Well, I'm excited. If you'll look, turn in your
Bibles to John 3, John chapter 3. Born again, how can these things be? I take
that title from John chapter 3 and verse 9. I have one question,
and there's only one answer. How can these things be? Let's start in verse 1. And there
was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews,
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. Here
Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, well-schooled, but yet an unregenerated
man, lost in free will and works religion. We don't know, we don't know
the elect of God, but God does. In 1 Corinthians 1, 26, we read,
for ye see your calling, brethren, how that many, not many wise
men after the flesh Not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty. In Nicodemus, he had studied the scriptures. He'd
studied the law. He had seen the miracles that
God performed. that Christ had done, and he
addressed him as rabbi. And in Strong's Concordance,
it tells us that that was a way that they greeted each other
as master, teacher. And he said, no man can do these
miracles except God be with him. Nicodemus, being a Jew by birth,
a descendant of Abraham, He was looking for the Messiah. But
he was looking for him to set up an earthly kingdom. Him being born an earthly Jew,
he thought that he had a part in this kingdom. And he was excited. He wanted to know. But he did not know this was
a picture of Christ in his heavenly kingdom. With all the reading
and all the studying and all the lecturing and teaching that
Nicodemus had done, he did not know that this was
the Messiah. In John 1, 9-11, that was the true light which
lighteth 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 unto his own, and his
own received him not. Nicodemus was talking to the
Lord Jesus Christ. God manifests in the flesh. The Messiah, the one who was
sent to redeem his people. Yet Nicodemus couldn't see him. He knew him not. This is Christ, God revealed
in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ, the light, the giver
of life, the creator of all things. The one God elected his people
in before the foundation of the world. the Messiah that they
claim to be looking for, that Nicodemus claimed to be looking
for, the Son of the living God. And yet Jesus answered him. 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. Christ Jesus, he who knows all,
The Christ who knows the thoughts and the intents of our hearts. Nicodemus hadn't asked a question
yet. And he tells Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. He was standing before Nicodemus
and Nicodemus was still in his darkness. He couldn't see that this was
Christ Jesus. Verse four, Nicodemus saith unto
him, how can a man be born when he is old? And can he enter into
the second time into his mother's womb and be born? The nature of fallen man, the
nature that we have for man is at enmity with God. Ruined in our first representative
battle. Bound in our own trespasses and
sins. Just as Nicodemus. Well studied, well studied in
the law. He knew the scriptures, the Old
Testament. Yet with all that learning, all
that earthly wisdom, he still did not know. He didn't have the Spirit of
God in him to understand those things. He's like you and me,
he was born spiritually dead. Christ later told the Jews in
John 5 verse 38, and if not his word abiding in
you, For whom he has sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures,
for in them ye think ye have eternal life. And they are they
which testify of me. All the scripture is of Christ. It's all types and pictures of Christ. Verse five, 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. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
ye must be born again, for 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. And over in John 1 verse 12, but as many as received him,
to them gave he power. to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood,
nor the will of flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the word was made flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory is the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Natural man
cannot understand spiritual things. They're foolish to him, Only
God can reveal himself. And only God does that by his
grace in his son, Jesus Christ. Earlier, the disciples asked
Christ, who then can be saved? In Matthew 19, 26, but Jesus
beheld them and said unto them with men, this is impossible. But with God, all things are
possible. Salvation is of the Lord. You
must be born again. That which is born of flesh is
flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. God
knows His elect. He does as He pleases. He does
as His purpose in the beginning, before the world was. He is all-knowing,
he is all-seeing, and he is all-sovereign. Only God can breed life into
a dead sinner. In verse 9, Nicodemus answered
and said unto him, How can these things be? How can these things be? He's
still in his darkness. And in verse 10, Christ is gonna
show him who he is. Jesus answered and said unto
him, Art thou a master of Israel? And knowest not these things? 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 have told you earthly things
and you believed them not, how shall you believe if I tell you
heavenly things? Flesh is flesh, spirit is spirit. The flesh cannot understand these
things. Natural man cannot understand
the things of God. Nor does he seek to. Only God
reveals his word, and only he makes it effectual. It accomplishes
exactly what he sends it out to accomplish. He's a lost sinner, just like
we, a lost sinner in need of mercy. And Christ declares himself,
he declares his deity, verse 13. And no man hath ascended up to
heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of
man, which is in heaven. And 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 eternal
life. He revealed himself. He revealed his deity that he
is God. And only he can save. Grace. Grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is the work of God. This is his only begotten son,
the God man. And here in verse 16, he preaches
himself. 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 so loved the world. The world doesn't, this world,
we know, brethren, God tells us, this world is not without
exception. This doesn't mean the world without
exception. So who is this world? He gives examples and examples
and examples in the scripture. He died for an elect chosen few. God did not send his son to shed
his precious blood for those he did not love. He didn't die
for those that were not given to him by his father, chosen
in him before the foundation of the world. And I'll give you
one passage of scripture over in Romans nine. Romans nine, verse seven. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham, which Nicodemus was, he was an earthly descendant
of Abraham, are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. That is they which are the children
of the flesh. These are not the children of
God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. See how important it is to be
born again of God. the promise seed, the Christ
Jesus, for this is the word of promise. At this time, I will
come and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the
children, being not yet born, God knows his people, neither
having done any good or evil, It's not of works that the purpose
of God, according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger as it is written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Oh, God forbid. For he saith
to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I
will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. That word world does not mean
everywhere. that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.
God in the beginning, before the world was made by him. In the covenant of grace, God
chose a people in his son, Jesus Christ. Christ is their surety. He was
their substitute, a representative head. Christ came in the flesh
to redeem God's chosen elect with his own precious blood.
And look here in Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28, and we know that
all things work together for the good of them that love God.
To them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified. and whom he justified, them he
also glorified. And here is the love. Here is
that love that he so loved the world, his elect. 1 John 4, 19. 1 John 4, 19. In this was manifest the love
of God towards us, his elect, that world he spoke of, because
that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might
live through him. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Christ put away our sins. There are those, those are the
ones that God calls by his word. And those elect of God are the
ones that must and shall be born again. Go to Ephesians. Turn over to Ephesians 2. Verse one. And you, Haffey Quicken, born
again, who were dead in trespasses and sins, Wherein in time past
ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind. That's what the
natural man does. And were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others, but God, who is rich in mercy, for
his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, he's quickened us together with Christ. By grace, you're
saved. God gives that spiritual life. God can only give that faith,
that faith that believes on his son. to understand spiritual things,
to know the things of God, to know who Christ is. For by grace,
you are saved through faith in that not of yourselves. It is
a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are his workmanship. He elected you before the foundation
of the world and his son. He predestinated you to become
the children of God in him. You are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus under good works, which he has already ordained
that you should walk in them. God's own chosen people. He sanctified
us. He sanctified us in his son. By grace in Christ Jesus, that
inward working of God, the Holy Spirit. His elect must be born
again. How can these things be? There's a question and there's
only one answer. It is that inward working of
God the Holy Spirit in you. Quickening you. God giving you
that spiritual life and faith to repentance, to turn, turn
from your own works, to turn from your own will. Only God
can do that. Only God can turn you. And by his grace in Christ Jesus,
his sovereign power, he sends a preacher, he sends his word.
And He calls you out of your darkness and shows you that light,
that light that is Jesus Christ. And He says, as He did in Ezekiel,
live. Live! You dead bones, live! He breathes that life into you
by His grace in Christ Jesus. His Holy Spirit working in you,
creating that new creation. He predestinated you to be conformed
to the image of His dear Son. He predestinated you to be the
sons of God in Him. He makes you the partaker of
His divine nature, that nature of God. That Spirit of God, He
puts in you, borns you again, and gives you His nature. You have the righteousness of
Christ. You're as holy as His Son, because He's in you. Partaker
of His divine nature, and He gives you, He gives you grace. He gives you faith. And you understand. You can understand
things. You seek things. You want to
know who He is. You want to know who your Messiah
is. Because He makes you just before
Him, sinless, blameless. Because of what His Son did on
that cross for you, coming in the flesh. bearing your sins,
a new creation in Jesus Christ. His blood applied to your new
heart. He melts that heart of stone
and your conscience sprinkled in the mind of Christ in you. You know the father because you
know the son because he knew you before the world was in his
son. Christ Jesus came born of a virgin,
born of the Spirit of God, the firstborn among many brethren,
the forerunner. He came in our flesh and he took
on our nature. But he had no sin, sinless, blameless,
harmless. And he suffered. And he bled. And he died. He who is life, the giver of
life. Nothing has life without him. Died on the cross. Became a curse
for his elect. He hung on a tree. He obeyed
God's law, obeyed it perfectly. For you. For me. God's elect. He fulfilled the
law. He made it honorable. He brought in a perfect righteousness. perfect righteousness before
God, obedient to the Father's will to death on the cross, in flesh, in our nature, and
he didn't sin. He alone put away the sins of
all of his elect with that one sacrifice of himself. The precious son of God is our
substitute. As our brother read earlier,
he was made sin. It's a mystery. It's a mystery. We can't understand it. But we believe it by faith in
him that he gives us that he was made sin for us. Who knew no sin? Because he loved. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Sinless before God. He was delivered for our offenses
and he was raised again. We serve a living God. Yeah,
he died, but he didn't stay in that grave. That just one, for the ungodly,
he bore all our sins, all of his elect, and he put them away
in his body. He alone appeased that holy justice
of God that we offended. We offended Adam, and we ruined
ourselves in sin. but he appeased the holy justice
of God as the atonement for the sins that all of his elect committed,
all the way back to Adam and Eve. God manifest in flesh. And on the third day, according
to the scripture, which we already know is all about him. All about
Christ. He arose again. And he arose
victorious and successful. He not only put away sin, he
destroyed the work of Satan. He crushed his head. He bruised
his heel, but he crushed his head. Took all dominion away. And he was highly exalted. He justified us. God accepted
his sacrifice of himself. He accepted his blood atonement
for our sins. And he raised him again. And
he set him on the right hand of the throne of God where he
is right now. Right now. He's ruling and he is reigning
over his kingdom. Who makes up his kingdom? Those
elected by God's grace, electing grace in him before the world
was. Those that he redeemed with his
own blood. Those that he called by his gospel
and will call by his gospel. If there's any out there still,
they will be called. And they will be born again. They must be. Because he sits
on his throne and he rules over all his creation. He's the head
of his church. We're his body. One with God
in Him, till all His enemies be made His footstool. Oh, the
elect of God, we were in Him. Praise God. From eternity, we
were in Him. And our life that we now live
is not our own. It's in Him. It's in him. Ephesians 1 17. Ephesians 1 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom. That Holy Spirit, that Comforter.
And revelation. He testifies of me. Revelation
in the knowledge of Him. Oh, don't you want to know more
about Him? The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. That you may
understand spiritual things of God. That ye may know what is
the hope of his calling, and what the riches of his glory,
of his inheritance he has made us fellow heirs with Christ in
the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us
who believe according to the working of his mighty power.
which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and
set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above
all principality and power and might and dominion in every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that one which
is to come. and hath put all things under
his feet and gave him to be the head over all things, the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all things. He filled and fulfilled all things. Here in verse 17, back in John
3, For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world,
not this time, but that the world through him might be saved. He
came to save sinners. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not, he's condemned already. Because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God, he has trampled the
blood of Christ under his feet. as if it were nothing. And this
is the condemnation. This is the condemnation, that
the light is coming to the world, and man loved darkness rather
than the light, because their deeds were evil. For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light. That's what we were by nature.
That's what we are by nature. Neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. It's what the Holy Spirit does,
reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. But he that doeth
truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that
they were wrought in Christ, or in God. He put you in his Son before
the foundation of the world. He sanctified you. called you
out of your darkness. It's God's work, it is not man's
work. All glory belongs to the Lord
God Almighty. Salvation is of the Lord. Christ
came to save lost sinners. He came to save his elect people. How can these things be? How
can these things be? One more. Let's turn over John
6, just flip on over. 44, John 6, 44. Let me find the right passenger. Christ said, no man can come
to me except the Father, which has sent me, draw him, and I
will raise him up at the last day. For it is written in the
prophets, They shall be all taught of God. That Holy Spirit in you
teaches you all things of Christ. Every man, therefore, that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father, he comes to me. Not that any man hath seen the
Father, save he which is of God, he has seen the Father. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, he hath everlasting
life. Because you can't believe on
him unless he calls you and you can't understand, you can't know
who he is unless he reveals himself to
you, calls you out of your darkness. We're at the mercy of God Almighty,
a sovereign. Sovereign God who delights in
mercy. He delights in mercy. It pleased
Him to make you His people in Christ. Isn't that wonderful? God, the creator of all things, chose you in His Son to make you the sons of God in
Him. God draws you to His Son. God's
elect. These are those that must be
born again. Be made partakers of His divine
nature, one with God in Christ. And it's all by the free free to us, calls God his son, and sovereign. He is all powerful. His electing grace, grace, unmerited
favor, unmerited by you and me. We didn't do anything to deserve
it. Christ did it all. God did it
all for you in Him. There's nothing for you to do
but to rest, believe in Him, rest in Him, trust in Him, enter
into His kingdom. And His only Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit revealing Christ in you, that
only hope of glory that we have, only righteousness we have to
stand before God, our only acceptance to God is
in Him. His grace is sufficient for us. And he calls us and he mourns us again. Pray, God, bless your heart.