GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #400
WHY MUST WE BE BORN AGAIN? John 3:3-7
Pastor
Don Fortner
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road
Danville,
Kentucky 40422-9438
The Son Of God declares, “Ye must be born again,” because none shall
ever enter into glory except those who are born again by the sovereign power
and irresistible grace of God and made to live in and by the Lord Jesus Christ.
In order for God to save a sinner two things must be done. God must do
something for you. And God must do something in you. Redemption is the work of God for sinners. Regeneration is the work of God in sinners. Both are the works of
God. Man has nothing more to do with regeneration than he has to do with
redemption. “Salvation is of the Lord!”
“Not all the
outward forms on earth, Nor rites that God has given,
Nor will of
man, nor blood, nor birth, Can raise a soul to heaven.
The sovereign
will of God alone Creates us heirs of grace;
Born in the
image of His Son, A new peculiar race.”
Perhaps you are thinking to
yourself, “Why must we be born again?” That is the question I want to answer
for you this morning. There are many answers that are given to that question in
the Word of God. But I will simply give you the three that are found in our
Lord’s discourse with Nicodemus on the new birth. In John 3:3-7, the Son of God
gave Nicodemus three reasons why he
must be born again. These three things make it imperative that you and I must
also be born again.
1. Unless we are born again we cannot understand anything spiritual
(v. 3). "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." All natural men are totally void of spiritual
understanding. You may be a logical, reasonable, rational, and well educated
person among men, but with regard to the things of God you are as ignorant,
foolish, and unreasonable as a madman, until you are born again. You have no
capacity for spiritual knowledge "For
they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that
are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit…But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (Rom. 8:5; 1
Cor. 2:14). The heart of stone is hard, cold, unbending, unaffected. Until you
are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. You cannot understand
spiritual things.
·
You
cannot see the spiritual nature of God’s law (Matt. 5:21, 27, 38, 43, 48).
·
You
cannot see the spiritual nature of sin (Matt. 15:17-19).
·
You
cannot see the glory of God in redemption (Rom. 3:24-26).
·
You
cannot see the spiritual condition of your own heart (Jer. 17:9).
·
You
cannot see the spiritual nature of salvation - It is a heart work (Ezek.
36:25-27).
·
You
cannot see the spiritual nature of obedience to God (1 Sam. 16:7; Rom. 14:17).
Human religion is carnal. It has to do with carnal things!
·
You
cannot see the spiritual nature of faith and worship (Phil. 3:3).
·
You
cannot see the true character of God (Ex. 33:18-34:7).
·
You
cannot see the glory of God in Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).
·
You
cannot see the glory of his suretyship engagements (Heb. 7:22).
·
You
cannot see the blessed mystery of his incarnation (1 Tim. 3:16).
·
You
cannot see the majestic efficacy of his substitutionary atonement (2 Cor.
5:21)..
·
You
cannot see the wonder of his ascension and exaltation (Rom. 14:9).
·
You
cannot see the gospel of the grace of God (2 Cor. 5:18-21).
2. Unless you are born again by almighty grace you can never enter into
the kingdom of God (v. 5). "Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." You can reform your
life without the new birth. You can be baptized without the new birth. You can
join the church, be zealous in religion, teach a Bible class, serve as a deacon
or elder, you can even preach with great success without being born again. But
unless you are born again, you will never enter the kingdom of God. Until you
are born again, you will never be a part of the church and family of God. Until
you are born again, you will never have eternal life. Until you are born again,
you will never enter into the worship and fellowship of God’s saints. Until you
are born again, you will never be admitted into the presence of God’s glory in
the bliss of heaven. Only new creatures will enter the new Jerusalem. Only holy
men will walk into the Holy City. Only heaven born citizens will possess the
bliss of heaven. (Rev. 20:6; 21:27).
3. We “must be born again” because
by nature we are all fallen, sinful, depraved children of human flesh (v. 6). "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit." The flesh is our natural, sinful self (Psa.
51:5; 58:3; Rom. 5:12; Rev. 20:11-15). All flesh is defiled. All flesh is
corrupt. All flesh is sinful. All flesh is condemned. All flesh must die.
Unless you are born of the Spirit, you will die in your sins, and your flesh
shall be justly damned. May God be pleased this day to grant that you may be
born again, for Christ’s sake.
AMEN.