1. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God (John 3). IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST

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1 IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST A. You ll recognize the title from Paul s words. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 1. When the Corinthians heard, believed & were baptized (Acts 18:8), they each one became new creatures. a. New priorities (5:15): to live for Him who died for them. b. New blessings (4:16; 5:1-5, 18-19): a renewal of the inner man; the HS was given as a pledge of their dwelling from Heaven; and reconciliation to God. 1. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God (John 3). 2. He stated that one must be born of water & the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. a. So a new creature is born again ; that s what makes him a new creature ; he has undergone a conversion: change.. Matthew 18:3 3 and said, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted & become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Acts 3:19 19 Therefore repent & return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; c. New hope (4:18; 5:6): unseen eternal realities that surround God; to be present with the Lord. b. A new creature is one who has repent-ed of sins & returned to his Creator. 2. This lesson will lead into our discussion tonight (Matt 7:7-11). -- The Father has something to give His new creatures. - Having been separated from God & dead in that state; a new creature has been made alive again (Eph 2:1-5; Col 2:12-14). B. The phrase new creature is similar to another familiar phrase: born again. 3. And that new creature, Jesus said, is in the kingdom of God (cf. 1 Cor 15:24). 1

2 C. But God has simplified our identity in Christ. 1. We don t have to call ourselves new creatures or born again people. 2. God promised in the long ago to give His new creature(s) a new name (Isa 62:2). Isaiah 62:2 2 The nations [Gentiles] will see your righteousness, & all kings your glory; & you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate. a. He also told us when that would happen. - When the Gentiles will see your righteousness or when the door of the kingdom was opened to Gentiles (Isa 2:2-3; Acts 10). - Peter used keys to open that door, & then disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 26:28 28 Agrippa replied to Paul, In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian. 1 Peter 4:16 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. [The terms new creature, born again & Christian identify the same person. It s redundant to use them together; in fact, the Bible never does. But since the phrase born again is used so often today by those who claim a connection to Christ, let s delve a little deeper into the meaning of that phrase in John 3:3, 5.] I. BORN AGAIN - WHAT? HOW? A. Jesus was NOT introducing (to Nicodemus) the subject of Holy Spirit baptism. 1. That occurred only twice in the Scripture (Acts 1:26-2:4; 10:44-46; 11:15-17). a. But that doesn t mean that the Holy Spirit doesn t have a role in our being born again. B. In fact, the Holy Spirit provided the ONE thing that is needed in order to have a new birth. 2.

3 1. The seed from which the new life will come (1 Cor 2:10, 12; John 16:13). 2. So why would Jesus mention a physical birth in connection with a spiritual birth? Luke 8:11 11 Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. James 1:18 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. 1 Peter 1: Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living & enduring word of God. James 1:21 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness & all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. (note: Acts 11:13-14) 2. The HS uses God s word to bring about a new birth, when His word is obeyed. 3. Why would Jesus say, You must be born a human being before you can be born again or born a spiritual being? 4. That s being redundant; of course you have to a human being to be born again. 5. God s scheme of redemption is not for angels, demons or other spirits. D. The water of the new birth can be nothing other than the one baptism commanded by Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16; Matt 28: 19). 1. When one believes the gospel & is baptized --- a new life begins within that person (Col 2:12-14; cf. Rom 6:4; Gal 3:27). [These concepts are simple, but still so many are confused about the new birth, especially as they read on in John chapter 3.] C. Another common mistake made from Jesus words in John 3:5 is that the phrase born of water refers to the water of a physical birth. II. BORN AGAIN - Afterwards 1. That s what Nicodemus was thinking. 3

4 John 3:7-8 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes & you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from & where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. A. The confusion over this statement exists because the reader may not see that Jesus changed His emphasis. 1. He WAS talking about the process of the new birth (water & Spirit). 2. But in verse 7 He begins talking about the person who has been born again. a. More specifically, He is talking that part of a person we cannot see the human spirit, invisible & elusive as the wind. b. When Philip preached to the Ethiopian Eunuch, after he believed with all his heart & after he was baptized, he went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39). - Philip knew simply by observation that the Samaritans & the Eunuch had changed. c. But what Jesus is talking about in John 3, is more than that. Acts 19:5 5 When they [the Ephesians] heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-5 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 3. Jesus was telling Nicodemus that a person who is born again undergoes a process of change that the eye cannot see. a. When Philip preached Christ to the Samaritans, they believe & were baptized (Acts 8:12); there was much rejoicing in the city (8:8). d. We don t actually see the wind; we see only the effects of it. e. So we cannot see the life God gives one who is born again, but we can certainly see the effects of it (Gal 5:16, 25). - Examples: Saul of Tarsus, Onesimus., 4

5 [I heard it put this way one time, Before you become a Christian, your want to is broken. You don t want to do right. (Close isn t it?) But after you become a Christian, a new creature, when you are born again your want to gets fixed. And the Holy Spirit does that work, & the tool He uses is the gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16) So if we have NOT come to that sense of wanting to do what Jesus has commanded, & for the reason He has commanded, even if we have been baptized, then we have not been born again. We may have dipped, immersed, and submerged beneath the water somewhere. And we may have done that because it was expected of us at the time. But to be born again into the kingdom of God, we must be born of water AND the Spirit (Holy Spirit). He will not participate in this process with someone who is just trying to please someone else.] 2. Washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). a. Those describe actions taken by the Holy Spirit when the gospel of Jesus Christ is received & obeyed (Acts 2:38, 41, 47). [Those Jews were able to see & enter the Kingdom of God ; they were transferred, translated, conveyed into it (Col 1:13-14).] CLOSING Have you been born again? The Son of God invites you to come to Him for New Life in the Kingdom of God, & to wait for His coming with unshakable hope for Eternal Life in the Eternal Kingdom in Heaven. III. BORN AGAIN - PARALLELS A. There are two phrases used in the New Test., & both describe the process of becoming born again, a new creature, a Christian. 1. Washing of water with the word (Eph 5:26). 5