I'd like you to turn with me to the chapter that we read, the Gospel according to John chapter 3 and the text you'll find in verse 7. Yesterday at Stablehurst I took this text and looked at the way by which the Lord speaks to Nicodemus and tells him that there is one thing that is needful. He says that you must be born again and he emphasises the must. And yesterday was a Thanksgiving service and so as I, we looked at this image of that Christ is using to illustrate the new birth. We have the physical kingdom which we are born into by nature, which all of us are in. And then we have this new birth that takes place that is essential for somebody to see the kingdom of Christ. And Jesus describes it as the second birth. And it's a reason to be thankful, as is with any physical birth. So it is with the spiritual birth. And then I brought that over to when the Lord Jesus Christ says, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. And there as we see corn or if we see beans and you put them onto a surface, you see how they split open. And you see that new life coming from that seed. And Jesus says it must die, it must cease to exist as it once was. It is completely transformed and that new life comes forth from what was dry and dead and seemingly unuseful. And so it is with these two things that there is that new birth, that coming from the darkness to the light and that seed that is planted into the ground. It comes from the darkness of the ground and it pushes upward to the light and as it comes up, as it grows, it then bears more fruit. It multiplies. And then comes the harvest. A farmer when he plants a seed into the ground he expects multiplication, he expects that seed to produce more than what he planted. And so he gathers in more than what he has put out. That seed is either crushed and used for some cereals or some for bread. or it is gathered into the barn and it is stored there for another season when he can plant it again. And so the Lord Jesus uses these types to illustrate what takes place when the new birth takes place, when a sinner is taken from the kingdom of darkness when they're taken from under the law when they're taken from the wrath to come and they are brought into this new kingdom the kingdom of Christ the kingdom of light it is described as being born again So Jesus speaks to Nicodemus and he tries to explain to him what has to take place in his life for him to come to grips with the gospel for him to come from his present condition of not understanding to coming to understand who Jesus really is. He says we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles except God be with him. Nicodemus had the inklings of a spiritual work beginning in his life. He was coming to grasp who the Lord Jesus Christ was yet he was not fully understood. And as you look at the illustration that the Lord Jesus Christ gives him of a baby in the womb, the baby is not always at, it has to wait to the appointed time for it to be delivered. And it seems that Nicodemus is in that process of being delivered. The Lord is working on him, showing him who the Lord Jesus Christ is. And we see after the Lord Jesus Christ has died and is taken down from the cross, we see Nicodemus is there. willing to part with his money to provide all those herbs and spices for the wrapping of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so here we see the beginnings of the work of the Spirit of God in the life of this knowledgeable man and we see him experiencing the start of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit of God the start of being born again Just the beginning as a baby is born into the world it doesn't come out and begin to start walking straight away There's a process of time. The first thing that takes place in the life of that baby is that it begins to cry. And looking at it something remarkable has to take place inside of that baby. While it's in the womb of its mother it takes all it needs through the umbilical cord. Her blood flows through its body, it provides nutrients, it provides the oxygen needed for the baby to grow and for the baby to survive. It doesn't breathe on its own. It doesn't need to breathe because it's completely dependent upon its mother for life. But then as it is born, Something takes place within its heart and within the valves that work around its lungs and it flips over. And the blood suddenly now rushes to the lungs and the baby begins to breathe by itself and only then can it be severed from its mother. Begins to breathe freely. Those of you who've been at birth will understand what the nurses and the midwives look for. They want to see the baby cry. They rub its back and try to stimulate it and then it begins to breathe and it begins to cry. Again, like we said this morning, you hear its voice, a little cry. And then it begins to hunger. It cries because it wants food. It wants to be held. So it is with those who are born of the Spirit. They have spiritual life imparted into them. They are born of the Spirit. And that spiritual life gives them a cry to God. So we see with the Apostle Paul he cries out, what will thou have me to do? The nature is changed. The direction is now to God and not to self. They begin to hunger. Hunger after God's word as milk. And then there is growth, spiritual growth. Never are they independent but they live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God but they are given the strength to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. we see Nicodemus here just at that beginning process as he comes to, he sees something in the Lord Jesus Christ that nobody else is seeing or not many are seeing at that time, him being a ruler of the Jews. It takes it upon himself to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and to ask him the question and the Lord Jesus gives him the answer or Jesus tells him what he needs to know but he cannot fully understand except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. 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. That which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee ye must be born again. Why is it a must? A baby cannot stay in the womb forever. It must be born. We take this illustration that Jesus is giving us of a baby in the womb being delivered and then a spiritual birth. I want us to see the two kingdoms that are being represented. The two kingdoms are the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. As we are born into this world we are born into the kingdom of darkness. A physical kingdom. a kingdom by which we fall under the law of God. We're under a covenant. The reformers speak of three covenants. The covenant of redemption, by which Father, Son and Holy Spirit covenanted with each other to redeem a people before the foundation of the world. The Bible tells us that Christ was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world and it was known to Father, Son and Holy Spirit that as they created the human race that the human race would fall into sin. and that Christ would have to come and to be the mediator of a new covenant. So there was a covenant made before the foundation of the world to redeem a people chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. But then we see there was another covenant, a covenant given to Adam. As we take that baby in the womb, he is a type of the kingdom of darkness. When Adam sinned, he plunged the world into darkness. Adam was under a covenant of works. if he obeyed God he would continue to live in favour with God. He would continue to live under the blessing of having a relationship, an unstained relationship with God. And so he was to obey God or disobey God. If he obeyed God he would continue to have been blessed to live in that sinless state for all eternity. But if he disobeyed God then he would plunge himself and all that were in him into death. Genesis 2 and from verse 16 we read of God as he speaks to Adam. And the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of knowledge and of good and of evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die. And so he enters into this covenant with him. I have made you, I have created you and I am now setting the bounds of our relationship. If you obey me and you do exactly what I have commanded you to do we will walk in unity together, we will walk in the light. But if you disobey me then you will die. Obedience would experience blessing and disobedience would experience the curse but we know that Adam disobeyed God. We see it was Eve who was drawn aside and tempted by Satan. Yet because Adam was her head and Adam is the covenant head of the whole of the human race, we see that it is Adam's sin. Adam failed in his role of husband to protect his wife from that temptation. And so it is Adam's sin even though Eve was the one who was first deceived. In Corinthians 15. from verse 20 to 23. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man death came, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall be all be made alive. And so there we have these two federal heads, these two representatives in Adam. As Adam sinned against God, the whole of the human race was plunged into sin. And we know that death reigned from Adam to Moses. Death reigned before the law was even given. So we see that that curse fell upon the human race because of the effects of his sin are seen. So it's not just that we have broken the law of God. It's that we have inherited sin from Adam because Adam sinned against God. He was cursed by God. for as in Adam all die. Then there was another covenant. You see as God entered into a covenant with Adam, a covenant of works, he then acted in grace, entered into the covenant of grace with the Lord Jesus Christ. That as Adam sinned against God, as soon as he sinned God promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head and that there would be a means to reverse the curse that had fallen upon the human race. And so there is the covenant of redemption, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. As we are born into this world we are born into this world under the covenant of works. That the law hangs over our heads. This do and you will live. Yet because of our sinful condition we are unable to fulfil the law of God. We break God's law. We sin because we are sinners. We are like a bowling ball. If you've ever seen those people who play bowls on the green, not those who go to the bowling alley, but those who play the bowls on the green, you see that the ball is not completely round. and it has a tendency to lean one way or the other. And so we as we are born into this world we have that tendency to lean, not to go in a straight line but to lean away from God, to go away into sin. And so we're under this covenant of works And because we continually break that covenant, we continually experience the displeasure of God and we continue to add sin upon sin upon sin upon sin. And the Bible tells us that the wages of sin, it is death. Adam received the wages of his sin. As he sinned against God, God gave him his reward. You disobeyed me. So you will suffer the consequences of your sin. You will die. And all that are under this covenant receive the wages that are due unto them because of their sin. In Romans chapter 5 In verse 12 it tells us therefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for all have sinned. And so the Bible tells us the evidence of Adam failing are seen throughout the whole human race because sin has come. chapter 3 and verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin. And so in this covenant it is like a baby being in the womb in the darkness There's no freedom. They are bound by the law of God. Although the people of the world believe themselves to be free and although all of those who are outside of Christ believe themselves to be free to be able to do what they want, the Bible tells us that they are chained to sin and to Satan. They are slaves. Although that baby may feel comfortable there in the womb it's only comfortable because that is all it knows. It doesn't truly know what it is to live. To experience life. nor do the people who are still chained in this kingdom of darkness. They don't know what it is to have the freedom of Christ, to know the joy of sins forgiven. They believe that all they have is what they can enjoy, is all that they can see round about them. And they believe that this is freedom. The Bible tells us that that freedom is slavery. They have been blinded to that fact. They believe that the darkness is light. They call good evil and evil good. They're totally warped in their understanding. They are chained. So that is why Jesus says, you must be born again to see the kingdom of Christ, to see the kingdom of God. Because all the while we're just born into this world, we're born into this physical kingdom. A kingdom that is passing away. A kingdom that has the law of God and the wrath of God hanging over it all of the time. So Jesus says you must be born again. You must be born again of his spirit to live. The baby. when it is born it goes from the darkness of the womb into the light of this world it begins to be free. If you've ever seen a little baby they are so surprised that they can stretch out their legs and their arms and they're always wondering it's like they're wondering why am I not confined anymore? And so they reach out And so it is with the believer. Once they are born again of the Spirit they realise that they were confined. That Satan had blinded them. Satan had tricked them and deceived them. And now they see a freedom in Christ. They now see the world in another light. They see the glory of the Gospel. They see the Lord Jesus Christ. They see the freedom that he has given to them. They're no longer chained to sin and to Satan. They have been released from the spiritual Egypt and now they are wandering through the wilderness of this world. So Jesus says to experience this second world, to experience this spiritual kingdom you must be born again. In order to be severed from the covenant of works and to enter into the covenant of grace you must be born again. The only way to escape the wrath to come, the only way to escape the judgment that is due to me and you from breaking God's law, from being underneath that covenant is to be born again. And the Bible tells us that all of those that were in Christ Jesus died with him. As Adam represented the whole of the human race, as he sinned the whole of the human race fell with him. Even though those that had never been born yet so Christ as he represents his people all of those who are in him who would ever believe in him as he lived and as he died upon the cross they died with him and they had to die with him to sever them from the covenant of works to sever them from the law Because the Bible tells us as we're born into this world we are married to the law of God. And the only way by which this marriage covenant can be broken can be severed is by death. As the word of God tells us that the marriage covenant that we have between a husband and wife can only be severed by death or by adultery. It's the only way in which someone can be released from that covenant and give them freedom to marry another. So it is with those who are in Christ. They died with him. That death they are released from the law of God. They're no longer married to the law of God anymore because they have died with the Lord Jesus Christ and they are now married to another. They're married to the Lord Jesus. Romans 7. You could read it at home. One, two, three, but verse four says, Married to another. So we see that before the foundation of the world, that covenant that was made between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And then as Adam sinned against God, as he broke that covenant by disobedience. And now we see the Lord Jesus Christ. He is born into the world. He is born into the world underneath the law of God, underneath the covenant of works, that he is to live in complete obedience to the law of God. that he may save his people. He lives the life that they could not live and he completes the covenant of works and yet he is punished as a sinner upon the cross as though he broke the law of God and in him as the head of his people He dies, they die with him. And he brings them out from that covenant and he brings them into the covenant of grace. Jesus, the Bible tells us, is the second Adam. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Jesus is the head, the representative of this covenant of grace. And the condition of this covenant is for those to believe in him. to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. Jesus says, as we would hope to take the Lord's Supper, in Matthew 26, he says, and he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, drink ye all of it For this is my blood of the new testament or the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins. So as Jesus says you must be born again to enter into this kingdom. You must be born of the spirit of God. to enter into the kingdom of Christ. It must take place because it transfers somebody from under one covenant into another covenant. It transfers somebody from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. It transfers them from being an enemy of God to being in a relationship with God through his son the Lord Jesus Christ. It brings them into reconciliation. It takes them out from underneath the constraint and the chains and the condemnation of the law of God and the guilt by which they stand before that law. And it sets them free. He has redeemed them. He has paid the price. He has become an atonement for their sin. And so the new birth brings you into this spiritual kingdom. As your physical birth brought you into this physical kingdom. So Jesus says you must be born the second time to be born into my kingdom. And as it is with a baby it is pushed out into this world. It experiences that birth but takes no part in it and so it is with this spiritual birth it is experienced by the individual believer and yet we take no part in it we are saved by grace not by works which we have done and that experience is completely sovereign, it is completely God's way by which he brings people into this kingdom. As with any birth it's all different. Some births are drawn out processes, some are emergency c-sections, some are easy, some are traumatic. And so it is with the spiritual birth, God is sovereign at how he deals with people, how he brings them from his kingdom, from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. We see with Lydia, the Lord opened her heart. She began to attend to the things that were spoken of by Paul. It was a gradual, slow process, but a process that had the same results as a dramatic conversion like the Apostle Paul. They come to drink from the Word and they begin to pray unto God. The simple evidences of the new birth are a desire for the spiritual milk and to talk to your Father that is in heaven. That is the evidence that you have been born again. But the effect of your new birth is far-reaching. As a baby is born into the world nobody knows what that child will do. Nobody knows how it will grow up. It could grow up to be a president, to be a prime minister. It could grow up to be a preacher, it could grow up to be a missionary. So it is with those who are born again of the Spirit they begin a journey. Only the Lord knows where he will lead them and guide them. But he will equip them to do all that he will have them to do. But they have been gifted. As every single one of our children is different they are gifted in separate ways. So every one that is born into this spiritual kingdom they are gifted. Christ gives them specific gifts for the benefit of his church, for the benefit of his kingdom. And they are to exercise those gifts for they are to die to themselves that they may bear fruit to the honour and glory of God. They are never independent because they are always dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Without him they can do nothing yet through him they can do all things. Marvel not as I say unto thee, you must be born again. And so it is either eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ or it is eternal death. under the covenant of works with all who are in Adam. Jesus says, he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world, that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For every man that doth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God. May the Lord grant us that true spiritual birth and help us to look within ourselves to see whether we have truly experienced this new birth. Do we breathe the breath of prayer? Do we talk to our Creator, the God who hears, sees and speaks? Do we hear his voice? Does he speak to us as we drink from the milk of the Word of God? Do we feel ourselves growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you feel satisfied after you've come into the place of worship and you've drank from salvation's well? Do you come in feeling weary and tired and go on your way rejoicing because you've seen no man except Jesus only. Well these are evidences that you have indeed been born again of the Spirit of God. If you come and go like a door on its hinges and the word has no effect well then it's obvious that you're still in the darkness, that you're still under the covenant of works, that you're still striving to obtain a salvation for yourself. Jesus says you must, must be born again. May the Lord move amongst us and cause that new birth to take place and to revive the downcast and to encourage those who are despondent that they may truly see that yes you have been born again. Amen. Our final hymn this afternoon is from Gatsby 736. 736 to the tune 310. Show me some token, Lord, for good, some token of thy special love. Show me that I am born of God and that my treasure is above. 736. Some token, Lord, for me, Some token of Thy special love, Show me that I am born of God, that all thy precious promises may be to me. to my bottom, to my soul, and then proclaim my peace within, thus make my wounded conscience whole. who are words and ways, their grace abound in every part, and teach my tongue to sing thy praise. Then shall I know that Thou art mine, my God, my Father, and my King. Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, the fellowship and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you each now and for evermore. Amen.