Sermon #1321 Miscellaneous Notes

Title: AUDREY GRACE - “A Child Is Born!”

Text: Isaiah 9:6

Subject: The New Birth

Date: Sunday Morning - June 7, 1998

Tape # U-71a

Reading: John 3:1-21

Introduction:

As you all know, whenever possible I try to use momentous events in our lives, both the joyful and the painful ones, as the background for my messages. As did our Lord Jesus Christ, I like to

seize the things that are fresh on our minds and hearts as examples and illustrations of spiritual, eternal, gospel truths. So none of you will be surprised by the fact that I am using the birth of our granddaughter, Audrey Grace, to talk to you about the grace of God in salvation. You will find my text in Isaiah 9:6

(Isaiah 9:6) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Obviously, this is a prophecy of the incarnation and birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the words used by the Spirit of God.

When the prophet said, “A CHILD IS BORN,” he was referring to the humanity of our Savior. Those words could never apply to his divinity. As God he is the eternal Son. There never as a time when he was born. But as a man, he was born into this world. As God he is without beginning. But as man, our Savior was born into this world through the womb of a virgin, as the Seed of woman promised in Genesis 3:15.

The next statement refers to our Redeemer’s eternal deity and godhead. “UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN.” As the Son of God our Savior was given to us through Mary’s womb. Our Savior is and must be both God and man (Gal. 4:4-5).

(Galatians 4:4-5) "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (5) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

May God enable you to hear me. Only the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, the man who is God, God and man in one glorious person, could put away our sins! None but Christ could pay our debt. None but Christ could satisfy the justice of God for us. And, blessed be his name, he has done it. Jesus Christ has, by the sacrifice of himself, put away all the sins of all his people!

(Romans 8:1) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

It is my prayer that this day you who are yet under wrath of God may be born again by the power of his Spirit, that you will this very hour begin to walk in the Spirit, trusting Christ, forever freed from all condemnation. May God be pleased to reveal his Son in you and cause you to see and understand that…

· The government is upon his broad, omnipotent shoulder!

· His name is Wonderful!

· He is Our Counselor.

· Jesus Christ is The Everlasting Father.

· He is the Prince of Peace.

But there are just three words in this text which I want us to focus our attention upon this morning. These three words have been on my heart all week long. This is what I want to talk to you about this morning. “A Child Is Born.”

Never did a father or grandfather, mother or grandmother, who has even the slightest understanding of spiritual things, pick up a new born baby who did not immediately understand the words of the psalmist…

(Psalms 127:3) "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

I can now join the ranks of some of you other men, and speak with the wisdom of Solomon, when I say -

(Proverbs 17:6) "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers."

But I am not here to talk to you about the birth of our grandchild. I simply want to use her birth to tell you how sinners are born again by the grace and power of God. Again, following the example of our Lord, I want to use the birth of a child to show you what is involved the new birth. I want you o understand that you must be born again.

Just like that darling little child born into our family last week, you were born with a heart full of enmity toward God, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Unless you are born again, you will forever perish under the wrath of God.

(John 3:3-7) "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. (4) Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (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. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

Proposition: There is a distinct parallel between the physical birth of a child into a family and the spiritual birth of a child into the family of God.

Divisions: In this message, I want to show you seven things involved in the birth of a child, both physically and spiritually.

1. A Father’s Planning

2. A Sacrifice Purposed

3. A Seed Planted

4. A Home Prepared

5. A Mysterious Power

6. An Experienced Pain

7. A Creation Produced

I. The birth of a child, ideally, involves A Father’s Planning.

In a well ordered house, children do not just happen. They are carefully planned. I know that some have the foolish, idealistic notions of youth that we ought to just leave that in the hands of the Lord. I hear folks say, “We will have as many as the Lord gives us,” usually with a smug smile of great piety.

Such an attitude treats children with less care, concern, and forethought than we give the breeding of livestock, or even the planting of flowers.

There is no greater example of fatherhood than the Lord God, our heavenly Father. And the Word of God tells us plainly that every child born into his family was planned from eternity. Not one comes in unexpected.

A. Our names were recorded in the family register from eternity. - The Lamb’s Book of Life! Electing Love!

B. A heritage was prepared and secured for us before the world began in the family covenant. The Covenant of Grace!

(2 Samuel 23:5) "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."

(Ephesians 1:3-6) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

C. All things were planned, purposed, and predestined by our Father long before we were born, to secure our everlasting happiness (Rom. 8:28-30).

This is what the Book of God teaches. Before the worlds were made, God our Father chose who his children would be, when they would be born into his family, where they would be raised, and all things needful for them, down to the numbering of their hairs (Matt. 10:30).

II. Secondly, wise parents make preparations for their children by A Sacrifice Purposed.

You young people probably have no idea what sacrifices your parents have made and are making for you. When you were too young to know anything about it, for some of you before you were born, your moms and dads started making sacrifices to prepare for your future.

Many who have nothing financially with which to prepare for the future, before you were born resolved and purposed in their hearts to make whatever sacrifice necessary to provide you with the best of everything to the best of their ability.

In God’s family, before ever a child was born, indeed, from eternity, our heavenly Father purposed in his heart to sacrifice his darling Son for us, that he might save us.

(1 Peter 1:17-21) "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (18) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (20) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, (21) Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."

(Romans 8:32) "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

(2 Corinthians 9:15) "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

III. Thirdly, before a child can be born, there must be A Seed Planted.

The seed of a man must be planted in a woman’s womb. There is must lie for nine long months. Between the planting of the seed and the birth of the child, there are many trials and troubles. But, at the appointed time, a child is born.

In our families, miscarriage is always a danger. But that is never a danger in the family of God! If God plants the seed, it will bring forth life at his appointed time.

A. In spiritual life, the seed planted is the Word of God, the gospel of Christ.

(1 Peter 1:23-25) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: (25) But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

B. None but God himself can plant the gospel seed in a sinner’s heart.

IV. Fourthly, in a well ordered family children are born into A Home Prepared.

I know that in these days it is common and acceptable in this profane society for men and women to breed like animals. Then, perhaps, once a child is conceived, they may consider giving it a home. But in a well ordered family the home is prepared before the child is born. Moms and dads fix up a nursery, buy special clothes, blankets, and booties. What excitement there is in preparing the home for the child.

Perhaps you are thinking, “Where is he going with this?” I am glad you asked. Our heavenly Father has prepared a home for his children. Actually, he has prepared two homes for his children.

A. In this world God’s children are brought into his church, to be trained, fed, nourished and protected.

It is the business and responsibility of every local church to be such a home. In this home there are some fathers and mothers, some young men and women, and some babies. Each is to be cared for with tenderness and love. They are God’s children.

B. Our heavenly Father has also prepared us a home above, in the City Foursquare.

What a home that is which awaits us in glory! Nothing can even be compared to it…

· In Richness!

· In Beauty!

· In Cleanness!

· In Harmony!

· In Population!

· In Satisfaction!

V. Fifthly, in both natural birth and the new birth, there must be the exercise of A Mysterious Power.

Even with all the wizardry modern medicine, science, and technology, the birth of a child is a phenomenal thing. But the new birth is the result of a mysterious power which cannot be known or explained until it is experienced. It is a power we call irresistible grace.

(John 3:8) "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."

We have this illustrated for us in Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 37:1-14.

(Ezekiel 37:1-14) "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, (2) And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. (3) And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. (4) Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. (5) Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: (6) And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (7) So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. (8) And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. (9) Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. (10) So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. (11) Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. (12) Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. (13) And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, (14) And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD."

VI. Sixthly, the birth of a child involves An Experienced Pain.

A. The mother who gives birth is made to experience the pain of travail.

(Isaiah 66:8) "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."

(Micah 4:10) "Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies."

B. The child that is born is immediately subjected to pain as well.

In the process of birth a child’s chest is squeezed severely. As it is relaxed, the baby often draws in fluids which it must be forced to exhale. So the doctor has to give it a little slap on the back, or if it is groggy he may have to slap its bottom to make exhale those fluids and draw in the breath of life. That might seem to an onlooker to be a harsh thing; but it is necessary for the life of the child.

In the new birth, God the Holy Spirit, causes the heaven born soul to experience the terrible pain of conviction. It is that conviction of sin which makes the heaven born soul cry out to God in its first breath of life in faith. It is the conviction of sin which makes us willing in the day of his power to confess our sin and call on God for mercy through the merits of Christ.

VII. Seventhly, whenever a child is born, either physically or spiritually, there is A Creation Produced.

Every new born baby is the offspring of God, a direct result of divine creation. And every new born soul is a new creature in Christ.

(2 Corinthians 5:17) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

(Revelation 21:5) "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."

Application: Why is mama’s face so scarred?