Ye must be born again

As the Lord may be pleased to help us this evening, that is yourselves in listening and myself in speaking, I'd like to invite your prayerful attention to the words we read together in the third chapter of John's gospel. And we take as our text verse seven. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. John chapter three in verse seven. Our Lord Jesus came to this world with one great mission. He said, I came to seek and to save that which was lost. And unless we have that work of wondrous grace in our hearts and lives, We are lost for all eternity, but we're not without hope.

When we look back, we have a very clear recording in the scriptures of the event just before the Lord Jesus was born. And if you look back in Matthew's gospel, you see it very clearly how Joseph was living in a very troubled and his mind was in turmoil. And God spoke to him so clearly in the night and spoke to him in a definite way whereby he couldn't be mistaken because we read, but while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. What an honor Joseph had. The husband of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, had this work to do to make sure his name is called Jesus.

Why? For he shall save his people from their sin. When we say the name Jesus, we have the meaning. Our names have meanings, but what a meaning this is. And the Lord Jesus came to this world for this very reason. all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the lord by the prophet saying behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name emmanuel which being interpreted is is god with us what a privilege this world that is in itself lost and so clearly affected by sin and living in danger and yet God has condescended to speak through the scriptures and through his prophets before the Lord Jesus came and the Lord Jesus himself fulfilled all that he came to do. And as we read those verses Leading up to chapter three, we read, Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. Our Lord Jesus was and is omniscient.

You young people know how clear a new sheet of glass looks. You can see straight through it. We who are a bit older have to wear glasses. We know straight away if it's a bit smudgy, and especially if we're trying to do something a bit refined, we have to stop and clean our glasses.

Well, the Lord Jesus can see into our hearts clearly. He knows all about us. And he knows our thoughts. He knows our desires. And this is a mercy, isn't it? He knows our great need. He knows that we need to know himself. And in his mercy, he can come into our lives and work in us to encourage us to trust in him. Now there's a man here, his name is Nicodemus. And what a blessing it is that Jesus knew all about him. Now he was an important man.

He was a member of the Pharisees, and the Lord Jesus refers to him as a master in Israel. But he belonged to the same group of people who rejected the Lord Jesus. We just turn back a little way to the first chapter of John. And the Apostle John was inspired to write these words regarding the Lord Jesus.

He was the true light which light is every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came to his own, his own people, the Jewish nation, including these Pharisees. I think at the time the Lord Jesus came to this world, there were something like six or 7,000 practicing Pharisees and one Savior.

Now they should have welcomed him, but because he was leading people into the New Testament teaching, that not by sacrifices and offerings can we come to God, but through the Lord Jesus himself, Although the Lord Jesus kept the law completely, we read, he came to his own and his own received him not. But the scriptures continue to encourage us, don't they? They say, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name. Now, as we shall see, this man Nicodemus, The Lord Jesus came into his life, his life was transformed, and eventually, as we shall see, he was a great and brave witness and a close worker and follower of the Lord Jesus.

What we read about him is he came by night. He came by night, he came in his need, and he came to one who has a precious name. He came by night, he came with his need, and he came in the fullness of his name, Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin.

He might well have come at night, because he didn't want the other Pharisees to know where he was going. If someone walks along the street in the dark, you can't see who it is, can you? And he's not going to turn around and tell you who he is, unless he wants to. But he must have known where Jesus was lodging. He knew where to find him.

And we don't read that Jesus told him to go away and come back in the morning. You dear young lads, If you wake up in the night and you have something pressing on your mind that you want to share with Jesus, don't be afraid. He lives in glory in heaven. We read there's no night there, it's one continual day. And when we sing that hymn, the door of thy mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy who not by the way, that verse goes on to say no sinner was ever yet empty sent back who came seeking mercy for Jesus' sake. so be encouraged Jesus is listening for your prayers and this man came to Jesus and we read he came with a question the same came to Jesus by night and said unto him rabbi We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. He knew that. He knew that Jesus was performing miracles.

The Lord Jesus had only recently begun his work on earth, and as we well know, the first miracle he performed was turning water into wine. But look how obedient those disciples were. They didn't know the outcome of what he was going to do. All they knew was that they'd run out of wine. And Jesus said to the disciples, fill the water pots with water. They didn't know what was going to happen, but they were obedient. And so often we don't know why we're told to do things or why things come into our pathway. But if we're obedient, God knows. They filled the water pots with water. And then the Lord Jesus said, well, draw out now. So when they turned the tap on at the bottom of the water container, out came this wine that they, the best they'd ever tasted. And this was the first miracle.

Of course, the most wonderful miracle is a miracle of grace that we would like to major on this evening because that is God working in the hearts and souls of otherwise lost people and bringing them into a living and loving relationship with himself.

And so this man came to Jesus with what he knew and Jesus, the divine teacher, led him on. in this discussion. He said, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. The pity left out was that this man is God.

He's co-equal and co-eternal with his father. He is God. Those opening words in the Hebrews epistle teach us this. that he is the express image of God's person. And he has, he won with his father and he also was involved in creation because it is by him and through him and to him are all things. And what a blessing it is that these wonderful mercies and the favors flow to us through our Lord Jesus Christ, being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. The Lord Jesus is the express image of God himself.

He said, I and my father are one, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sin, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high sitting at the right hand of the majesty on high speaks to us of the finished work of the lord jesus it is a finished work he has completed all that he came to do but his work of intercession communicating with us still continues 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. Nicodemus said 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? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, He cannot enter the kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus is such that here we have a clear picture of his character. He's firm and yet loving and friendly. In no way did he try to offend or in any way belittle Nicodemus, but he encouraged him and taught him. And Nicodemus only knew what he knew, that he was born of his mother. It was the only birth he knew.

But what a blessing it is that God works in the souls and lives of his people Those who he has eternally designed to be saved before the foundation of the world. And he works in them in a way that transforms them. The Apostle Paul thought he was serving God when he was doing all he could to destroy the New Testament church. He wasn't just some mindless maniac going about, no, he thought he was serving God. And he was on that road to Damascus, and the Lord Jesus, already ascended to glory, met with him.

And like Sean wrote about him, brighter than the noonday sun, we had some powerful sun lately, And when you go from the shade into the light of the sun, you can feel the warmth straight away. And much greater than this was the light of heaven shining down on the, when he was Saul of Tarsus, his name was.

And he got documents in his hand to arrest people who were calling on the name of Jesus and taking them and locking them up. And they were persecuted because of this. And the Lord Jesus met with him when that light shone round about him, it was so bright it blinded him. And afterwards someone had to take him by the hand and lead him to where he was going. And the Lord Jesus spoke to him.

Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? He didn't say, why are you persecuting my church, my believers, no. persecuting me. The Lord's people, the Lord himself feels for them. He knew the anxiety. He knew that they dreaded to see this man because he had power to make their lives frightening.

But what a blessing it is that Jesus dealt so kindly with the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus as he was, and he became Paul when he began to work for the Lord Jesus. Paul's answer was, what wilt thou have me to do? He thought he was doing the right thing. But Jesus had appointed someone already to go and speak to him. He said, it shall be shown thee what you shall do. will be shown to you and how much you will have to suffer for my name's sake." And he did. And the Apostle Paul was so greatly used in the formation of the New Testament Church and reaching out not only to Jews but to the Gentiles, the non-Jews.

And of course the gospel came amongst us and we are here this evening because of God's intervention into this world in making the gospel known to every kindred and tribe and tongue. There are still people around the world, nations and tribes who have never heard of these precious truths that we have an eternal soul. We also have an eternal savior to whom we can come in prayer.

And there are people in the land in which we live, who live in darkness, they have no light. Some people you meet and if you try to talk to them something about the wonders of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they think you're speaking a foreign language. They don't know what you're talking about. They're living in darkness and they have no light. What a blessing it will be if God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shone in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Because as the scripture continue, God has these treasures in earthen vessels. We're earthen vessels. We were formed out of the soil. God made Adam and Eve of the dust of the earth, but a Christian person is a container, a vessel, and the content they have is the life of Christ at work in their hearts and souls. I read in a magazine a year or two ago Some scientists thought he'd made a wonderful discovery that the same properties are in the human body as there are in a soil sample. If you take a soil sample with a mixture of the nitrogen and potash and all the parts that make up the soil, we've got the same things in our bodies.

It's not really surprising, is it? when the Lord God made created Adam out of the ground and therefore our bodies have a use and God can use them and cause us to walk in his ways and according to his will and purpose serve him. We don't know what's before us but we do know that the Lord Jesus is with his people.

But this man was told by Jesus he needed to be born again. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. And the Holy Spirit is he who takes of the things of Jesus and reveals them into our very hearts and souls. The Holy Spirit is a communicator. He takes things that God wants us to know and puts them into our hearts and minds so that we become those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

And therefore, the Lord Jesus continues to teach this man He says, marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. Without the new birth, there's no future and no eternity in the presence of God. And the new birth is so vital, not just a patching up, like you see an old house and It looks rather run down and neglected and then someone buys it and they smarten it up. They repair it and paint it and it looks so much more lived in, more attractive than it was. What God is talking about is a completely new building with a new foundation. You can't see the foundations of a house, can you? But the foundation is so vital. It's what you can't see, but it's so important.

Where I live, I bought this bungalow over 30 years ago, and I bought it knowing it had got structural defects, and the insurance had written it off. And because I was in building work, I took it on. I was a lot younger then and energetic. And I quite enjoyed the progress we made. I did 14 underpinning holes because the foundations were giving up in places and supported it from underneath. You can't see any of it now, but it's most comforting to know it's there.

And people don't look any different when God has transformed their life and he's at work in them, but what a blessing it is that the foundation of God standeth sure. This blessing of what God does in people's hearts, minds, and souls is that which is a work which begins and continues through life, and the blessing of it He's eternal.

We all have an eternal soul. We're all on the journey of life. But the eternal God we read is our refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms. What a foundation. If you can imagine God's powerful arms, which cannot but support you, you can't drop below the strength of his power in his arms that support you. You're safe. And this being born again is being born by the spirit of God. God has communicated it into the heart and life.

And this same Nicodemus, such was the darkness of the life he was living in until God's grace caused Nicodemus to come by night. He came by night. How long he was with Jesus, we don't know. But what the Lord Jesus taught him and what he shared with him of the wonders of the blessed finished work of the Lord Jesus must have remained with him.

He said, Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, 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. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master in Israel? And knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know. The Lord Jesus is in plural here, that is himself, his heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He said, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness.

Now just across the road is a big windmill. And that, for years, was powered by wind. How many tons of wheat went into there that were turned into flour for bakers to make bread of, we don't know. But the wind, it stands up on that hill, and it can face the wind, and that powered the mill. The wind didn't make any noise.

Apparently, if you're working near those sweeps, you can't hear the wind. But if you're in the way, that would knock you over, quite easily, because the power of the wind. Now, the Lord Jesus gives this picture to this man, Nicodemus. The wind bloweth where it listeth, thou hearest the sound thereof. We can hear the wind blowing. But canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth? So is every one that is born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, invisible, yet all-powerful, comes into the lives of people. Their lives are transformed. And the Holy Spirit is He who takes of the things of Jesus and makes them understandable to us.

What a blessing! well might we sing come Holy Spirit come because without God we can do nothing but the Apostle Paul made it clear he said I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me and we have so much to encourage us in Holy Scripture And as we look back in the prophecy of Isaiah, we have a word to encourage us.

Isaiah 15 verse 10, who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God, depend upon his God. There is movement here, friends. It says stay, but it also says walking. Who is among you that fears the Lord, that walketh in darkness? He's walking, making progress. without light, and yet God says, let him trust in the name of the Lord. The name of the Lord, we read, is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe.

And also in this same prophecy in chapter 55, we have these well-known words, how everyone that thirsteth come to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat, Yea, come by wine and milk without money and without price. We can't buy our way to heaven, can we? It is God's gift. But what a blessing it is, we can seek for it. We can seek, can't we?

When we think back to the prodigal son, and how that he ran away from home, taking half of his father's money, and he wasted it, and his life went on a downward spiral, and then there was a famine in the land, and he got nothing, and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that far country, and I think, without overstretching the thing, I think we can liken this to the devil. he thinks he's got people under control and this citizen of the far country didn't help him no he he used him to find food for the pigs and he was already starving himself what a cruel master he was and still is but what we read of the prodigal son is he came to himself he came to an understanding of his lost condition.

And what did he say? How many hive servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare? He could imagine his father's workforce sitting down to the table with food on the table, plenty every day, every meal, they're well fed. And I'm his son and I'm here starving, He says, I will arise and go to my father and say to my father, father, I've sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. He'd rather work for his father as a servant and be fed than to die of starvation where he was.

And he arose and he went to his father. And the scripture continues to tell us that when he was a great way off, his father saw him. You can imagine in this parable how that his father would have been looking for him. I've spent every so often, he looked up the road, I wonder if my son's coming home today. But he came and we read when he was yet a great way off, His father saw him and ran and had compassion on him and kissed him. Now to those who go to God with confession, with a felt sense of their need, God will come to meet them.

And the mercy is that this prodigal son didn't finish his speech. He began, he said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." But his father didn't listen to the rest of it, did he? No. He said, bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put shoes on his feet, and a ring on his hand, and kill the fatted calf, and let us eat drink and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found what a wonderful gospel picture the best robe to put on that uh that dear prodigal son was a robe which covered all his filthy rags and his undone state When he had the best robe put on him, he would have looked quite reasonably presentable. Not only that, his father said, put shoes on his feet. We've got shoes on our feet, we're thankful for them. But a slave would have gone barefooted. But no, he was being restored to his father's household. shoes on his feet and a ring on his hand. The ring in that culture in those days would have had some sort of insignia on it, whereby if he showed that ring to someone, they would know who his father was. So he would have been identified as his father's son.

So what a blessing it is that God still works in the day in which we live and brings people out of darkness into light, the light of the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And he leads them and teaches them of himself. And these blessed truths, God continues to work. Every so often we hear of someone who is brought out of darkness into light. They come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. And I expect if I was to ask round, we all have someone, a friend or a family member who has an eternal soul and are still carrying on in life as if they had no soul. We continue to pray for them. We pray that we might see the day when they are brought out of darkness into the light of the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But here Nicodemus was gaining a personal knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He says, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven. The Lord Jesus is speaking of himself. My home is in heaven. But I've come to this world to save sinners. And the Lord Jesus lived a perfect life. That's why he was a supreme sacrifice for sin. He's the fulfillment of the Passover lamb without blemish.

And he came from heaven to earth and no one before him or since has lived a perfect life and he went on to remind Nicodemus of when the nation of Israel were in the desert on their journey to the promised land and they were rebellious and what happened well Because of their behavior, God permitted poisonous snakes to come among them.

And we read in Numbers how these snakes would bite them and poison them. Numbers 21 and verse 4, we read these precious truths. They journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the Lord and Moses, the people spake against God and against Moses. And they said, wherefore have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? there is no bread neither is there any water and our soul loathes this light bread and complaining about the manner that God kindly provided and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them and they bit the people and much people of Israel died therefore the people came to Moses and said we have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee Pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. What wonderful intercession. The Lord Jesus lives in heaven to make intercession for us. He pleads his perfect righteousness on our behalf.

And God instructed Moses what to do. Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Now, when you think there were something like, I think, 600,000 people, a vast congregation, those right at the back might not have had a very clear view when Moses held up this thing he'd made of polished metal, but the sun was shining on it, and it could have been seen from a long way off. They might not have all had a clear understanding of what it was all about, but they were told to look. Now, the Lord Jesus says here, talking to Nicodemus, that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Those who were commanded to look and read, everyone that looked lived.

We might not have a clear understanding of all the teaching of the Lord Jesus, but to look, God will honor. The text of scripture says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. What a wonderful blessing we have in our Lord Jesus. Nicodemus was greatly used as time continues. And if we go to John's Gospel in chapter 7, we read in verse 37, John 7 verse 37, In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spake of the spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth, this is the prophet. Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him.

And some of them would have taken him, but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. Nicodemus said unto them, he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them, doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search and look, for out of Galilee arises no prophet.

And every man went to his own house. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. see clearly there that originally the bible was not divided into chapters it follows on every man went to his own house and jesus went to the mount of olives and then if we go further on in john's gospel to chapter 19 we read how nicodemus shone clearly as a true follower of our lord and savior jesus christ John chapter 19 and verse 35, or 33, we begin at verse 33.

There was Jesus having given his life in that sacred way on that cruel cross where he bore the sin of many, suffered in the place of people in time that they might have the blessing of eternity in his presence. One of the soldiers came with a spear. They were amazed that he was dead already. Pierced his side and forthwith came thereout blood and water.

And he that saw it bare record. This is the Apostle John. He bore record. And his record is true, and knoweth that he says true, that ye might believe. For these things were done that the scripture might be fulfilled. A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture says, they should look on him whom they pierce.

And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, remembering that the other disciples, including the Apostle Peter, had all forsaken the Lord Jesus and fled. But these two shone so well, and it's recorded in John's Gospel, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. That means he gave him permission to go ahead.

He came therefore and took the body of Jesus And there came also Nicodemus, which at first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then they took the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes, with the spices as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews preparation day for the sepulcher was nigh at hand.

What a blessing it is that this man is the elect vessel of mercy to which Jesus told the glorious good news of the gospel to. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." When God begins a work, he doesn't leave it. He wrote to the, Philippian Church, he said, he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. May the Lord add his blessing to these few remarks this evening. Amen.

Ye must be born again

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Ye must be born again

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