John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
We can’t choose to be born. We can’t cause ourselves to be born. We can’t argue ourselves into being born. We can’t decide ourselves to be born.
Born of flesh is flesh
God alone CAUSES us to be born-again.
And that CAUSE is by and through The Holy Spirit
Born of spirit is spirit
One of the scariest verses in the bible:
Matt 7:22-23: On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
These people did all these really huge religious works… but God still saw them as sinfully lawless and wicked.
It wasn’t about their efforts, it was about their heart and WHERE they placed their faith: Either in their works, or Jesus’ work
Matt 16:13-17: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Peter’s fleshly brain didn’t use deductive reasoning and suddenly just decided on an answer. His answer, and belief in the truthfulness and factuality of his answer, was GIFTED to him, was GIVEN to him by God the Father.
“Flesh and blood” didn’t lead him to this SAVING belief.
It’s a personal question, a personal belief.
Romans 10:14-17; How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
People need to hear someone preaching who was sent to proclaim the good news.
Faith comes from HEARING THE GOSPEL
Are you sent out?
Is your church sending people out to proclaim the gospel?
The Great Commission: Matthew 28:16-20: Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Go therefore – a direct command and explicit instruction
Make disciples – this requires evangelism, relationships, and mentoring
Baptizing – The Gospel focused ritual, commanded to be performed.
Teaching – To make disciples and to baptize them requires them being taught of the things of God and spiritual matters
We are commanded to do this.
The gospel message is divinely protected and used by God to transform lives eternally. Anything changed to appease society and cultures, is a different gospel.
Because it is literally the power of God, it doesn’t need to be adjusted and changed for different times, places, and cultures.
Galatians 1:6-9; I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
Hearing and believing the true gospel ushers in saving faith; receiving and believing a different gospel does not save.
Any Gospel message that is different, distorted, and or contrary to what is written by The Apostles and of The Holy Spirit; is a lie that leads to death.
Even if an Apostle or an angel from heaven teaches a different, distorted, and or contrary to the Gospel in Holy Scripture, they are liars still.
Islam was brought to Muhammid by an angel
Joseph Smith was given Mormonism by an angel
Ellen G. White was taught by an angel who later started the 7th day Adventist
Jehovah Witnesses believe that Micahel the Arch-angel is the Son of God, who is not Jesus, returned in 1874 invisibly, and then to the Watchtower headquarters in New York in 1914 to inspect it and that their earthly kingdom is under angelic direction currently.
Telling people your testimony is NOT the gospel.
Talking generally to people about God and having non-specific spiritual conversations is NOT the gospel.
The avoidance of the topic of sin hollows out the gospel as good news.
The avoidance of the fact that Jesus is God hollows out the gospel as necessary news.
EVERY SINGLE person who claims the name of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, IS A THEOLOGIAN and if they truly are a follower of him, they will obey him, thus, EVERY SINGLE person who claims the name of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is also an EVANGELIST.
Not everyone is good at it, not everyone knows it, but it's true.
Now you have been GIVEN the gospel message. I pray God opens your heart to receive it and believe in it, if you don’t already.
James 5:15: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
In order to confess and be healed, you must first acknowledge your sin and that you are a sinner.
Pray for everyone's salvation AND transformation
Romans 10:9-10: because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Make it known that you believe that Jesus died for your sins, raised from the dead, and is LORD GOD
You “WILL” be saved. Not a “maybe” or “partially”
2 Cor. 5:16-18 "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation
"From now on" once you repent of your sin, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord God and believe in HIM, you are born-again, made new, and become a NEW creation before God.
Your past and all the things that you have done, are forgiven. God no longer sees YOU AND YOUR SIN, He now sees YOU IN JESUS, because your sins were put on Jesus on the Cross!