Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Ye Must Be Born Again Pt.1

How are you all doing this morning? Go ahead and turn over to the gospel of John Chapter 3. Pastor Scott's away for this weekend; so we'll have a good time here in the Lord's presence; miss him, but still have a good time in the Lord's presence with His Word. John Chapter 3. I wanted to talk a little bit this morning, and probably again this evening, about the new birth; and refresh our thinking, and refresh our hearts in the miracle that's taken place inside of each one of us if you are truly born again this morning. That new birth is miraculous. It's supernatural. When you begin to study it throughout the Scriptures, it is truly something that boggles the mind. We can never, ever lose site of what we have. What a precious gift Father has given to us in the new birth; that He would come and literally infuse His life into us so as the Scriptures say. We'll take a look at this later that we might be filled with the fullness of God. Can you imagine that? I ask, can you imagine that and the answer is no. None of us really can imagine being filled with the fullness of God. He's so much bigger than our comprehension. Bigger than our understanding. His ways are unsearchable, the Scripture says. Who He is, His person, is just unfathomable, and to think that He can come, and live in our heart. The simplicity of it, the profoundness of it, is just more than we can understand or dare to dream, but yet, it's real. This is what I wanted to refresh your hearts and my heart, as well, in this morning; just the miracle of that new birth.

Here in John Chapter 3 Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and he's stating one of the major purposes for Him coming. One of the major purposes for Him dying and being risen from the dead. He's beginning to unfold this to Nicodemus. Nicodemus is having a hard time grasping it, because he's not born again. But let's jump in at verses 1 and 2. He says, "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." Now, Nicodemus, he's on the right track here. He's made some observations through the power of reasoning, through his own logic, he's coming up with some correct conclusions. But Jesus is going to tell him, that's not good enough. Watch what he says here. He says, Rabbi we know you're a teacher, we've put two and two together, and it comes out four. We've seen these miracles that you do; so therefore the logical conclusion is, God must be with you. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot [what?] see the kingdom of God" (verse 3).

This is something that's critical for our understanding. It's critical for our everyday life as a believer. It's critical for when you confront those that are not saved, and you're witnessing with them, and you're sharing the message of the gospel with them, something that you always need to keep in mind. Except a man be born again, he cannot see. He doesn't see the same things that you see. He doesn't understand the realm that you're living in. Yes, he can put two and two together, and through his own logic and reasoning come up with occasionally some decent conclusions, but Jesus is saying it's not enough. How many people do we know that have tried to enter the kingdom the way Nicodemus is trying to enter here? How many people have tried to enter the kingdom and live in the kingdom through their own logic, through their own reasoning, through their own understanding, "well, maybe if I educate myself more, maybe if I memorize more Scripture, maybe if I spend more hours in prayer, maybe if I do this through my own efforts, I can enter into the kingdom." Jesus is trying to tell Nicodemus, He's saying, "Nicodemus the kingdom of God is so far above human reasoning, it's so far above human endeavor, it's so far above human effort that if you make it in, it's a miracle." There's nothing you can do to not only enter but there's nothing you can do to even see the kingdom of God, it's a supernatural process of being born again. Nothing of man, nothing you can do; what a miracle we have.

You know it's kind of like--I was thinking along these lines, and thinking of our family vacation last year. We went down to Disney, and just for fun, we took one of those classes where an illustrator teaches you how to draw Minnie Mouse. So we were sitting there and drawing Minnie, and I saw Minnie in a way that I've never seen her before. She was just a bunch of lines and circles. How many of you have ever taken an art class like that and you start to draw things? So, this illustrator was taking us through, line upon line, part by part, and all Minnie is, is a bunch of circles and lines. I thought, man this is so simple I could have been drawing Minnie all of my life and just never knew it. Didn't realize how easy it was. I think when you encounter a true artist--and I don't know if this guy was a true artist or not, but he could draw a much better Minnie than I could. You know when a true artist looks at an object, they see things that you and I, or normal people don't see. Just with their eye, they can begin to break down that object into the different textures, shades, lines, figures, curves. They can break it down in simplicity to where now they can draw it. When we look at things, when a normal person looks at things, we don't even see that. You say, "draw that" and we're lost. What we draw ends up being like those--you know, your little three year old comes to you and says, "look what I drew for you." You go, "oh okay, let's see here, maybe ah..." [turning the paper upside down]. "What is this thing?" They say, "it's a horse!" You go, "okay." Now they can see it, but can you see it? No. Maybe they have more faith than we do. Maybe that three year old is operating in a completely different realm. See, a lot of times artists see things in that way. Their eye immediately starts to break down the landscape or the object in terms of lines, and symmetry, and curves, and circles, and it's broken down in such an elementary way that then they can draw, they can reproduce it. You know, a lot of times we think of an artist and we think how skillful their hands are. I wonder if it's really skillful with the hands or skillful with their sight. They just see things that normal people don't see; it's amazing.

I really believe that's what Jesus is referring to here with Nicodemus. You ask me today if I could draw Minnie, I wouldn't even know where to start and a lot of people that we deal with, I think, are in the same realm too. Sitting under that illustrator and sitting next to him, and learning, and seeing through his eyes for a few moments, I got to receive the benefits of his illumination, and I started to see I can do this, I understand this, I see how this works now, but five minutes later I couldn't have done it again out from his presence, out from his illumination. You know, a lot of times we deal with people and when you're talking to them, and you're trying to share with them the truths of the Word of God, some of your illumination starts to rub off, and they start to say, "yeah, that's true, I can start to see that." Then they walk away and five minutes later it's all gone. They're no longer in your presence; they're no longer in the presence of illumination. They're not born again and so they walk away as the dumb rock they were just a moment ago.

This is what Jesus is trying to get through to Nicodemus. He's saying, "look, without being born again you can't even see the kingdom. You have no clue. You can try to enter it. You can try to approach through reasoning, through your own endeavors, through your own efforts, through your own understanding, but it is so far above human grasp that your only hope of entrance is through a supernatural birth, through being born again, that's the only way you have any hope of ever seeing or understanding." "Nicodemus saith unto him, (verse 4) How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and he be born? Jesus answered, (verse 5) Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Now Jesus has stepped it up a notch. He's gone past seeing and now he's talking about entering. Again, he's explaining a little bit deeper the miracle of being born again. That "born of water" is not referring to water baptism.

Look over, keep your finger here, but look over at Titus Chapter 3 verse 5. There's a couple of places in Scriptures that being born of water is made clear; it's made simple. Have you noticed that even when you're born again, you don't understand all the things that there are of God? You begin to see the kingdom of God, you begin to understand some things, it's wonderful, it's life, it's exciting when certain truths are made real to you, but the ways of God are past finding out. He is so awesome in His wisdom, so terrible in His judgments, there's no way that we can ever fully comprehend Him at least not in this state. But in His mercy and His loving kindness he's caused us to be born again and brought into everything we need for life and godliness.

He says here in Titus Chapter 3 verse 5, we're not saved "...by works of righteousness which we have done, but [we're saved] according to his mercy...by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Ephesians 5 says that Jesus cleanses and sanctifies the church with what? The washing of water by the Word. So the new birth is likened to washing. It's likened to that pure water. You know, I've commented on it before. We've come up with all of these chemicals, and detergents, and soaps, and cleaning fluids, but it's still--even with man's best effort--the number one best cleaning agent is pure water, just continual washing, continual cleansing. This is what happens in the new birth: spirit, soul, we are cleansed, everything changes. The dirt, the filth, the stain of sin is washed out. We don't think the way that we used to think. Our motives are all different. Instead of living for ourselves, now we're living for God. Instead of loving ourselves, now we're loving God. Instead of only being interested in how I can advance myself, and how I can take care of myself, now all I'm concerned with is pleasing God. Everything changes; it's because we've been supernaturally washed.

He says here in verse 5 back in John 3, Jesus answered and He said, except a man be born of water, this regeneration, this washing. One of the most important elements of being born again is the fact that you've been washed, that you've been cleansed from your sins. Not just forgiven, but you've been cleansed from the stain of sin, you've been cleansed from the power of sin. Sin no longer rules in your life. You've been washed from your filth, that's what he's saying here. Except a man be born of water and is cleansed, and washed from his own filth. Born of water and of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what comes and facilitates this new birth in us. When you're born of something, what you are born of imparts to you, it's life, and so now we have the life of God living in us.

He says in verse 6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is [what?] spirit." So this is a spirit. It's not a natural birth. It's not a human birth; but it's a birth that originates in our spirit now. So we're changed from the inside out. This is a birth that starts at the very center of our existence, the very center of who we are, the very center of our entity: our spirit man. "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be [what?] born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: [and notice this next phrase] so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (verses 7 and 8). Again he's trying to relate to Nicodemus, "Nicodemus this is something you don't understand, and it's something you can't understand until you are actually ushered into that realm." Because people who are born again operate in a spiritual unseen kingdom, and realm, that unless you are there, you don't understand. It seems completely contrary, backward; it seems idiotic, stupid. In fact, you hate it because it opposes everything that you're trying to do with your life. You're trying to control your life, you're trying to please yourself, and everything that you're hearing from this invisible kingdom is totally contrary to that; so you hate it, you resist it. You're rebellious by nature and so you rebel against anything that comes and brings truth, and demands submission to that truth. But he's saying here, being born again it's like that wind: you don't know where it comes from; you don't know where it's going to; you can't see it; it's invisible. He says so everyone that is born of the Spirit. You can watch someone that's born of the Spirit, let's say, let's pretend for a moment that you're an unsaved person. You're either a heathen or you're religious. You're watching and you're watching the Church, and you're watching people who are truly saved, and you're thinking, "I know how this works, I know what the law says, I can reason like Nicodemus and put two and two together, and come out with some okay conclusions." You start to watch this person who's truly born again, who's truly carried by the Spirit of God, and then the next thing you know, they do just the opposite of what you were expecting. You think, "wait a minute. When I read this thing, what I came up with is something totally different. Why did they do just the opposite of what I was expecting?" Because you're not born again, and the Spirit of God is the Author of their life, the Spirit of God is carrying them, and leading them, you have no understanding what this Book says. You can compute as much as you can with your human mind, but he says here, the Spirit of God is as a wind, it's invisible. You can't see it, you can't recognize it, you can't know it, because you don't live in that realm, because you're not born again. You might think you know what it's all about. You might think you know what the Word says. You might think you know what a Christian should be. You might think you know what God's going to do next, but just like the Lord told Nicodemus, it's so far out of your human grasp, and so far out of your human endeavors, and efforts, you don't even know how far off you are.

He goes on and he says here verse 9, "Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?" "How can I be so far off? Don't you know I'm a ruler of the Jews. If anybody knows about religious things, I do." He's right, he knew about religious things, but he knew nothing of the Spirit of God. "If anybody understands how things like this should work, I should know; I understand the law. I've been taught in the law. How can this be that there's a kingdom, and a realm that I know nothing about?" What's the answer? The answer is you must be born again. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have [what?] seen..." (verses 10 and 11). You see, people who are born again, they know things, and they have seen things that other people can't see, and other people can't know.

You know, there's people--a lot of times we have religious people here in the church, and a lot of times these religious people are tares that stay here for years, and years, and years sometimes. The road isn't always easy for religious people like that. They keep clashing with true believers that are in our midst. They keep clashing with the vision. They keep clashing with the doctrine. They keep trying to do things their own way that they think are the ways of God, but in fact are not. So they keep clashing and the journey for them here is bumpy. They don't understand and like Nicodemus they say, how can these things be. I know what I'm doing I've been taught for years; I know the Word of God. The fact of the matter is, you're not even in the same realm. You're not even in the same world. You don't have the same Lord. The kingdom of God is nothing that can be apprehended by human comprehension or efforts. It is supernatural, being supernaturally transported into an invisible kingdom. Unless that's happened, you don't know anything of what you're talking about. That's why it's so interesting, you know, from time to time we have to deal with people in the world. They say, "I thought this was a church, I thought you were a Christian, you shouldn't act like that." Well, how do you know? You're not even in the same world I'm in. Who are you to tell me how I should act as a Christian? Now when they say they want you to act like a Christian, what they mean is, they want you to roll over, play dead and be their door mat so that they can walk all over you. That's what they're expecting. They don't understand the convictions that we're willing to die for and that we're not afraid to stand up and speak the truth. So a lot of times that causes a great offense and they don't understand, because they're not of the same world.

Look what Jesus says here in verse 11. "...We speak that [which] we do [what?] know, and we testify that [which] we have seen; [But what's the conclusion?]...ye receive not our witness." "Nicodemus you and I can look at the very same exact thing, and what we walk away with, what we see, is opposite. Nicodemus we can hear the exact same word and what you hear will be totally opposite from what I hear. We are a whole kingdom apart and in fact the kingdom you're of, is opposing the kingdom I love. There's constant battle, there's constant warfare in the heavenlies between the two kingdoms."

Look over a few chapters at John Chapter 10. We see it here again in John Chapter 10 verse 22. "And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us [what?]..." Now see what they were saying was, "tell us plainly, tell us in language we can understand, cause we can't understand anything that you're saying Jesus. Now come on, stop talking in that heavenly language and start talking to us in terms and words that we understand." Doesn't that drive people crazy when you do that? You know, it reminds me of that years and years ago, some of us were subpoenaed into a trial. Into something that was going on here. The church wasn't on trial, but some of us were subpoenaed in as witnesses. Pastor Scott was on the stand. If you remember, every time the lawyer asked him, you may have heard tell the story, he answered with a Scripture. Really frustrated the lawyer. The lawyer told the judge, "judge can't you tell him to answer these questions in plain language instead of using these Scriptures?" The judge did a wise thing. He told the lawyer he said, "look this is how they govern themselves. This is their life. This is what they believe and live; so, you're just going to have to accept his answers." But it really frustrates people. They don't understand. They can't comprehend how you can give your life away, and you've stopped living for yourself. That's all the world knows how to do, is live for themselves. They don't know how you can lay down your pride and your selfishness, and live for Jesus, and Jesus alone. It doesn't compute and they get angry at it, it irritates them. Here the Jews, they're getting irritated and they say, "tell us plainly we can't understand that heavenly talk. Yeah it's the same verbiage, it's the same language we speak, but you're speaking from a totally different realm."

Look at verse 25. "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not..." "I did tell you, I told you plainly in the only language that I knew how to explain it. I told it to you the same way my heavenly Father tells me in the same language he speaks and ye believed what? Not." Verse 26 "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them..." There's a relationship. The same heart is beating in both the sheep and the Shepherd. There's communion and when the voice of the Shepherd rings out, the sheep recognize the voice, because they know the Person behind the voice; they know the Heart of the Person behind the voice. There's a kindred spirit. Their spirits have been unified in the new birth process. So, when the voice of the heavenly Father speaks, when the voice of Jesus speaks, their heart leaps within them, because it's the voice of their Father. It's the voice of their Master, and it's because of this supernatural induction into the kingdom. "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and [they do what?] 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" (verses 27 and 28). Verse 31 "Then the Jews took up stones again..." To do what?

When you're born again, you are supernaturally transported into a realm that will cause people to hate you, and want to kill you. They hate you because they can't understand it; it's beyond their comprehension. They hate you, because what you have is beyond their grasp. They know there's no way they can attain to it by their own efforts. They hate it because the laws that now govern you, the laws of love, the laws of laying down one's life, the laws of submission and obedience, those laws run totally contrary to their rebellious nature, and so they hate you, you're a threat to them. Your obedience, to them, is a token of their coming judgment because they're disobedient. Every time they see you obey the Lord, they know that one day they will be judged for disobeying. So they hate your obedience. They take up stones and they want to kill you. "Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me" (verse 32)? They were stoning Him because they couldn't understand His words. They hated the kingdom that he was operating in.

Look back a couple of chapters at Chapter 8; we'll just pick out a couple of verses from there. John Chapter 8, verse 37 says it so clearly. The Jews are wanting to make a big deal that they were Abraham's seed. In verse 37 Jesus says, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but you seek to kill me, because my word hath [what?] no place in you." My word brings repentance. My word brings brokenness of heart. My word demands submission and obedience. My word demands that you lay down your life. My word demands that you sell all you have and give into the ministry and you can't see that. You can't see and understand because your heart is not right. "I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with [what?] your father" (verse 38). And he's not talking Abraham, is he? He's talking about the devil. He's going to go on in verse 44 and say, you're of your father the devil. But look at verse 43, "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word." We're in two different realms, two different worlds.

Look over at I John Chapter 5. What we've been trying to say here, so far this morning, the new birth has an understanding, and a language all to itself. Christian people sounded crazy to you until you became one of them. Then, when you became one of them, you thought, "oh I understand now, I see what they were talking about all those years. They were sharing the gospel with me." Here in I John Chapter 5, the apostle John is talking about the new birth. In verse 18 he says, "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not..." Verse 19, "...we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." Then look at verse 20, and this is the point that we've been trying to make, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us [what?]...an understanding..." There's an understanding that comes with being born again. There's an understanding that comes with that supernatural induction into the kingdom of God, the new birth; that we may know Him that is true, and that we are in Him that is true. Without that supernatural induction into the kingdom, Jesus said, you can't even see the kingdom. Let alone understand it, let alone enter it. So there's a supernatural understanding. There's a certain language that born again people have that other people just simply don't understand. They in fact will hate you for it and want to kill you. Those that the Spirit of God is drawing, we know what happens.

How many of you realize that when you go and minister to a religious person or to a heathen, to any type of an unsaved person, all you're doing is throwing out seed to see if there's a sparkle of interest, to see if there's a gleam of light that comes into the eye? Forget about going to them and trying to talk them into anything. It's beyond their grasp; it's beyond their comprehension. Unless they're supernaturally drawn, they will never come. So when you're ministering to someone, you're not trying to debate. You're not trying to justify anything. You're not trying to talk them into anything. You're not trying to explain anything; you simply state the truth in it's simplicity. If the Spirit of God is drawing, they will latch on to the bait. When they do--how many of you know when you've got a fish on the line that's grabbed onto the bait, you don't dive into the pond and keep chasing fish around the pond? You take the fish that latch onto the bait. At least if you're smart. If you try to chase the fish, there's a good chance you'll never catch any of them. But if you drop the bait and let the hungry ones come, that's being a fisher of men. Those are the people that God is drawing, and those are the people that have the illumination working in their heart, so you don't go and try to debate. That's why Pastor's mentioned many times that Christian apologetics are kind of, you know. Is there really a place for it? We're not trying to debate with anybody. We speak the truth and if they have ears to hear, they will come. If not, they will misunderstand you, hate you, and want to kill you at some point. So it has a language all to itself.

Look over at John Chapter 14. I want to show you another aspect of the new birth this morning. Then tonight we'll continue on. The new birth has an understanding, it has a language all to itself. I want you to see here that in John Chapter 14 that the new birth is a supernatural invasion of your body. The invasion of the "body snatchers" or something along those lines. We could get real creative here. But this is something that's very important for you to see here in John Chapter 14 verse 8. "Philip saith unto him, Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Verse 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me [has what?] hath seen the Father..." There's something that you really begin to see in Jesus' life that was real to Him. Jesus was always very conscious that the Father was living in Him and I want to ask you a question this morning. You, who say you are born again, how conscious are you that Jesus is living inside of you? Are you conscious of His presence? Are you conscious of His Spirit? When he stirs, does it stir you? When he's speaking in that still small voice within your spirit, do you hear it? Are you really born again? Jesus walked in a continual consciousness that he was not alone, but that he was inhabited by His Father. The new birth is nothing less than a supernatural invasion of your body by the Lord Jesus Himself. That's a very important part. Years ago we had an elder here and just so happened that this elder was one of the leaders of a covert rebellion. That sounds like something you'd make a movie out of. It wasn't quite that dramatic, but that was literally what it was. He was moving in a very seditious way against Pastor. I can remember him saying on a couple of different occasions, he said, "you know, the new birth is nothing more than just a change of mind. The new birth is just a new way of thinking." I'm here to tell you this morning that's a lie. The new birth is a miracle; it's not just a new way of thinking. It's not just a new attitude. The new birth is nothing less than Jesus invading your soul, taking up residence, living inside of your heart, that's what it's all about.

You remember that old chorus, that old hymn, we used to sing?

"He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way

He live, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart."

(Words and music by Alfred H. Ackley)

Such a simple truth, yet it saves your soul. It's the plan of God. It's the miracle of God. It's the new birth: it's being born again. It's what being born again is all about. He says here in John Chapter 14, Philip, if you've seen me you've seen the Father, because My Father lives in me. Look here at verse 10. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that [what?] dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." As you go through your daily life and your daily routine, are you aware of Jesus living in you, and not only in you, but through you? How aware are you of the Spirit of God giving you that supernatural energy to accomplish your tasks? How aware are you of the peace of God guiding your steps? You know, we get so uptight and so frantic, and so anxious, and so worried, and so fearful. There's no place for that when Jesus is living through you. You're walking by a supernatural power. Jesus--one of the reasons, one of the main reasons, Jesus came here to the earth and died for your sins and rose again, was to duplicate in you what he had in this life. What he had in this life was being inhabited by His Father, and now he wants to inhabit you. How aware are you of that? Jesus said, I don't speak to you of myself, the Father that lives in me, He does the works. Are you aware of the indwelling presence, as much as Jesus was aware on a day by day basis?

Verse 11. "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works' sake." He goes down and He talks about His departure. Look at verses 16 and 17. He says, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it [what?] seeth Him not..." We're right back to the Nicodemus thing. This Spirit of truth, this invisible kingdom, doesn't operate in the same world and realm that they live in. They can't receive it, they don't know Him. But Jesus says, "... but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be [where?] in you..." (verse 17). Jesus wanted to duplicate His awareness of the Father's indwelling; He wants to duplicate that in you. He wants you to walk in the same awareness, the same presence that he did. He says in verse 18, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." You know how he came to us? He comes to us in the person of the Holy Spirit living in our heart. "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall [what?] live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and [what?] I in you" (verse 19).

Look over, just three chapters, at John Chapter 17. What does this afford us? Okay, we've got God living inside of us now. The new birth is not only a supernatural induction into the kingdom of God; but the new birth is now also a supernatural invasion of Christ now living in us, we're no longer alone. They talk funny about people, who have two different entities living inside one body, but we're not 'schizo', are we? People think we are. They think we're that crazy, but this is a reality. Jesus living inside of you, should be a tangible, recognizable force, an entity. Brothers, sisters, heathen alike, should be able to look at you and see Jesus living through you. John Chapter 17, let's start at verse 20. He says, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Verse 21, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us..." Look at verse 23. "I in them, and thou in me..." Now think about that for a moment. He's in us and the heavenly Father is in Him that they may be made perfect, in what? One. You are made perfect in this union, this perfect union with the Father, and not only with the Father, but with the rest of those who believe. The same God that's living in me, hopefully is living in you. Do you realize that this morning? The union that I have with another born again person is eternally stronger than natural blood relations. It's a relationship that will last; it's a bond that will last for all of eternity. Jesus is saying here that they may be made perfect in one. You are made perfect by Jesus coming and taking up residence in your temple. Because when he comes and takes up residence in your temple, you now have all things that pertain unto life and godliness resident within you. There is nothing lacking, there is nothing else you need to make you entirely complete and whole before God. Everything you need for salvation, everything you need for life and godliness has now been deposited within you. That's what he's saying here, they're made complete, perfect in one.

Look over at Ephesians Chapter 3. Ephesians Chapter 3 goes into more explicit detail as Paul here is talking. Chapter 3 verse 14. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." What we're going through now is important. We probably won't get to the conclusion of it until this evening, but at least I will have led you up to the climax. We'll take care of that this evening. He says in verse 16, I'm praying for you, I'm bowing My knees, in verse 16, "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory..." My gracious! Riches of His glory! How much glory does He have? Infinite. How much riches does His glory have? Infinite. Can't be numbered, unfathomable. He's saying I'm praying that you would be strengthened with might, Dunamis power, by His Spirit, where? "...in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith..." (verses 16 and 17). That Christ may dwell in your heart. Now, see this is something. The world reads this and laughs at it. That's stupid. How can anybody come and live in your heart? They don't understand, do they? They're not in the same kingdom we are. They're not in the same world that we are. How do I know he lives? Because he lives in my heart. "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in [what?] love" (verse 17). See, when Father comes and invades the temple of your body, and deposits in you everything that makes you complete, and whole, and deposits within you all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and so that now you're made perfect in that union of the new birth. When that occurs in your life, that is Father's love being poured out to you. He comes and invades the temple of your body because he loves you. He lives within you in His fullness because He loves you, and He wants to pour Himself out to you. When He deposits within you all things that pertain unto life and godliness, it's His love being poured out to you.

It says that love causes you to be rooted and grounded. How many of you have been in the midst of a trial or a great storm in your life and you experienced that anchor of your soul? You were immovable; you were grounded. You weren't carried away by fear and by anxiousness. You weren't tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but you stayed solid. It had nothing to do with you. It was the fact that you had this anchor in your soul. You were grounded in His love. There was a strength within you that came up out of your spirit that was stronger than the circumstances. There was a peace that rose up out of your heart that passed understanding, that was greater than the fear. It gave you courage to move on. That's what being rooted and grounded in love is all about. When the tempter comes and tries to entice you to sin, you say, no, I'm not moving. What I have in my heart is far more precious, far more thrilling than anything you could ever offer me. So get behind me. We're rooted and we're grounded in that love of the new birth. He says, I'm praying for you that you "May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and the depth, and the height" (verse 18). He says I'm praying for you that you might "...know the love of Christ..." (verse 19). You'll never know the love of Christ without being born again, without that supernatural deposit of His person. When he comes and lives in your heart, that love just breaks you, doesn't it? To know that someone could love you so much, to know that someone could love you so unconditionally, you never thought it was possible.

You never dreamed that anybody could love you so much, but now you know, because it's resident within you. You experience it everyday day now. You walk in His love as you walk in the new birth. Paul is praying and saying, I'm praying that you know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. You'll never understand how someone could love you so much. But, he says, as Christ dwells in your heart by faith, as you're rooted and grounded in this love, as you begin to know, and experience, and walk in the love of Christ in this new birth experience, he says, then I'm praying that you might be filled. With what? All the fullness of God. You'll never be filled with His fullness until you understand how much He loves you. You'll never know how much He loves you until He lives in your heart and your eyes have been opened, and you start to walk in that invisible kingdom. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that [what?] worketh in us" (verse 20). Such a simple principle: Jesus living in my heart. How many times do we teach that to our children, but do we walk in the power of it everyday? Do we walk in the comprehension, in the realization, in the awareness? Do we indeed practice the presence of God as we've been taught?

Look over at II Corinthians Chapter 5 and we'll end it with this. This verse is the flagship for the new birth; what everybody looks to. It would be a good place to stop for this morning. II Corinthians, Chapter 5, verse 17 describes for us a little bit about this invasion that takes place. Verse 17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new [what?] creature..." The word there could be creation. When you look it up in Strong's, you'll see that it literally means "the original formation." It's talking about a creation; it could be a living creation such as a plant or animal or person. It was also used in the Greek language to refer to a building. You know a building that someone built or created. But, when it speaks here, it's talking about the original formation. What it's saying here is that if any man be in Christ, when you're born again, when this supernatural induction into His kingdom takes place, and when that supernatural invasion of His person takes place into your heart, you become a new creation. When you understand this word properly, you understand that he's talking about the fact that it's not a cover up, it's not a patch job, it's not a remodeling job. It's not that you're going into this building and taking out this wall, or putting in this wall, or putting in some new carpeting or paint. That has nothing to do with it. We're talking about the building being completely gutted.

What he's saying here when he's saying that he is a new creation, he is saying that nothing of the old can remain. Everything becomes new. You can't even use the old foundation and the old footers; they even have to be repoured. Nothing of the old is allowed to remain. He is a new creation starting with the original formation. Nothing is just fixed up or patched. Old things are passed away and behold, how many things? All things are become new. Now that is a miracle. But how many of you--I've talked to many of you and heard your testimony, and the testimonies are wonderful. It always goes along the lines, "before I was saved I was a alcoholic, or before I was saved I did this or I did that, and I talked like that." The next thing you know, you got born again and you were a totally different person. Didn't think the way you used to think. Didn't see things the way you used to see them. Didn't respond the way you used to respond to things. Everything in life was different. Everything in life changed. Nothing was allowed to remain the same. You say, "yeah but if I look at myself today, I've got a lot of that old stuff still in there." Yeah, we all do, but God's not through yet. In this new creation process as you're walking in it, and walking through it, nothing will be allowed to remain. You are completely done over, from the foundation and footers up. One day, we'll even shed this body, and this body will be recreated into that incorruptible body, that glorious body. He says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new, and all things are of who? God.

Let's bow before the Lord this morning. Father, as we stand before you this morning, there's no way that we could ever thank you enough for what you've done. There's no way that we could thank you for the preciousness of what you've given us. As you spoke to Nicodemus, we understand that this new birth is entirely out of our grasp. It's nothing we attain to, it's nothing we strive for, it's nothing that initiates in us, it's the work of God. Father, we say this morning, we want to be in your kingdom. Though we'll be hated and despised by this world, we want to be transported out of the kingdom of darkness, and we want to be transported into your kingdom of light this morning. No matter what the cost; we just want to be with you. Father, when You speak we want our heart to leap for joy. We want to hear Your voice. We want to bow our knee in surrender, and in submission. So, Father, we hear the words of your Son this morning, you must be born again. Father, we say, we want to be. We want to live in the power of the new birth. We've experienced the new birth and we want to walk in it more. You said that we're made complete in this union of being born again. We have everything we need to live godly in this life. The nature of God has been deposited in our soul. Help us, Father, to never despise it or take it for granted. Stir our hearts and refresh us today, Father, to live in the power of what you've given us. Thank you for invading us. Thank you for coming to live in us. We pray that our temples would be holy temples that are pleasing to you, and we thank you in Jesus name, amen.

Let's stand before the Lord and worship Him before we go. If you look at the life of Jesus, time after time he said, it's not Me, it's the Father who lives in Me. Don't you want to walk in that awareness and in that conscientiousness? Oh, Father, help us to stop going stubbornly on our own way, and cause us to wait upon Your Presence so that we do walk in that awareness. Let's sing it together. "Change my heart oh God..." Father, we give you the praise. Father, we do worship you.

Talk about miracles! I just wanted to let you know, take advantage of Pastor being away this morning and let you know that on April the 8th in the evening service, we're going to be having a celebration for the twenty-five years of being on this property. You talk about a miracle. As I've been going back personally through some of the history, and something that Pastor has shared on old tapes, and recent tapes, it's a miracle that we're here. It's a miracle that we're still here twenty-five years later. The reason why I say take advantage of Pastor being away, he knows we're doing something, but we're trying to keep it as much of a surprise for him as possible. But I wanted you to know, so that you can plan on that date. Plan on being in town. The evening service we'll have a celebration during the evening service, and then a reception following. But, it should be just a real joyful time rejoicing in what God has done, and rejoicing in where He's planted us. Absolute miracle! Hopefully that will become very clear that night as we pass along to you some of the history of where we've been. Well, God bless you. We'll see you. Keep that date in mind. We'll see you tonight for service. Thank you.

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