Born Again

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today’s program is called Born Again. Let’s turn to John 3:1-21,  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

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? By the way, the words “born again” mean born from above. Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be? 

Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. 

Verse 5, ...Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 

Let’s turn to Rom 6:1-23, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is talking about being born of water. Verse 12, Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s turn to Eph 2:8-10, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Many say that faith is the gift of God in reference to these verses. But that is not what it’s saying: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; We go back to Romans: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Hallelujah! Born of water: baptized into his death, crucified with Jesus, buried with Him, raised with Him; born of water: your old man, your sinful nature crucified with Him. Repent and be baptized. Turn from your sins. Rom 10:14&15, How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?....You hear the Gospel preached by the Holy Spirit. You are convinced of your sin. You repent and turn from your sins, confessing your sins to God. You believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins. You confess Him Lord and you believe that He rose from the dead. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Jesus comes to dwell in your heart when you receive Him as your Lord and Savior; when you believe that He is the Son of God. Do you really believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Are you really born again? Have you been born of water? Do you know that you were baptized into Jesus’ death; that you are dead and your life is hid with God in Christ? Paul said, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. Does Christ Jesus live in you? In John 17 Jesus said, I in them, and you Father in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as you have loved Me. In Gal 4:6&7 we read, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. When you repent and turn from your sins and believe on Jesus and his sacrifice on the Cross for you, and confess Him Lord of your life, and submit to water baptism, you are baptized into his death, and you are buried with Him in that water. When you come up out of the water you are raised with Him, and all your past sins, and the old sinner you were remain in the water. Christ then dwells in your heart by faith and He is your Lord. You no longer belong to yourself and the Devil, but He has delivered you and saved you with his own Blood. You belong to Him. You are a new creation in Him, and He begins to lead you in the way He has planned for you. He has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light, and as you continue to walk in that light, He will expose things in you and lead you in further repentance and forgiveness, as He is cleansing your soul and sanctifying you more and more, along with your brothers and sisters, building for Himself a holy temple; his own special people to dwell with Him forever in his Glory. He will be leading you in paths of righteousness, therefore, for his Name’s sake to purify you and to try you to see if you will love Him and his truth and continue with Him, or if you will turn away from following Him to your own destruction. Jesus Christ is going to have a spotless bride; a purified, holy people, separated unto Him. Titus 2:11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself his own special people, zealous for good works. 

Jesus is that light that is come into the world. John 3:20&21, For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. When you come to Him, your evil ways will be exposed. Will you forsake them and repent and love Jesus and his good way? Or will you turn away from Him because you love your sins and you want to continue in them, thus condemning yourself? Don’t be deceived by the devil and his ministers and their lies about the grace of God. God gave his Son a living sacrifice on the Cross for our sins and raised Him from the dead to justify us; that is his true grace; that we might forsake all evil and walk with Him, receiving the Holy Spirit and being led by Him, denying ourselves and our desires; every day taking up our cross and following Him; doing righteousness. He will lead us to do righteousness; to do the will of the Father. He that does righteousness is righteous. Let no one deceive you. He that practices sin is of the Devil. If you want to continue in any evil way the devil will destroy you. You must forsake all sin and unrighteousness and walk with Jesus in repentance and faith, with a conscience void of offense toward God and man. Paul said, I exercise myself daily to have a conscience void of offense toward God and man. He said, I die daily. What does that mean? He died to himself and his own will and his own desires every day; took up his cross and followed Jesus. If any wickedness shows up in you along the way, you go straight to Him, to his throne of grace, with humility and repentance, and you will find his grace to help you in your time of need. He will grant you grace because you believe in his sacrifice for your sins and his resurrection for your justification. He dwells in your heart by faith. He is with you to help you in your time of need. Just call upon Him. He will hear your prayer if you will humble yourself before Him, for it is written, He grants grace to the humble. But if you want to continue in your pride; if you won’t humble yourself, then you will be brought low. If you still refuse to repent you will perish. God is not a respecter of persons. He has already provided everything for you through the sacrifice and resurrection of his Son. He so loved you that He gave Jesus for you to bear your sins on the Cross of Calvary and save you from the fire and eternal torment reserved for the Devil and his angels and all those that follow him. Make no mistake: the antichrist, the false prophet, and the Devil are all going to be cast into the lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone, to be tormented day and night forever and ever, with no rest forever. And everyone whose name is not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire with them. If you turn away from Jesus to go after your evil ways, He will blot your name out of his Book and you will perish. Salvation is for those who will continue with Him through thick and thin, all the way to the end, loving Him and serving Him with all their heart, hating evil and loving righteousness. Love endures all things. In order to endure to the end we must love Him and love our brothers and sisters. Love does no evil to his brother, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law.