You MUST Be Born Again!
One day when we who are saved reach Heaven, no one will say that they made it by their good works. When we get to Heaven we will bow down at the feet of JESUS and worship knowing that the one and ONLY reason we made it was through HIS righteousness, because of the sacrifice HE made for us on the Cross and because HE arose the third day as HE said HE would. JESUS tells us how we can have eternal life in Heaven when this life is over in HIS Word in John chapter 3. Are you born again?
Handout: You MUST Be Born Again!
John 3:1-18 “3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This lesson is to the point, short and sweet. You MUST be born again or born from above! That’s plain and simple. Notice Jesus was not speaking to an immoral person, He was talking to Nicodemus a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus was a moral man. He would have been familiar with the law of Moses and would have kept it as best he could. Yet Jesus tells him, Nicodemus, you must be born again if you are going to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words…it’s good that you are trying to be a moral person…but that won’t get you to Heaven.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a GIFT of GOD: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Back to John 3…So Jesus has told this moral upstanding man that he must be born again and Nicodemus doesn’t understand. Now Nicodemus was an intelligent man we have to believe or he would not have been a ruler of the Jews. He was educated, yet he did not understand spiritual things.
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, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus explains to him that unless a person is born physically (of water) and born from above or Spiritually he cannot enter into the Kingdom of GOD. Jesus is not referring to water baptism here as some would like to believe. He is explaining to Nicodemus that flesh and spirit are two different things. We know that Jesus is referring to physical and spiritual because He goes on to explain…That which is born of the flesh is flesh…that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.
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 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 still doesn’t understand. It’s so amazing how GOD works in the lives of men/women. See we of ourselves cannot understand the things of GOD. We must first believe and then HE will reveal the mysteries of The Kingdom to us more and more as we seek.
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “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. 19 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. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Jesus explained the whole reason He came to earth. To be the supreme sacrifice to pay the sin debt for us. We could not pay it…we are not Holy of ourselves. We needed HIS righteousness imputed to us so that we can stand in the presence of ALMIGHTY GOD. Praise The LORD for salvation.
When you and I humble ourselves down and wise up to the fact that we need a SAVIOR…We need JESUS CHRIST and we ask HIM to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to come into our hearts and be LORD of our lives…everything changes!
See a lot of times, humans are ashamed to reach out to JESUS because their souls are so dirty with sin. So they think, as soon as I get my life straight then I will go to church and think about JESUS and they have no idea that they cannot fix what is wrong. I heard a preacher explain it like this.
Our hearts are like houses. Jesus stands outside and knocks on the door wanting to come in, but some people won’t let Him in because their house is a mess. So they wait and think when I can clean this up, then I will talk to JESUS and JESUS stands outside with the power to clean up our hearts and lives and some NEVER allow HIM to work.
Let HIM come in. Waiting is like being sick and saying I will go to see a doctor after I get well…what’s the point? We are born under the curse of sin. We are sin sick and unless we allow Jesus who can heal us, come into our hearts we will remain in that sin sick situation forever and die lost without HIM.
The Bible teaches that anyone who does not accept JESUS and receive salvation will not enter into eternal life…if you are not born from above into GOD’S family then you cannot go to live with HIM when this live is over…you will spend eternity with the devil in hell. Do not be deceived as Nicodemus was at first. Your “goodness” won’t help you. Here’s what JESUS said in Matthew 7.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, LORD, LORD, shall enter into The Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the Will of My FATHER which is in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in Thy Name: and in Thy Name have cast out devils? And in Thy Name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The will of GOD is that YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN coming to repentance and accepting JESUS CHRIST as LORD and MASTER!
2 Peter 3:9 “The LORD is not slack concerning HIS promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
How about it? Are you born again…born from above. Has there been a time when you knelt down before JESUS understanding that you are a sinner and that you need HIM because you can’t do things yourself. Have you acknowledged your sin and asked HIM to forgive you and cleanse you and to be Your LORD? Have you surrendered your will to CHRIST and asked for mercy in faith believing? If you have not I urge you to do so before it’s too late. JESUS is coming back soon and you do not want to be left behind.
If you have never done this…it is not hard. All you have to do is call out to JESUS. Just acknowledge your sin and ask Him to forgive you and clean you and ask HIM to lead and guide you all the days of your life and ask HIM to save your soul. HE WILL! He turns no one away, Hallelujah !
1 John 8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
BUT
If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Romans 10:9-13 “If you will confess with your mouth The LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that GOD has raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on HIM will not be put to shame.”
PRAISE THE LORD!
I can lead you in a sinner’s prayer for salvation. If you will truly believe and pray this prayer with all your heart…really meaning it. The LORD will save you.
LORD JESUS I come to You today realizing that I am a sinner. I believe that You are the Son of the Most High GOD and I believe that You came to earth born of a virgin and that You died for my sins on the cross and that You arose on the third day. I realize that in order to have eternal live I cannot be good enough alone…I need Your righteousness. Lord JESUS I ask You to come into my heart and clean me and make me new again. I ask You to be My LORD and SAVIOR and help me to follow You all the days of my life. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and save my soul. I believe in You JESUS and I thank You for saving me. In Your name JESUS I pray…Amen.
Heavenly, Righteous Father…
Thank You for the plan of salvation. Thank You for loving us enough to send YOUR only begotten Son to die for our sins in our place. I’m praying for those who are not born again into Your family. I’m asking that You send Your Holy Spirit to convict their hearts and that they will be saved before it is everlasting too late. We love You and praise You in JESUS name we pray…Amen! Thank you for saving me!
~*cindygirl*~
January 20, 2013