John 3:3,6-8 — ³Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be BORN AGAIN.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is BORN OF THE SPIRIT
In verse 6 Jesus says ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
And in Romans 8:6-7 we read that ⁶The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so”.
This hostile mindset to God, which always looks for ways to sin, has to go completely. To be able to see the Kingdom of God, you must be born again, you must be born of the Spirit.
Be BORN AGAIN. The word ‘again’ is translated from the Greek word ἄνωθεν anothen (pronounced as an’–o–then). This word can also be translated as ‘from above’, in the meaning of ‘from a higher place’ talking of things which come from heaven, or from God.
So we could also translate this as ‘born from above’.
Jesus said that we, to even be able to see the kingdom of God, we have to be BORN AGAIN, we have to be born from above. Nicodemus, to whom this words were spoken, although he was a teacher in the temple, and should have known the Old Testament, and therefore should have understood what Jesus said, absolutely didn’t understand what His words meant.
And even today, many people who are visiting churches, and are using these words, have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.
This is a bad thing, because if they don’t know what it means, you may wonder if they are.
From Ezekiel 36:26-28 we learn that repentance is much more than just asking for forgiveness following on a ‘change of mind’. With the mind also the heart must change. The complete inner man must be renewed. The sinner who wants to come to God must be BORN AGAIN, must be born from above.
Jesus used the analogy of being born, so let us see…
Tell me, when you were born to your parents,
• What arrangements did you make to be born?
• What appointments did you make, to be born on that date and hour?
• What kind of things did you do, in order to be born?
Of course you did nothing.
Being born just happened to you.
And it is exactly the same with being born again.
This also is not something you do.
It is something that God gives to you.
It just happens to you, and you have no influence on it whatsoever.
You can only ask the Father to renew your heart, and spirit.
• You can ‘change your mind’ (meaning of repentance)
• You can ask for forgiveness
• You can decide to follow Jesus.
But you can’t change your heart, you have to pray God to do that for you.
You can’t change your lifestyle yourself, or you will fail, and fall back in old habits.
You need God to change your inner self COMPLETELY.
And you NEED His strength to keep following Him on the narrow road, so you will not wander of to the left or to the right.
WARNING: The broad way that leads to destruction is tempting you.
In verse 8 of John 3 we read that Jesus said: ⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is BORN OF THE SPIRIT.
You cannot control the wind, it blows where it wishes, and so you too have no control, over how or when you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It will come when the Father wants, in the way that the Father wants, and if you are obedient to Him, He will lead you where He wants.
God promises in Ezekiel 36: ²⁶I will give you a NEW HEART and put a NEW SPIRIT (the Holy Spirit) within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a HEART OF FLESH (a softer heart, a heart with compassion).
If you allow Him, (God will never force Himself on you; He gave you a free choice! ) God Himself will live inside you, and make you, to be His temple, like Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that YOU ARE A TEMPLE OF GOD and that THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU?”
²⁷I will put MY SPIRIT within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. ²⁸YOU WILL LIVE in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE, and I WILL BE YOUR GOD.
Like Isaiah 30:20-21 foretold us: ²⁰Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher WILL NO LONGER HIDE HIMSELF, but YOUR EYES WILL BEHOLD your Teacher. ²¹Your ears will HEAR A WORD behind you, “THIS IS THE WAY, WALK IN IT,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. (This last literally saved my life twice)
You did not yet surrender to God?
Than do so right now! Some people, who were delaying last week, cannot do so now anymore.
Don’t wait till it is too late!
Don’t delay your decision till time decides for you.
You did not yet receive His Holy Spirit, indwelling in you?
Than ask, and He will freely give! ¹¹Suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? ¹²Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? ¹³If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM? (Luke 11:11-13)
Jesus also assured us in John 6:37-40 that ³⁷ALL that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will CERTAINLY NOT CAST OUT. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹THIS IS THE WILL OF HIM who sent Me, that of ALL that He has given Me I LOSE NOTHING, but RAISE IT UP ON THE LAST DAY. ⁴⁰For this is THE WILL OF MY FATHER, that everyone who BEHOLDS the Son and BELIEVES IN HIM will have ETERNAL LIFE, and I Myself will RAISE HIM UP on the last day.”
So with Peter we can praise God.
³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His GREAT MERCY has caused us to be BORN AGAIN to a LIVING HOPE through the RESURRECTION OF JESUS Christ from the dead, ²³for you have been BORN AGAIN not of seed which is perishable but IMPERISHABLE, that is, through the LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD. (1 Peter 1:3,23)
Praise God