You Must Be Born Again
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of 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. – John 3:5-6
1. To be born again means that a person has accepted Jesus Christ into their heart, and they have gone through a natural change as well as a spiritual change. A person will no longer practice sin or be dead in their sins, but they have crossed over from death to life. John 5:24
a. You must first believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and accept him as your savior (the moment of true faith towards Jesus Christ a person if sealed with the Holy Ghost)
-That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be save. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
b. After a person comes to believes repentance immediately follows Acts 2:38
c. After true repentance a person is then to be baptized by being immersed in water
2. A person must be born of water and the spirit. Just being baptized by water will not get you into heaven. It is the spirit that gives life not the water.
a. Being born of the water means that a person will be fully submerged under water in the name of the Father, son and Holy spirit.
b. Water baptism is an outward confession to the world of your faith in Jesus and a physical appearance of what’s happening on the inside of you.
c. We as believers must get water baptized because Jesus got water baptized, but the water baptism by itself does not mean a person is born again. In some situations, water baptism is not necessary to salvation.
-Matthew 3:16 -Luke 23:40-43
3. Being born again is a two-part process that is essential to the believer’s life.
a. When we go under the water during baptism, we are physically burying our old man, and when we raise out the water, we are physically resurrecting our new man with Jesus Christ. …. Just as Christ was raised from the dead so are, we. - Romans 6:3-10
b. When the holy spirit baptizes you or fills you, he seals you and you permanently belong to God.
-In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise. Ephesians 1:13
4. When a person is born again, they have receive new a life with new benefits and there is evidence that they are no longer the same as they used to be.
a. After you are born again you receive a new identity and a new family. You are no longer the person you used to be neither do you desire to be the same way.
-Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
b. We receive everlasting victory and freedom from sin and Satan.
-whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him and he cannot sin, because he is born of God 1 John 3:9
c. Being born of the spirit of God means that you have an unbreakable bond with God.
-My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:27-28
5. The only way to know if a person is born again is by examining the fruit the person is producing and by testing the spirit of the person.
-Either make the tree good and his fruit good or make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt. For the tree is known by its fruit. Matthew 12:33
-beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 john 4:1
a. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7)
b. Everyone who is born of God does not Practice sin (1 John 5:18)
c. Everyone who is born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4)
d. Everyone who is born of God is led by the Spirit of God and are the sons of God (John 10:27)
e. Desire the things of the kingdom and Hope for those things to come (1 john 3:2-3)
f. Nature and character changes (Galatians 2:20)
6. The Holy Spirit is what separates you from the world and convicts you. (John 6:63) In order to receive the Holy spirit along with the promises and benefits we must be born again. The first step to being born again is having faith towards Jesus and repenting of your sins.
-But without Faith it is impossible to please God, for he that come to God must believe that He IS, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6
a. Faith is the cause of our victory
b. It’s the instrument or the tool that you need and it’s what God operates by.
c. Faith sanctifies the Christian
d. Faith causes the believers to see the conduct of Christ on the earth
e. Christ was our living example only by faith
f. We walk by faith and not by sight – 2 Corinthians 5:7