. ]
[The
Purpose of Life as revealed by the creator of life (God) includes,]
·
[To be Conformed to the image of Christ
(Rom 8.29) – This is to
master the Christian life.
Someone might ask, “Why would I want to be like Christ?”
To be like Christ means to,]
o
[Be Compassionate ]
o
[Be Honest]
o
[Be Faithful]
o
[Be Productive and Diligent]
o
[Be Moral]
o
[Be Sacrificial rather than selfish]
o
[To Value Human Life]
·
[To be Committed to the causes of Christ (Rom 12.1-2) – What are the
causes of Christ? The
primary cause of Christ is that all men, women, and children might come
to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.]
[The
Important Point here is that the ambiguity of life, the wandering
through life is lost when one steps into the family of God through the
New Birth.]
3.
A
Comfort for Every Distress (vs 15-17; James 1.2-4; Psalm 34.6-8;
61.1-4; 50.14-15) [– That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be
saved. - Our new birth
provides a harbor of safety in life’s storms.
Without any doubt, born again Christians face trials and
tribulation in life just as our lost counterparts do.
To be a Christian does not give a person some kind of mystical
deliverance from life’s sicknesses or problems.
As a matter of fact God says,]
[James 1:2-4
2 My brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations; 3
Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have
her perfect work, that
ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. ]
[To have comfort is much like a harbor.
A harbor does not speak of the lack of storms it speaks of safety
in the midst of a storm. A
harbor anticipates that there will be storms and that we need help when
storms come. A harbor does
not speak of weakness; it speaks of preparation, and wisdom.
Hence, for a Christian to have a spiritual harbor in life’s
storms also speaks of safety, preparation, and wisdom.
People need a place to go when things get tough.]
[This is what Almighty God gives to His
children in this life. The
Born Again Christian finds a harbor of hope and safety in the midst of
life’s difficulties and distresses.
What does a lost man have?
Himself, maybe (rarely) his friends, but what can mortal men of
limited wisdom do for a drowning and struggling man?
He can act as a cheer leader; this is of some, but little good.
He can throw him a rope; if he has one to throw, few do.
Your friends can do little for your emotional well being and
nothing at all for your spiritual well being.]
[What
Does God Offer?]
[Physical Protection]
[Psalm 34:6-8
6 This poor man cried, and the
LORD heard him, and
saved him out of all his troubles. 7
The angel of the
LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the
LORD is good: blessed
is the man
that trusteth in him. ]
[Emotional Protection]
[Psalm 61:1-4
1 Hear my cry, O God; attend
unto my prayer. 2 From the
end of the earth will I cry unto thee,
when my heart is
overwhelmed: lead me to the rock
that is higher than I.
3 For thou hast been a
shelter for me, and a
strong tower from the enemy. 4
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the
covert of thy wings. Selah. ]
[Spiritual Protection]
[Psalm 50:14-15
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving;
and pay thy vows unto the most High: 15
And call upon me
in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me. ]
[Granted, God’s deliverances are not always
what we might expect, but our Heavenly Father will always keep His Word.
I had rather face persecution and martyrdom with Almighty God at
my side, then conform to this world’s wicked ways and have to face
life’s trials alone. I am
so very glad that I have a harbor, and not just any mortal harbor, I
have the granite harbor of the Lord God Almighty.
Who will never be moved or falter.]
4.
A
Confirmation That Instills Joy (vs 18-20; Eph 1.12-14; ) [–
He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. 19 And
this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be
reproved. – The Born Again Christian receives the Holy Spirit of God
at the very moment of his salvation.
The Holy Spirit brings illumination and spiritual enlightenment
into that Christian’s heart and life.
The Bible says, ]
[Ephesians 1:12-14
12 That we should be to the
praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye
heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also
after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14
Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.]
[God gives a Christian the earnest of their
inheritance. The Holy
Spirit is the moral Christians down payment of their eternal home in
God’s eternal family. It is
the Holy Spirit within you that causes you to know, that you know, that
you are truly and eternally a child of the living God.
The Bible says,]
[Romans 8:14-16
14 For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16
The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
]
[What greater comfort could there be than to
know that you are, without any doubt, a child of God.
This confirmation will provide a confidence and consolation to
every Born Again Christian.
To know that though this mortal life will end one day, whether through
old age, a tragic accident, or the martyrs peril you are eternally
secure in the Lord Jesus Christ provides hope and great joy.]
[There is no happiness like the happiness that
finds its foundation in the eternal security of a Born Again child of
God. As the old Christian
song reminds us,
[Trust And Obey]
[When we walk with
the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey. ]
[Refrain]
[Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. ]
[Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey. ]
[Refrain ]
[Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey. ]
[Refrain ]
[But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey. ]
[Refrain ]
[Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we'll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.]
B.
The
Wealth of the New Birth [– To my fellow Christian.
Those who have already received
the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
I must ask. Does the
lost world around you see these truths revealed in your life?
Do they (the lost) see,]
1.
[A
Consolation That Passes Understanding – The evidence of
forgiveness.]
2.
[A
Confidence to Live a Godly Life – The purpose of a godly life.]
3.
[A
Comfort for Every Distress – The harbor fro every storm]
4.
[A
Confirmation that instills Joy – The joy and happiness of a life
lived out for Christ.]
[I can preach this message to the lost for eons to
come, but sad, despondent, despairing Christians will destroy this
message in a matter of moments.]
[The Word of God reveals the abounding life offered by
the Lord Jesus Christ but do we live in this abounding life.
Or is our spiritual walk shattered by sin, corrupted by
covetousness (a love for the world and its stuff), and wounded by
worldliness.]
[If the lost in our world will be brought into the
kingdom
of God through the
new birth then we must show them that the new birth is worth living.
They cannot see Jesus in us of we are working our hardest at
being like our world. We
must joyfully live that life that our Lord desires to live through us.]
C.
The
Way of the New Birth – God’s Simple Plan of Salvation.
1.
Know
That You Are A Sinner (Rom 3.23)
2.
Understand the Penalty of your Sin (Rom 6.23)
3.
Learn about God’s Great Love (Rom 5.8)
4.
Confess and Receive the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 10.9-10,13)
CrossRoads
Baptist Church,
November 1, 2009
