26-0802a Transcript

(1:24) Good morning, everyone. (1:27) To those who are here physically and to those that may be listening on the phone, (1:41) this morning I’m going to talk about two births. (1:49) The reason I’m going to talk about two births is at this time I am in between two births. (2:09) One is my fleshly birth, which is a few days away.

(2:15) As a matter of fact, one week from tomorrow is my birthday. (2:28) The other is my spiritual birth. (2:33) Now, the fleshly birth I had no choice in.

(2:40) I was born and was blessed to live 78 years, which means on my birthday I will be 79 years old. (3:02) But I wonder, for those of you who have been born again, as Jesus said in John 3 to Nicodemus, (3:25) I wonder if you could tell someone the month, day, and year when you became a Christian, one born again. (3:49) Not a born-again Christian, because if you were born again, that means you are a Christian.

(4:01) Born-again Christian is just a misnomer. (4:07) But if you are born again, it was from the fact that you were born again. (4:17) Now, I’m going to ask you, do you know the day that you were born again? (4:33) Could you tell the day, the month, day, and the year as you would be able to give your birthday? (4:48) Someone will ask, well, when is your birthday? (4:53) And so you would be able to give the month, the day, and the year, or as much of that as you would be willing to give.

(5:08) Now, I told you, my birthday is August 10, 1947. (5:24) The day I was born again, becoming a Christian, was July 17, 1961. (5:41) That’s the day of my spiritual birth.

(5:47) Now, just as when I was born, I needed to grow. (6:01) When I was spiritually born, I needed to grow as I did when I was an infant. (6:15) Well, in infancy, I needed to grow in the Lord.

(6:23) But let’s talk about the second birth. (6:31) Now, in John 1, and I’m thankful for those who read the reading of the scriptures that were chosen, (6:45) John Kessler and Kevin Moosley, in my readings. (6:58) But in John 1, 12 and 13, the gospel of John is telling us that he started out in verse 1 by saying, (7:14) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(7:26) And then it’s telling us about John becoming a witness to bear witness of the light. (7:37) John was not the light, but the one who was. (7:43) He came into the world, and the world did not know him.

(7:50) And he came to his own, and his own did not receive him. (7:55) So beginning in verse 12, it says, (8:01) But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. (8:11) To those who believe in his name.

(8:16) Once again, we come to that word believe. (8:20) We must believe that in his name. (8:25) Jesus even said in John 8, 24, (8:33) Except you believe that I am he, you shall die in your sins.

(8:39) But he says, he gave the right to become children of God. (8:47) Now, some may question, well I thought we were already children of God. (8:56) Well now, the Jews were children of God through fleshly birth.

(9:05) They were born into the tribes of Israel. (9:13) That they became children of God. (9:20) But now, under the new covenant, he’s giving us the right to become, (9:30) or the authority to become children of God.

(9:35) To those who believe in his name. (9:40) Those who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, (9:48) nor of the will of man, but of God. (9:55) Now, we have the right to become children of God.

(10:03) It’s our choice. (10:06) Once we believe in Christ, we become children of God. (10:14) But how we believe? (10:19) Well, let’s turn over to John 3. (10:23) The verses that we have, that was read in your hearing.

(10:33) We find that Nicodemus, a man of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus. (10:43) So this man came to Jesus one night and said to him, (10:48) Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God. (10:55) For no one can do these things that you do unless God is with him.

(11:07) Jesus answered and said to him, (11:09) Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (11:23) Nicodemus did not understand this. (11:28) Nicodemus said to him, and I’m reading from the New King James Version.

(11:39) Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? (11:45) Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? (11:54) Nicodemus should have known better than this question he ought to have known. (12:03) But Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (12:22) Now, some people will want to twist this verse and make it apply to the physical birth.

(12:38) But this isn’t what he’s talking about. (12:42) Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water. (12:49) Water is water.

(12:51) That’s what this verse means. (12:55) And the Spirit. (12:59) He cannot enter the kingdom of God.

(13:06) And then they need to read the next verse. (13:11) That which is born of the flesh is flesh. (13:17) And that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

(13:21) And Jesus is saying there is a difference. (13:29) We first was born of the flesh. (13:37) But that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

(13:43) And Jesus is talking about, in verse 5, the spiritual birth. (13:52) When he’s talking about the water. (13:58) Those who agree that water here is referring to the waters of baptism.

(14:09) They agree that and the Spirit. (14:18) This is a spiritual birth. (14:21) That the baptism one goes through, the immersion, that is the one.

(14:32) That is what makes one born again. (14:38) Now, I want to point out that Jesus enters the conversation with Nicodemus in verse 3. (14:56) And he continues his conversation with Nicodemus all the way through to verse 21. (15:10) Now, the reason I’m pointing that out is that verse 16 of John 3, which most everyone is familiar with.

(15:28) And for those who do not really want to believe that baptism is necessary to be born again. (15:41) Or for one to be saved. (15:48) They’ll quote John 3, 16.

(15:54) 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. (16:08) See, it says believe. (16:10) That verse doesn’t have anything to say about baptism.

(16:18) They need to start with verse 3 and verse 5. (16:27) Those verses are included, especially verse 5, includes baptism. (16:37) And as one brother in an argument with another one who said that this didn’t say anything about baptism. (16:54) He said neither does this verse say anything about repentance.

(17:00) Now, are we going to say that we’re not to repent because this verse doesn’t say repent? (17:15) Then that person said, no, but you don’t believe, we’ll need one to repent. (17:24) Yeah, well, she answers her own question. (17:28) Now, he said whoever believes in him, it doesn’t say that will not perish but should not perish.

(17:46) That means that the person that believes needs to do something more than just merely believe or acknowledge that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. (18:05) That whosoever believes in him should not perish. (18:11) There’s something more.

(18:12) And as I said, this is still, he is talking to Nicodemus until he ends the conversation in verse 21. (18:28) Now, we’re going to turn to Galatians 3, 26 and 27. (18:44) I was thinking I had something else written there, but I didn’t.

(18:51) Galatians 3, 26 and 27. (19:06) Ah, Galatians. (19:08) Get in Galatians 3. (19:17) Okay, it starts with verse 26 and says, (19:24) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

(19:34) Yes, it takes faith. (19:38) And yes, he says that you are all sons or we might have, some might say children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (19:55) But we need to read the next verse.

(19:58) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (20:11) You know, it’s very simple that when you put on your clothes, you entered into your clothes. (20:28) If I didn’t have this suit jacket on and I had it off, in order for me to have it on, I wouldn’t necessarily have to put myself into the jacket.

(20:49) And therefore have Christ on. (20:53) And he’s telling these Galatians, that’s what you did. (20:58) You’re children of God.

(21:02) And you put on Christ when you were baptized. (21:09) And you became children of God through faith in Christ. (21:16) But now in Romans 6, 3-4, we’ve got one of them.

(21:29) Read that. (21:32) Romans 6, 3-4. (21:36) Or did you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (21:50) Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death.

(21:57) That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in nearness of life. (22:15) That is after one becomes baptized. (22:21) That sounds like a new verse.

(22:24) We are to walk. (22:27) We are to continue in this life. (22:36) And in order to do that, we must remain faithful to God.

(22:43) For those who would argue that baptism doesn’t have anything to do with salvation, I pray read this verse. (22:59) Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (23:09) What happened at his death? (23:12) He shed his blood. (23:15) And yes, his blood is important, and his blood is what remits our sins, what washes our sins away.

(23:28) And as there was one who wrote a letter once to the church in Welch, West Virginia, where I lived. (23:40) And most of that letter was a rant about the church partaking of the Lord’s Supper. (23:57) But he made a statement within that letter that baptism does not save, the blood of Christ does.

(24:12) Now, he used the churches of Christ partaking of the Lord’s Supper. (24:21) And saying that the churches of Christ, when they partook of the Lord’s Supper, they were toasting Christ’s death. (24:34) But I answered that letter to him, and then after I pointed out to him the difference between making a charge and proving the charge, (24:54) I then made a charge at the end of that letter, because he made a statement that baptism doesn’t save, it is the blood of Christ.

(25:09) I agreed with him that the blood does save, but I made a charge where it says the blood saves, the blood washes our sins away, the blood cleanses us. (25:32) The word baptism said also that it saves us, that baptism cleanses us. (25:45) I said, how can baptism say the same thing that it says that the blood does? (25:53) How can baptism do the same thing? (25:57) Because it puts us where the blood of Christ can wash our sins away.

(26:04) It’s not the water that washes our sins away, it’s the blood of Christ. (26:11) But there are references saying that baptism saves. (26:20) Baptism remits our sins, Acts 2.38, Mark 16, 15, and 16, and also in 1 Peter 3.21, if I’m not mistaken, in 10 Peter.

(26:41) But it says that baptism saves, the blood saves, the blood of Christ cleanses us, baptism cleanses us. (26:56) That’s because it puts us into the dead where the shed blood of Christ is. (27:04) Now, I’m going to conclude this by reading 1 Peter 1, verses 22-25.

(27:20) I’m just going to read it, and then I’m going to make a quick comment, and then give the invitation. (27:30) But, 1 Peter 1, beginning with verse 22. (27:42) Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

(27:58) And Peter is talking to Christians, those who have already, they obey. (28:05) Now listen to what it says, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. (28:25) Because, and here Peter quotes Isaiah 40, verses 6-8.

(28:36) All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of the grass. (28:43) The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. (28:53) Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

(29:04) So, as Christians, those who have been born again, we purify our souls and obey the truth. (29:16) Because we were born again, having been born again through the word of God. (29:28) It is through the word of God that we find out just how we can become children of God.

(29:38) The word is the seed, and it is through the word of God that we are finding, that we can find that out. (29:50) Through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. (29:56) This is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

(30:01) Now, the word of God abides forever. (30:07) What it produces is forever. (30:15) And we shouldn’t want anything else.

(30:18) We should want what is forever. (30:23) This word, this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (30:32) When the gospel is preached to you, that’s the word of God.

(30:38) When the word of God is preached to you, that is the gospel. (30:43) That’s the good news. It should be good news.

(30:47) It should be welcomed as good news. (30:50) That we have our sins cleansed when we obey the truth. (31:00) When we are purified.

(31:03) By obeying it. (31:07) Now, have we been born again? (31:15) And it’s not so much as telling the day and the year as I told it, as I was able to tell it. (31:27) I’m able to associate it with the birth of one of my nieces who has passed away.

(31:36) But, she was born on July 17th. (31:42) And I can remember that day. (31:50) But, now I will give the invitation.

(31:54) Have you been born again? (32:00) Have you been faithful? (32:01) Will you not become those who have been born again? (32:10) You’ve been told what you must do. (32:15) You must believe and be baptized in order to be saved. (32:22) To believe, repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins.

(32:33) And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (32:39) Will you not do this if you haven’t? (32:42) And if you haven’t been as faithful as you should, why not take this opportunity? (32:53) To come forward and let the church pray for you so that you may be restored. (33:02) Yes, we have two births.

Our fleshly birth and our spiritual birth. (33:11) Why not come now if you need to? (33:15) Or if there is anything else that you want to make known to the church. (33:21)