Understanding the New Birth | Part 2

You feel like you need to work out a few things before you come to Jesus. Adrian Rogers has a word for you.

Now, there's some people here who are saying, you know, I've got some things in my life. And when I get them all worked out, I'm going to give my heart to Jesus Christ. That's backward. That's like trying to grow up and then get born. No. You get born. You give your heart to Jesus. Yes. You'll stumble. Yes. You're going to make some mistakes. Yes. You're going to fall. Trying to learn how to walk. But you will be in the family. Welcome to Love Worth Money.

Pastor, teacher and author Adrian Rogers said when you get saved, all of your past, all your yesterdays are buried in the grave of God's forgetfulness. What an incredible reminder when we're born again.

Glory to God. We have a brand new start. Well, as we learn in part one of this message, understanding the new birth rebirth is simply the starting place. After we're born again, the true growth begins. What are some characteristics of someone reborn? How can we be certain of it? If you have your Bible, turn now to John. Chapter three, beginning in verse one again. Here's Adrian Rogers.

Nicodemus, a rule of the Jews came to Jesus by night. There was a void, an emptiness in his heart. He had to talk to Jesus. He'd been saying Jesus to miracles. He wanted to know there was something about Jesus that intrigued him. There was a hunger in his heart. And so he came to Jesus Christ and he asked Jesus Lord, I want to understand miracles.

Rabbi, he called him rabbi, master teacher.

No one can do these miracles that you're doing except God be with him. And Jesus just turned the thing back to him and said, in effect, Nicodemus, if you want to understand miracles here, are going to have to become a miracle.

You must be born again. I'm so glad that Jesus, the master teacher, used this phrase born again.

Why? Because a birth is something we've all experienced. Did anybody get here any other way except being born physically? Course. Now we have all had a physical birth, so therefore we can take a physical birth and we can make a correlation and we can understand that the spiritual birth in many ways parallels a physical birth. So I want to give you six ways, six ways that being born again spiritually is like being born physically. Our Lord wants us to understand. And so let's look at these six ways. Number one, and a birth conception takes place. You cannot have a birth without a conception. Now, when you were born physically, you had two parents. You had a mother and a father. What are the two parents in the spiritual birth? The two parents and the spiritual birth are the word of God and the spirit of God. Look, if you will, in verse five of this chapter, look at it, Jesus answered.

Verily, verily, I say to thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit. He cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Those are the two parents.

Water and the spirit. Now, what does water stand for? Water stands for the word of God in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Water is an emblem, a symbol of the word of God. So the father, as it were. And your spiritual birth is the word of God. Now, what is the mother? The mother is the spirit of God. You're born of water and of the spirit. When the word of God and the spirit of God come together, then a conception takes place.

But there's another thing that is needed. If you would be born again, there is the word and there is the spirit. But whereas the womb.

Whereas the womb. The womb is the womb of faith. You supply the womb.

That is faith. He's going to tell us in verse 16 in a moment that we must believe that that when we believe we'll have everlasting life. And so when the word of God and the spirit of God come together and the womb of faith, there is a conception and a new birth takes place.

Secondly, not only in a new birth is their conception, but number two, in a birth, a continuation is involved.

Our continuity is involved. Parents don't manufacture babies. What parents do is just transfer, transmit life from themselves to the child. I have in me the life of my father, Arden Rogers, and the life of my mother Rose Rochus. Now, Arden and Rose came together.

I was conceived and now I share their life. Their life continues in me. Now, when you are born again, the life of God comes into you. You are a part of the life of God. God comes in to you. God's life is put into you.

You see, folks. Salvation is not simply getting man out of earth into heaven.

It is getting God out of heaven in demand. It is the life of God that comes into you. The theme of the gospel of John is life now.

By your first birth, you have existence. By your second birth. You have supernatural life.

In the Gospel of John. The word life is used some 36 times. And you know, Jesus said in John ten verse ten. I've come that you might have life. And so understand this, that when you are born again, you are a partaker of God's life, a partaker of the divine nature of the life of God is in you. Now, here's the third thing about a birth that I want you to understand in a birth.

Character is produce. Character is produced. Look, if you will, in verse six, that which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the spirit is spirit.

Now we receive the character of our earthly parents by our earthly birth. That which is born of flesh is flesh. Now we receive the character of God by our new birth. A character is produced.

We become partakers of the divine nature. I have the nature of Hédi and Rose Rogers and me by my first birth. But I have the nature of Almighty God in me. By my second birth. Now you must understand this. Jesus said you have to be born again. You have to have a brand new start. Christians are not just nicer people. They are new creatures. They are new creatures. You are brand new. What are the traits of the twice born? What is the character that is produced? What will be in you if you have really been born again? May I mentioned for them? First of all, there will be a love for Jesus Christ. Now, if you don't love Jesus, you better put a big question mark after this thing you call salvation. There will be a love for Jesus Christ, not a mere intellectual belief, a love for Jesus Christ. What did God, the father, say of his son? This is my beloved son. Does God, the father, love his son? You better believe it is God's nature in you. If you've been born again, it is that as night follows day, you will love what God loves. And He loves his son. And if you do not have a genuine love for Jesus Christ, you all ask yourself, do I have the nature of God in me? No. There will be a love for Jesus Christ. I'll tell you something else that'll be in your heart. If you've been twice born, another trait of the twice born, there will be a desire for holiness.

Are you a partaker of the divine nature? Well, what is the nature of God? God is Poley.

God is holy.

I'll tell you. Third mark of a person who's been born again. Not only does he love the Lord Jesus Christ, not only does he have a hatred and antipathy towards sin, but thirdly, he has the inner witness of the spirit.

The Bible, says he, that believers on the sun have to witness it himself. The Bible says that God's spirit bears witness with our spirit, that if we harm the children of God, why do I say. Has the witness of the spirit? Because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit.

God is spirit. When you get saved. The Holy Spirit of God comes in to you. The life of God is there. Now what is the witness of the spirit? It is very hard to explain, but easy to experience. It is that inner consciousness that you belong to Jesus.

You know, you know, because you know that you know, it is God's spirit saying to you.

I am in you. I live in you here by.

Do we know that we know him because he has given to us of his spirit. Now I want to mention a next trade of the twice born and see if this is in you. There will be a desire to share the Lord Jesus Christ. You will want people to know Jesus. What is the burning desire of God? The Father. This is my belove son. Here you him. God wants you to hear the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants the whole world to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Is there a desire in your heart to share Jesus Christ? I can tell you from the moment I gave my heart to Christ as a teen to this very moment. There has been a burning desire in my heart to share Jesus Christ with other people. Now, if you have been saved, if you've been born again, a character is produced, a character is produced. That character is the divine nature. God himself will be in you. And if you don't have these characters. Why do you say that the nature of God is in you? Number four. Here's another reason that Jesus used a birth and a birth. A completion transpires. Now, what do I mean by that? A birth is a once for all experience in the natural realm.

You're born one time in the spiritual realm. The second birth, that's a once in a lifetime experience. No baby is ever born twice physically.

That's the reason Nicodemus asked Jesus this question. He said, Can a man enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? That's impossible. In a reverse gears in life. You can't go back in your mother's womb and be born the second time.

Now, in the physical realm, the birth takes place one time in the spiritual realm. The birth takes place one time. Friend, when you are born physically, you're born forever. Now, that's a once in a lifetime experience.

The spiritual birth is a once in a lifetime experience. You know, there's some people who think you get saved and then lost and then saved and then lost and then saved and lost.

No, Jesus said rejoice that your names are written in the Book of Life and the Greek word. They're your name stands written in the Book of Life. Now, that's the reason I believe in the eternal security of the believer. I am a Rodgers. I am a Rodgers. Because a birth I can never be unborn. I may have disappointed my parents. I'm sure I did. There's a difference, however, between relationship and fellowship.

A relationship was established by birth. Fellowship is maintained by life.

There were times when fellowship between me and my father was broken. My father had to chastise me, but there was no way that he could take back the fact that he fathered me. I'm his for all eternity. I am a rajas. When you get born again, you become a partaker of the divine nature. He will never, ever, ever forsake you. You will always be a child of God. If you've ever been twice born. I'm not just talking about being religious, being baptized, being a nice person. For him, a birth is a once in a lifetime experience in either realm, in the physical realm or in the spiritual realm. A person can only be born spiritually one time. It is a completion. And we need to understand this.

Not number five in a birth. A commencement occurs while there is a completion. The birth is finished. But now the growth begins. A commencement occurs. A birth is a starting place. And so no matter what your past has been by the birth, if you have a new birth. Glory to God. You get a brand new start. Say men who get a brand new start. One thing you will never see is a policeman ready to arrest a newborn child for a crime. He stop because that newborn child is no yesterdays. He's all tomorrow's.

And when you come to Jesus Christ, when you get saved, all of your past, all your yesterdays are buried in the grave of God's forgetfulness. The Bible says as far as the east is from the west so far, have he removed our transgressions from us? He didn't say as far as the north is from the south. There's a North Pole in the South Pole. There's no East Pole in West Pole. You start east. You just keep on going. You start west. You just keep on going. If you go this way, east is always east. If you go that way, west is always west.

As far as the east is from the west so far, have they removed our transgressions from us?

He has buried them in the deep sea for you that when you become a child of God, you are all tomorrow.

As you know, yesterday's here. Here's a great scripture for you. First Corinthians, Chapter six. Beginning in verse nine. No, you're not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Listen to this. Be not deceived. Neither fornicators. That's those whose lifestyle is sex outside of marriage. Nor idolaters. That's those who love, worship, fear or serve anything more than God. Nor adulterers. That's those who are. Do not keep the marriage vows nor effeminate. That's those are practicing sexual perversion. No abuses of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor reviles nor extortionists shall inherit the kingdom of God. Now that's bike print, a white paper. This year lifestyle. You need to get saved.

But I noticed first eleven and such were some of you not are were but she ah washed your sanctified you are justified in the name Lord Jesus Christ washed means that the stain the blemish is gone.

Sanctified means that you've been set aside clean and holy for God. Justified means that you it's as if you were never ever impure to begin with.

If a prostitute gets on her knees a prostitute and says Lord Jesus, come into my heart, forgive my sin. I need you. I want to be saved. She's born again. She gets off of her knees and arch virgin.

You may not believe that the friend that's such were some of you. What are some of you? Why are some of you?

She is a brand new person. When people understand this, then they begin to write songs like Amazing Grace. How Sweet the Sound That Saved a wretch like me.

Some people say, Well, I'd never do that. I'm better nappers. You may be worse if you don't get saved. Jesus said the publican's and the Harless are going to enter into the kingdom before some of the sad Jesses and Pharisees of his day.

Now I'm telling you, in a birth, a commencement occurs. You began to grow.

When you're born again, you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Philippians one six he who has begun a good work in you. That's the God who father me will perform it. He is my Heavenly Father. A baby must grow. If you give your heart to Jesus today, you may be 40, 50, 60 years of age. But spiritual, you're gonna have to learn how to walk and talk and dress and work and feed yourself. You don't have to grow. You'll be a brand new baby. Now, there's some people here who are saying, you know, I've got some things in my life. And when I get them all worked out, I'm going to give my heart to Jesus Christ. That's backward. That's like trying to grow up and then get born. No. You get born. You give your heart to Jesus. Yes. You'll stumble. Yes. You're gonna have some trouble with your vocabulary. Yes. They're gonna be some hangover things. Yes. You're going to spill the Cheerios. Yes. You're going to make some mistakes.

Yes. You're going to fall. Trying to learn how to walk. But you will be in the family you start. It is a commencement and it is a walk. It goes on and on and on as you grow.

And the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Now, let me give the the last mark in a birth. A certainty is expected. I mean, a birth is a certain event. Suppose I would ask you about your first birth. And I ask you this question.

Have you ever been born? I believe them. Question. Did your mother ever have any children? Have you ever been born dumb question, suppose you gave a dumber answer here were to say, Well, I thinks I hope so, I'm doing the best I can. Ask the average person, are you save or are you born again? I hope so. I think so. I'm doing the best I can. I would say they have a faulty understanding of what the new birth is. Now, a new birth is a certainty. You ought to be able to say, I know that I have been born again.

Some people think that they have to remember the time and the place when they were saved in order to know that they say they have a definite experience. If you remember the time and the place. I'm happy for you, but that doesn't make you any more certain of your salvation if you understand the Bible than what I'm about to tell you.

Often use this illustration. I tell our new Christians this. Suppose you and I are going to go to Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

I drive and you fly. Nice to meet you at the airport. I drive up, you fly and you're there at the airport waiting on me when I get there.

Now, when I drive the automobile and I cross the state line is very obvious. I am now entering, first of all, into Arkansas and then to Texas. Which will you go on down that way? I drive. You're now entering the state of Texas. Now you fly.

You don't know. When you crossed the state line, you're up too high. You just don't know.

But you land there. An airport is obviously the Dallas Fort Worth airport. You get out. Now, which one is the most in the Dallas Fort Worth airport? The one who drives the car? The one flies the airplane. The one who knows exactly when he crossed the state line or the one who does know exactly. Now, listen to me very carefully, because this will help you. Don't you let anybody ever tell you if you can't tell me the time and the place you were saved, you're not. Say that one thing wrong with that. It is not in the Bible. But what is the proof that I crossed the state line in an airplane? The proof is I am in the Dallas Fort Worth airport, and if I am, I had to cross the line. OK, now listen. What is the proof that you are born again?

The Bible never puts the issue of your salvation in the past. It never says he that believed has everlasting life. He says he that believes. Question. Are you now trusting Jesus?

If you are friend, you're an airport. I don't care. We came by car. Plane.

If you're trusting Jesus, you had to trust him some time. If you're trusting him now. So don't go looking back to some murky experience drawn. So I just don't remember. Mama, tell me, did I do this? Did I do that?

No. Just ask yourself, am I trusting Jesus Christ? Is he my lord and Savior?

Do I see the traits of the twice born in my heart, in my life? Fran, it is none other than Jesus who said you must be born again. And if you're only born once, you die twice. The second death is the lake of fire. But if you're born twice, that which is born from above will go. It enlists dateless, timeless, measureless with the Lord Jesus summed up this teaching by saying in verse 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but should have everlasting life.

And if you want to be saved, I'm going to lead you on a prayer today. You can believe in Christ. You will be born again. Remember, it's not necessarily an emotional experience. You put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray this way. Oh, God.

I'm a sinner by my first birth and I have a sinful nature by my first birth. I need a second birth. I need a new nature.

I need to be born from above. Lord Jesus, you died to save me. And you promised to save me if I would trust you. Thank you for paying for my sin with your blood on the cross. I now live in my heart.

I receive you by faith. Has my personal Lord and Savior forgive my sin.

Cleanse me. Save me today and help me not to be ashamed of you in your name, I pray. I'm here.

Well, if you've prayed to receive Christ just now, we would love to celebrate you and offer an insightful resource. Go to our Web site and click the Discover Jesus page. You'll find answers you may need about your faith right there. There's a response section where you can share your newfound testimony with us. And so much more. Just go to LWR, dawg, slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. Welcome to the family of God. We can't wait to hear from you today. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of this lesson in its entirety, you can call us at one 877 Love God. Request the title. Understanding the New Birth. This message is also part of the powerful series Putting First Things First How to have Eternal Life for the Complete Collection. All six insightful messages. Call that number one 877 Loved God or go to El DWF dot org slash radio. Or you can write us at Love Worth Finding Box 38 600 Memphis, Tennessee three eight one eight three. Well, thanks for studying with us today. And God's word. Adrian Rogers said if you're born twice, that which is born from above will go endless dateless, timeless, measureless with the Lord.

If you understood the reason for new birth experience to change in character.

Have you seen faith take its full effect in your life? Consider these questions today and be sure to tune in next time for more profound truth. Simply stay right here on Love Worth Finding.

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