Transformed: The Necessity of Being Born Again

1. "I always want you to know something God has a story in your life too that he wants to share with others and so thank you for their willingness hey if you're a guest here today I want to welcome you and my name is Bart I'm the lead pastor here and we're just thrilled that you're here we do have some special guests I want to recognize who are with us in this service we have one of our college students Garen Gathright he is off at Texas A&M go ahead guys okay I knew that was gonna happen and what but anyhow he has some of his friends they're in the Corps of Cadets they're right over here I'm here today thanks for coming guys appreciate y'all being here and now Pastor Randy he is an Arkansas Razorback and he he I saw Pastor Randy graciously welcome these guys I gotta tell you that I was impressed with him well we're in a series that is called changed if you have your Bibles go ahead and turn with me to the Gospel of John we're gonna look in chapter 3 today and while you're turning there as we continue in in looking at these conversations critical conversations that Jesus would have with individuals now Jesus would do teachings to crowds and he would teach smaller groups but but over 40 different times you'll see that Jesus in the in the various Gospels will actually have a conversation with somebody and we learn a lot about a person when we see how they interact with other people and how they treat other people so we've been looking over these last few weeks at some of these conversations so as you're turning to the Gospel of John we're going to talk about a lot of things that" [37:59] (92 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "No matter if you've been in church a long time, or maybe you're new to this, I want you to hear that when Jesus says something, specifically, whenever he talks about something like this, that we need to understand what that means. It's important for all of us to understand it has great significance when Jesus says this. And so I don't want you to think this is something that just some preacher made up or maybe some particular denomination. And you're like, you know, that's just what Baptists say or what they say. No, this is something that Jesus himself said. So we want to dig in on this a bit and we want to, we want to ask, okay, so this idea of being born again, we want to ask some questions. Number one, who is that for? And then we want to ask, and what does it mean? And then really an important question for you and for me also is, and what does that have to do with me? Why do I need to know about that?" [42:12] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "There are some of you that whether you're here with us this morning, and maybe you're newer to the whole idea of church and new to the idea of Jesus, know there's something that's kind of special about him. Maybe you don't know if you're interested in church, but there's something about Jesus that, you know, there's something about him. And you're interested in learning a little bit more about that. You're still exploring. What I've been praying is that as we talk about this today, and you see how Jesus interacts with this one man, you learn a lot about a person whenever you see how they treat someone. Okay. And, and, and I hope as we look at that, that for you, you'll understand something, about how much God loves you today and desires to be in relationship with you to not make you a religious person, but to, but to understand what it means to know that." [43:34] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "You might know about Jesus intellectually, but I want to say this with love in my heart, but you don't know him. You just kind of know about him. And what I'm praying for you today is that God will do something special for you today is that you'll be able to maybe set pride aside and you'll actually be able to see Jesus for who he really is and that he loves you and that he wants a relationship with you. And now there are some of you that you've already understood what it means to be born again. And that is something that has happened in your life. So this is the third group of people that's here today. And maybe if you would be honest, you know, a lot of these things, but your faith in Christ and you, you have been born again, but as we all know, you've been born again. And you've been all can do your faith in Christ right now. It's a little stale. Maybe you just kind of go through the motions a little bit too. And what I've been praying for you is that as we explore the gospel together, what's going to happen for you is that God is going to reawaken your faith and you're going to be excited again about what he did for you. And you're going to want to tell your story to someone like the Andersons were willing to tell their God story. I'm believing that God's going to do that today." [46:09] (69 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "So we want to first address this question. Right. Of who needs it? Who is this for? And, and as we unpack this scripture, you're going to see that, that there's a clear answer about who needs to be born again. John chapter three, verse one, it says there was a man named Nicodemus and names mean something. Nicodemus's name means victory of the people. Right. And, and here's what that, as we're going to look at this, we're going to see that he was, he was a man of the people here. He was, he was an important person. There was something significant and special about him. And then now John is going to be very deliberate in giving us details. These details matter for us. He was a Jewish religious leader who was, and everybody helped me out, a what? A Pharisee. Okay. Now it's always important to get context, to understand the, the, you know, the message. Instead of just kind of picking like what we want to hear here and there, we need to understand some things. We need to understand. And John is telling us about these individuals. We want to ask who's involved here. Who is Jesus talking to? So this guy named Nicodemus, right? What do we know about him? Well, the scripture says that he's a Jewish religious leader. Who's a Pharisee. Now in our religious circles, if you're a believer, when you hear the word Pharisee for many of us, you automatically, like I can, go to a negative place because we think of their hypocrisy. We think of them being responsible for crucifying Jesus and, and persecuting Jesus. So when we hear Pharisee, we go to a negative place, but I need you to understand that in the original context here, that's not what John is pointing" [47:30] (110 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "So Jesus says something like this. He says, you won't see the kingdom of heaven unless you've been born again. You're spiritually dead is what Ephesians tells us. I am too. I'm spiritually dead when I'm separated from God. And I'm, even my good works, the Bible tells us are like filthy rags in comparison to the righteousness of our, of our father, that it can't, we can't get there alone. So who needs it? All of us do. No matter if your life maybe is a mess and you feel like you identify more with the person that we talked about last week, or maybe you've grown up in church your entire life and you've got a great religious resume. We all need to be born again is what scripture says. Jesus says it clearly. You must be born again. This needs to be something that happens in your life. It includes all of us. Now, this is what we'll be in. I'm just going to try a little bit harder this year. When the year rolls around January one, man, I'm going to make my new set of rules. I'm going to try harder and I'm going to, you might actually do better this next year. But here's a question that you have to reckon with. How good is good enough? When do you know you've made that? When do you know that you've crossed that threshold that you finally were able to become equal in the holiness of God? To be able to stand in his presence again? What is it that you have to do? So we'll keep trying all of these things. All right. Jesus says to this guy who is on that upper tier of goodness, Jesus says, that's not how you get there. You're going to have to be born again. So, so you got the, you got the bad news gets worse. Okay. Now I want you to think about something with me. What if the story ended there? Where would we be? Where would you be? If bad news got worse and we're just separated from God for all eternity, praise God. It doesn't end there. We've got next. We've got great news and the great news. And I don't have time to read Romans three 21, but go read it 21 through 26. But I'm tell you what Romans five, eight says, God demonstrated, improved his love for you and me. And that while, even though we were sinners and we didn't deserve it, we were able to do it. We were able to do it. We were able to deserve it. Do you know what? Jesus died for us. Jesus stands in the gap. Jesus is this one that we can pass through faith in order to be back into this relationship with God that we were created for in the beginning. And this is for everybody, no matter how messed up you are, no matter how great of a religious resume you have. We all have to go through the same place and the same person. And it's through Jesus. Every person here, Jesus said, Jesus said, you must be born again. We all need him. Jesus was the only one that could do this for you. And for me, death. Remember we deserve death that we deserve to die. He took that punishment upon himself in your place, in my place, so that we could cross the threshold. The justice of God satisfied so that we can enter into the presence of God and now stand before God with the righteousness of Jesus upon us instead of our sin and our mess. This is what he does." [01:07:04] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "So Jesus takes him back to this place. Okay. Y'all know what that is? We talk about it a lot around here. What's it called? The wilderness. If you know the story of Israel, you know that God rescued them out of slavery in Egypt and he was taking them to the promised land. But on the way, they disobeyed God and God wasn't ready for them to enter the promised land. So what happened? They went through a 40 year waiting period. We would call the wilderness a training in trusting. And some of you know the wilderness. Well, God's saying, I got to teach you before you enter in the promised land. I got to teach what it means to trust me. So they needed God for everything, every provision, water, food, everything. And God would provide, but you know what they did? Like all of us can also do. They started griping and complaining and struggling with that. And they were griping about Moses and griping about this and that. And so God said, you know what? I kind of had enough of this. And so do you know what God did? It's a weird story. Go read it. Okay. God sends snakes into the camp. Not just any snakes. I don't like snakes. These snakes were poisonous snakes and they start biting people and they're dying. And so the people, as this judgment is happening, start going to Moses, tell God we're sorry. And God says, let me tell you how we're going to fix this. Problem. And this is where Jesus is taking him. He's taking him back to numbers in chapter 21. The Lord told him, make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole and all who are bitten will live. If they simply do what look at it. So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be. And so God said, I'm going to make a way for healing for you. And this is important. Okay. Because this is what we all need to understand. We are also infected with a venom and that venom is our sin. And our sin has infected all of us. And our sin is killing us. It is literally spiritually killed us. It is physically killing us. These bodies are dying, right? We're in a broken world. It is killing us. It is killing us. It is killing us. It is killing us. It is killing us. It is killing our relationships. It's killing us mentally, all of these things. And here's what Jesus is saying, but I have made a way for salvation for you. I've made a way for you to have eternal life with me. I've come to fix this problem of sin that you and I, that we have in the same way. Jesus is going to say the snake was lifted up. He's going to say these words back to John. He says this, but the son of man, that's Jesus has come down from heaven. Put skin on, became one of us, live the life we couldn't live. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up. These are the words of Jesus. And he would be later, as you know, the son of man must be lifted up. And now look at the next part of that verse. So that everyone who looks in faith, who believes in him will have what? He brings us from being spiritually dead to being born again means I am now spiritually alive. And that's what Jesus came to do." [01:23:36] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "Now, I just gave you a lot of information here. Now, here's the thing. You've heard all of this now. This is important though. You have a decision to make. It's great news, but just knowing this doesn't make you born again. You have to decide what to do with this. And this is where Jesus was going with this. In John chapter three, verse 16, he tells us how it's the most famous verse in all of the Bible for this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him looks on him for the provision of salvation, not because you're doing anything. It's not because you're doing anything. It's because you're doing something. It's because you're not enough. Looks on him for the provision of salvation. What does he say? And believes for everyone that believes in him will not perish, but have what church? Eternal life. God offers it to you. God sent his son into the world. And this is how I love this verse. Some of you are like, God just wants to judge me. God sent his son in the world, not to judge the world, but to save the world. And that my friends is the, great news. But here's what it's about. It leads to the best news. And the best news is this. God came to restore us back into that family that we were originally created to be with him. That is imagery of a new heaven and a new earth. And obviously it can't do justice to what is coming. But do you know what is in the new heaven and the new earth? Revelation 21, go read it on your own there. A place where there is no more sin, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more broken relationships, no more cancer, no more depression, no more anything else that you have going on that is weighing you down in this world. That is why God came to, he's not only restoring us, he's developing and he's going to make a new heaven and a new earth where we will live with him in physical bodies. I know you think it's just disembodies. Maybe it's just disembodies. But it's not disembodies. It's just disembodies. Disembodies, spirits floating on clouds. That's not it, guys. Physical bodies that are like Jesus's body, the way you were made to experience relationship with God and with each other That's what God has offered you. But the urgent news is, back to the urgent news, God's not going to force himself upon you. I said this in the last service, and I want to say this to you. With all of the love in my heart, I've been praying all week for you. Here's the deal. You have been told. I say that with love, and I don't mean like be a high-pressure guy or whatever the spirit of God draws people, okay? I know that. But I thought this this morning. You can't walk out of here and say you have never been told. God has offered you in love himself. And for all who will receive him, he gives the right to become children of God. That answers the why. Because God wants you in his family with him forever. He wants you with him forever." [01:26:53] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "So I want to invite you to to bow with me in prayer for a moment. And there are some of you that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you right now, and you know that you have never been born again. But you can be born again by faith, through faith, in Jesus Christ. Jesus said that about himself, and he offers it as a gift. So right now, I would encourage you. I would encourage you, whether you've grown up in church your whole life, and maybe you've just never understood this. Maybe you're new to all of this, but you know that Jesus is offering this to you. And I want to encourage you right now to receive that. You might say something like this to him. Jesus, I believe. I'm looking upon you in faith. By the way, that word faith, it literally, means I trust in you. You're the provision for my salvation. I trust you. I believe you died for me. I believe you've been raised from the dead. Lord, I'm asking you in faith to bring me from from being spiritually dead. Lord Jesus, bring me to life right now. Thank you, Jesus, for your grace. I receive it today. Lord, I want to follow you as best as I can. Thank Lord. In Jesus' name, cleanse me. Give me a fresh start make me new. I want you to look up. We're about to walk out of here, okay? So we don't know exactly what happened with Nicodemus. He walked away. It doesn't say that he fell on his knees before Jesus, but he had been told. And he grappled with it, I believe. Okay? So what we do know is that later, after Jesus was crucified, you know what they would take with a body that had been crucified? They viewed them as criminals. They took them and they threw them in the dump where dogs would come and eat them. They didn't give them respect of a burial. But there were two men who were on that Jewish council who came to Jesus after he had died. And one of them was, Nicodemus, where he had come in cover of darkness. Now it's in the middle of the day. And I think that Nicodemus, I can't prove this, but Nicodemus for certain knew that there was something about Jesus. It says he brought spices and myrrh and frankincense and a shroud, and they wrapped him in this, which means this. Remember, if you touch a dead body, you're un