1. You and I are very familiar with this scripture. To the point that we often do not consider its impact or full meaning. Today I want to draw our attention to the phrase, "unless one is born again"
2. Why are we as a church so hung up on this new birth experience? What does it really matter anyway? I mean is it not just fine if I want to come to church and be content with that. This new birth thing is a bit much for me. It seems to radical, people will thing that I am weird, my family will wonder what in the world I’m talking about, people at work will look at me funny when I try to explain what has happened to me. Is it really required of me? Can’t I really get by without this experience?
3. Well first of all I want us to look at the fact that eternal life is not to ever be assumed but must be attained through belief in Christ and confession that He is Lord. Through this very simple process of confession and belief comes the conversion experience. You do not, and cannot produce new birth, however you do initiate it taking place in your personal life by a personal decision to accept and confess Christ as Savior.

(Mat 5:20 NASB) "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 18:3 NASB) and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Luke 13:1-5 NASB) Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. {2} And He answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? {3} "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. {4} "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? {5} "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

(John 6:47-58 NASB) "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. {48} "I am the bread of life. {49} "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. {50} "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. {51} "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh." {52} The Jews therefore began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" {53} Jesus therefore said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. {54} "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. {55} "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. {56} "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. {57} "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. {58} "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever."

• Do not be confused at what Jesus is saying here about eating and drinking of His flesh and blood. We literally cannot do this, and when we take communion it does not happen at that time. The communion that we take does not become the literally flesh and blood of Christ. And communion has nothing to do with securing eternal life. Because I partake of communion does not mean that I have partook of Christ or that I possess eternal life.
• We believe that it means that we spiritually receive, accept, partake, appropriate, and assimilate the life of Christ. When we eat and drink we actually partake of Christ life and He becomes a part of us just as food and water nourishes us. We also believe that we partake of Him continually. Day by day we feast upon Christ, by doing so we receive abundant life, we conquer death through the appropriation of eternal life, and I life in His resurrection power.

1. The primary issue here is the word "UNLESS", what every one of us need to understand is that we must lead people to the new birth experience because UNLESS it happen eternal life never will be granted.
2. People do not inherit Christianity. And notice that you do not join the church first, you experience new birth and then join the church, because joining a church does not give you new birth. You do not even produce new birth, it is God alone that does this.

Why are seeking to commit our selves to continually lead people to new birth in Christ and membership in His family? Why make it a defined mission and purpose of our church?

1. Now some one may be saying WHY? Why in the world do I need this new birth? BECAUSE at the center of our being there is nothing but absolute depravity, nothing but a sinful nature. You say but I do not commit any sins, I live I good moral life, I get along with my neighbor, I treat others with respect, I’m a faithful husband and father, I work hard, and I do good. If any one deserves to go to heaven I do. I have even heard people say at funerals, if any one deserved to go to heaven they did. The problem is none of us deserve to go to heaven, and no good that I do will ever get me there.
2. Scripture clearly teaches us that we are all in the same boat, we are all headed down the wrong road, and those going down the wrong road cannot give you the right directions.

(ROM 3:22-24 NASB) even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; {23} for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

• No one can claim exemption from this because it means ALL. You see it does not matter what you do or do not do, this does not make you what the Bible calls a sinner or an individual with a depraved sinful nature, you were born this way.

• My problem is not a matter of my behavior but a matter of my heredity.

• And on the other side it does not matter what I do or do not do in regards to deeds, actions or works, to make me right with God, nothing I do can merit eternal life, it is a GIFT OF GOD! We must ever be at the task of leading people to new birth in the life of Christ and then membership into his family!

1. The Apostle Paul does a thorough job at explaining mans fallen nature in Romans 3:9-18

   What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; {10} as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; {11} THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; {12} ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." {13} "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS"; {14} "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS"; {15} "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, {16} DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, {17} AND THE PATH OF PEACE HAVE THEY NOT KNOWN." {18} "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

2. We are hearing a great deal today about the fact that we should be teaching people, that which would help then to feel good about themselves. Our culture elevates the concept the every one must have good self-esteem. We are being made to believe that the more self-esteem we have the better will be our society.
3. The answer does not lie in feeling good about your self but in having the proper perception of the nature of self and then learning how to properly deal with self.

   Self-esteem with out proper biblical, honest self-evaluation and self examination will through the eyes of God, will prove only to be self-destructive.

4. Nothing will make you feel better about yourself then getting to the root of the matter, the heart of the issue of life. Getting to the place where you experience the guilt cleansing, life giving power of the life of Christ in your life.
5. Paul proves how that this sin nature even corrupts the CHARACTER of a person. Today we have mistakenly identified TALENT to be CHARACTER! The problem is that talent can be so good looking and appealing that it actually can mask or hide character. Character and talent are not interchangeable. This does not mean that a person with godly character cannot be talented or have charisma in their personality.
6. God is desirous to build in my life character, Christ character and it all begins with the new birth experience. Because at new birth I see God differently, I see the scripture differently, new birth opens up my spiritual understanding, it turns on the light of God inside of me.
7. At new birth a foundation is establish upon which God can begin to construct the house of character. Because after new birth my decisions, my will, my choices are all dramatically affected by the life of Christ in me. That’s the reason for this being the first base in the process of discipleship, everything there after is affected by the new birth experience.
8. Through the new birth I change the direction of my life. Because repentance is a part of the salvation experience and repentance is the changing of my mind and will…I start going down the right road! I start building my life upon the right foundation! Listen to how Jesus teaches this:

   (Mat 7:21-27 NASB) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. {22} "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' {23} "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' {24} "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. {25} "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. (That is a picture of what character does for a person.) {26} "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. {27} "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."

9. Again you must understand that nothing can make you feel better about yourself than to know that you are building your life upon the right foundation and that it will help you through the storms of this life
10. It then will bring you safely before your God one day after this life! This too, takes place within the context of the new birth experience!

Why are seeking to commit our selves to continually lead people to new birth in Christ and membership in His family? Why make it a defined mission and purpose of our church?

1. Let me get back now for just a moment to Romans 3:24.

   for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

2. I CANNOT STAND UP BEFORE A Holy righteous God on my own merits. I cannot stand up by myself. No one can.
3. JUSTIFICTAION is a legal term. It does not have to be difficult to understand. Each individual needs justification in order to one day stand before God.
4. A prisoner is brought before the court and the trial is finished and he is found guilty. If you find the person guilty you cannot justify him. You can pardon him but not justify him. There is no means among man to justify another of an accusation that he has been found guilty in.
5. NOW the fascinating thing concerning us is that we have been found guilty, we have fallen, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, we are guilty! But we have been justified, even though it could never be done on human terms it has taken place.
6. The prisoner that has been tried and found guilty cannot be justified UNLESS there is found another that can not only TAKE HIS PUNISHMENT BUT ALDO TAKE HIS GUILT!

• How does a Holy God ever accept such fallen people, because His Son has taken our guilt. He has caused us to be able to GET UO AND TO STAND UP before God almighty.

1. I further want to bring the fact out to you that this act of justification is absolutely 100% FREE! IT IS GOD’S GIFT TO YOU!

(Rom 3:20 NASB) because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

(Rom 3:28 NASB) For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

(Rom 4:2 NASB) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.

(Rom 5:1 NASB) Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

(Gal 2:16 NASB) nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.

• DON’T YOU DARE TRY TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE God will throw it back in your face. WHY? Because there is only one in the entire universe that could accomplish such a deed god’s Son Jesus Christ.
• Our problem is that we refuse to accept what God has provided. But you must it is a gift, you cannot earn salvation or justification.

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