The Law & The Gospel | Week 6

Let me let me add my welcome to each of you this morning and to

any of you that might be visiting with us today.

My name is is Steve, I'm one of the Elder candidates here at New

Life. Did everybody enjoy their spring

break this week? Yeah.

Oh no. Oh no.

Oh how terrible? So is everybody ready to go back

to school tomorrow. I didn't think so.

I didn't think so. Well, I've got something to tell

you that happened to me this week.

You know, I've always always try to do some kind of

self-deprecating humor before I get started.

Let me tell you, a little, something that happened to me

this week on spring break. L, don't know me?

I have two adult children and how they ever got to adulthood.

I really don't know, but but they did, but Week Sondra and

Megan had something that they had to do really early one

morning. So so cult and Kenley spent the

night with Sondra not. So Sondra and Megan get up

really early and take off to go do what they've got to do and

they left me with Colton kindling, I kept them by myself

for four hours. Now, I do need to tell you this.

They were asleep three of those hours.

Okay? So so they get up and I've got

to my job, is to take them to my sister-in-law's, who is going to

keep them until Sondra and Megan gets back.

So so they wake up and we're getting ready.

And what I didn't know was apparently, Ali Saundra had had

a conversation with cold the night before and said, now

you're going to have to help paw with getting everything ready.

So so cult we're getting ready to you know, we get Kenley up

and get diapers changed. We get all that stuff, done.

And Colt comes in as just don't forget the milk.

Then he comes back and he says, don't forget the backpack and

I'm looking at him and I said, how do you know what Gigi told

me to remind you of all this stuff so between Colton died, we

took care of Kenley, didn't we? Buddy?

Thank you so much for your help. But anyway, I thought that was

that was my big moment for this week.

I kept the kids for four hours and you all that know, me know,

that is a huge deal because I'm never going to be grandparent of

the year. Don't get me wrong.

Now I love my grandkids. I do I love them dearly but I

like it a whole lot better when somebody else has got

responsibility for them and if they're they're swinging on

somebody else's ceiling fan or something kid and kids don't

kill their. Don't don't do that.

I'm just I'm playing. So anyway that was that was my

excitement for the week. Now that to get serious for just

a sec. I mentioned to you a minute ago

that that I'm an elder candidate here and one of the things that

that I realized when when I felt God put that on my heart.

Was that you how if I was going to do this?

If I was going to Aspire to be an elder, I want it to be

totally open and honest with you guys and I want you to know that

that I covet your prayers, always, but I especially covet

your prayers do. During this process, I'm

grateful to the leadership here for helping through helping me

through what is probably been one of the most humbling yet.

Edifying, processes that that I've ever been through.

It's been overwhelming at times. But there are days when I am

absolutely totally certain that, this is what God wants me to do.

Without a question. And then there's other days

where I think, what am I doing? What what, what am I doing?

If my age up here, trying to put to put together a sermon and

stand in front of you guys and and preach to you, what?

God's truths are, what am I doing?

but then, I look at the broken sinful world that our kids are

are in and that we're leaving for our kids and grandchildren

and it makes and it really makes me realize that God still got

work for me to do. It doesn't matter your age.

It doesn't matter. Your place in life.

I don't have the ability of my own to do anything to fix

anything, but I do know that there are small things that I

can do when I follow God's lead that they can help.

So here I am again, standing up here asking for your prayers.

Your patience with me as I seek to, as best.

I know how to, to share with you what God has has laid on my

heart for this week. The Sprite.

Father. I love you.

I thank you for being the very definition, the very essence of

Love, of Grace of Mercy. father, I thank you that that you can

use us, no matter what our state in life is to help build your

kingdom. I'm humbled.

Father, that said, I I have this opportunity this morning.

Father, I pray that you filled me with your spirit.

Allow me to think, clearly. Allow me to speak clearly and

boldly. I pray that I'm able to share

the truths that you have shown me about this passage And I pray

that that. This passage is, is crystal

clear. So that if there's anybody here

today, that doesn't know you. That before they leave today

that they will understand what being born again really means.

I ask all this in Jesus name. Amen, thank you.

Okay, we're ready to get started.

Okay. Okay.

So the big idea for today or what I'd like for you to walk

away with today. Is a better understanding that

God's regenerative work brings new life to our hearts, through

the Spotless cleansing of the Holy Spirit.

You say that again? God's regenerative work brings

new life. To our hearts through the

Spotless cleansing of the Holy Spirit.

Now, this morning, we're going to continue our Series in John

3, entitled, the law in the gospel, you must be born again

for the last several weeks. We've looked at this.

And we've looked at this meeting between Nicodemus, and Jesus.

And you're probably thinking again. yes, we're going to look

at it again because this is different than studies that we

may have done in the past where we take chunks of scripture and

we spend time dissecting that and seeing what God is saying in

that chunk of scripture. But in this part of John 3,

there is so much in each word. Each phrase in these verses that

there's just no way. The, we can take that is at one

time, you just be overwhelming to try to understand.

So, just like that old saying, how do you eat an elephant one

bite at a time? That's what we're going to do.

So, The over the last few weeks. Colin Jasper, have done an

awesome job unpacking verses 1 through 4 for us even and now We

putting all my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm going to try my best to do the same for verse 5 so that's

where we're going to be this morning is in John 3 verse 5 but

John 3:5

since these verses build upon themselves we're going to we're

going to back up again. Just like we have and we're

going to start in the chapter previous in Chapter 2 will start

in verse 23 because that kind of sets up everything that we're

going to talk about. So, let's look at John to

starting in verse 23. We're says now when he was in

Jerusalem at the Passover, feast many believed in his name, when

they saw the signs that he was doing, The Jesus on his part,

didn't did not entrust them to him, because he knew all the

people and no one and needed. No one to Bear witness about

man. For he himself knew what was in,

man. So continuing in chapter 3,

verse 1. Now there was a man of the

Pharisees named Nicodemus. A ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know

that you are a teacher come from God.

God for no one. Can do these signs that you do

unless it is with him, Jesus answered him.

Truly, truly, I say to you. Unless one is born again, he

cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a

man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into

his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, truly.

Truly, I say to you. Unless one is born of water and

the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

So quick review. Jesus in Jerusalem for the

Passover. Now let's talk about the

Passover for just a second. We know that when when Jesus

opened God led the Israelites out of Egypt.

They celebrated the first Passover meal and during that

time that they were in the desert.

God gave them seven feasts that they were to observe and I will

say this if you have never taken a look at those seven.

Feasts in detail they are amazing.

They are a types and shadows of Jesus to come and the the

relationship is just absolutely amazing.

But Passover was a festive occasion.

It was a celebration of Israel's released from Egyptian bondage.

And if we if we take a look at those feasts it gives us a

better understanding of why the Jews thought the way they did

and the will and the reason that they still think the way they

do. To me, if we don't get our minds

wrapped around the Jewish thought process and the thought

process of that day, when we're when we're reading scripture, we

kind of miss something. So I want to kind of give you an

idea of what Jerusalem looked like during that Passover feast.

As best we can tell. Now you can always find

different numbers but it's best. We can tell Jerusalem during

that time would have been about 230 acres in size.

And it's normal population would have been somewhere around

25,000. So that's still a lot of people

25,000 230 Acres. That's a lot.

So, so even on a normal day in Jerusalem, it's busy.

Now, Josephus, who was the first century Roman Jewish historian,

he places the number of those attending Passover at 2 million,

Now Josephus is known to kind of stretch things and kind of twist

things a little bit. So I did a little bit more

research and found that other really a more realistic.

Number may have been somewhere around 500,000.

But we're still think about that.

We're going from a typical population of 25,000 to all of a

sudden within the week or two leading up to Passover.

We've got a half a million people in town.

So, even if you take the lower estimate of 500,000 and not

Josephus has two million, that would mean that every house in

town. Every hotel in town.

Every Motel 6, every Airbnb. Every palm leaf covered Hut,

would have been full of people, and you're not going to be able

to get that many people inside the walls of Jerusalem.

So they would have even been camped outside of the walls.

And remember to that, each one of those families had come to

Jerusalem to sacrifice a lamb. So each one of those families

were keeping a lamb for that week, leading up to that Friday

when the Lambs were sacrificed. and then, on top of all that

we've got Roman soldiers there Because there would have been a

Garrison of Roman soldiers there because Rome is not about to let

this many Jews get together in one place at one time without

having some sort of control to keep from having a having an

uprising or a riot. so I think it's safe to say that during

this time, Jerusalem was chaotic, Of course, Jesus being

in Jerusalem was very well-known.

So we have to assume that he was also surrounded constantly by

people. So, try to wrap your head around

this. The fact that Nicodemus was

actually able to find Jesus In that crowd of people.

Was pretty amazing. But then for them to be able to

find a place where it was quiet enough for them.

To have this type of conversation that we talked

about over the last few weeks that to me is nothing but of

miracle of God. Because it was It was a parent.

that that was the time and the place for Jesus and Nicodemus to

have that eternally significant conversation, So now, keep all

that in mind as we remember now that Nicodemus is a Pharisee,

he's thoroughly schooled. And in all the Jewish faith,

he's probably got most of the Old Testament committed to

memory. And he begins his conversation

with Jesus by admitting that. No one could do the things that

he does without being from God. And as Kyle mentioned in his

sermon, that's a huge step for Nicodemus to take Jesus then

goes on to tell Nicodemus that he must be born again.

Which Nicodemus doesn't understand.

And he is. He's trying to get Nicodemus to

understand what salvation. Right?

So now we come to our Focus this morning which is verse 5.

Let me read that again. Truly truly, I say to you unless

one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the

kingdom. So, while you're right there,

looking at verse 5, go back up a couple of verses that look at

verse 3. Which antidote is that those two

verses are almost identical. There's just a couple of

differences. In verse 3, Jesus tells

Nicodemus that he must be born again.

And in verse 5, he says he must be born of water and the spirit,

the only other difference is is that Jesus in verse three

dimensions or says to see the kingdom of God.

But in verse 5, he says enter the kingdom of God So is Jesus

just being redundant here? Is he just saying the same

thing? Again, I don't think so.

Let's say let's take the quick one first and let's look at just

the use of the word, see and the use of the word enter.

Now I'm a pretty simple minded guy and and to me the words, see

and enter are totally different words but during all the

preparation that I did for the Sermon today I looked at all of

the commentaries that the really smart guys, right?

And they didn't have very much to say about this.

So I texted Kyle and I said, hey, am I confused here?

Am I missing something here? What's the deal with this?

So Kyle had already, he had looked at this also, he'd

noticed it also And even in his study, what he found was that

these two words are just used in this case synonymously.

In other words, the scholars seem to put no importance in the

difference between the use of these two words.

So don't get confused between those two.

Now, let's move on. And look at the use of Born

Again, In verse 3, and born of water and spirit.

In verse 5, the you've you've heard in the last couple weeks

that we have used Steven Lawson's book New Life In Christ

and I'll do that quite a bit this morning Lawson has a really

keen understanding of the concept of regeneration and his

comments Make it very helpful to you to understand.

But Lawson says, The new birth. Not the new birth, does not

simply repackage the exterior of our life.

Merely restructuring the outside of our life, but not changing on

the inside is like, putting a Band-Aid on terminal cancer.

It would be like rearranging the deck furniture on a sinking

ship. Such behavior modification,

would be only a superficial approach to the problem, what is

needed to alter the Interior of our souls is the work of God in

regeneration. The new birth makes us entirely

new people from the inside out. It removes our old unbelieving,

heart and implants a new heart that believes but before God

places a new heart within a person, he must cleanse the soul

stain. The sin-stained soul, he will

not place a clean heart inside a filthy soul.

Cleaning us up on the inside. Brothers and sisters boys and

girls is an eternally important part of the work of God in the

in our general regeneration. In our new birth Now, all of

this happens simultaneously, it's like two sides of the same

coin. This act is a Divine

metaphorically described. This Divine Act is described as

God, pouring water on our souls in Washington clean.

So, let's focus for a, for a moment, on the statement.

Just, unless one is born of water and spirit, what's the

meaning of water here? How are we to understand being

born of water? Whatever the meeting is, it's

obviously important because Jesus begins his statement in

verse 5. Just as he did, in verse three

saying, truly, truly, I say to you, or as we would say, Hey,

Hey, Hey, listen up, this is important.

I'm telling you, the truth. Now, some take this reference to

water to mean the water that is in the amniotic fluid that comes

from the mother during childbirth, but this is not

mentioned anywhere else in Scripture.

Others interpret this water as referring to water baptism.

However, scripture does not require baptism as a requirement

for salvation. Paul writes in Romans, 10:13 for

everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

He also says, in Galatians 2 verse 8, for by Grace, you have

Galatians 2:8

been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God, not as a result of works.

So that no man can boast And also Titus 3 beginning in verse

4. But when the goodness and

loving, kindness of God, our savior appeared, he saved us.

Not because of Works done by us in righteousness, but according

to his own Mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of

the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through.

Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Nothing we can do nor any amount

of water can wash away our sin. Only the inner working of the

Holy Spirit, cleans, the soul, Baptism is an important step of

obedience after salvation, but is not a requirement of sin.

Excuse me. Not a requirement for salvation.

You say that again so we don't Baptism is an important step of

obedience after salvation, but is not a requirement for

salvation. There are others who believe

that this mention of water is a reference to the word of God,

which is possible. But those smart guys that I

mentioned earlier in their commentaries, Believe that water

here is best understood just as a symbol a sign, a

representation of the inner cleansing of the soul, in the

New Birth, the miracle of regeneration.

In verse 3, Nicodemus is told that he must be born again but

that's not the whole process. The process of regeneration is

not complete. Until his soul, is washed clean

by the Holy Spirit. There's nothing Supernatural

about water. but his use of the term here is so that we in our

humanness Can better understand the concept of getting clean and

restoration. There is no analogy used here

for the spirit. Spirit is the spirit.

What Jesus says here is simply that the spirit does the work of

the purification from sin of the polluted soul.

Now just as we have in the last couple of weeks we're going to

turn to Ezekiel use that reference Ezekiel chapter 36

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 22. But before we go there, let me

kind of set this up for you. Ezekiel's name means god,

strengthens. Our may God strengthen.

And that's a very appropriate name for a profit.

There was called or proclaim, a message of uncompromising

judgment, and later a message of a restoration of God's sake for

God's sake, not Israel's. Ezekiel lived out his prophetic

career among the Exiles in Babylon.

In the ESV Study Bible at the beginning of each book, there's

a portion called theme and purpose.

So in the theme and purpose for the Book of Ezekiel, it says

this Ezekiel spoke to a community forced from, its home

of people who have broken Faith with their God.

As a spokesman for the god of Israel is zekiel.

Spoke oracle's that justified and proved the reputation of our

holy God. God even though Ezekiel brings

this god-centered point of view, into its clearest words in

verses 22 and 23. We're going to continue on past

23 and we're going to look at 22 through 27.

So if you look again with me is equal, 36 beginning in verse 22,

Therefore safe to the house of Israel.

Thus says the Lord it is not for your sake o House of Israel that

I'm about to act. But for the sake of my Holy Name

which you have profaned among the nation's to which you came

and I will vindicate the Holiness of my great name, which

has been profaned among the nations in which you have

profaned among them and the Nations will know that I am.

The god. I am the Lord declares the Lord

God. When through you, I will

vindicate my Holiness before their eyes.

I will take you from the nation's and gather you from all

the countries and bring you into your own land.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from

all your uncleanness. And from all your Idols, I will

cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and

a new spirit. I will put within you, and I

will remove the heart of Flesh, and I will put my spirit Within

On you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to

obey my rules. The primary purpose of ezekiel's

message was to restore God's glory.

The zika pleaded with the people of Israel to be reconciled to

God by having their hearts washed clean.

But then there's verse 25, which says God's mercy.

Once again, is extended I will sprinkle clean water on you and

you will be clean. Now, let's be clear here, that

the word sprinkle is not some prophetic word about sprinkling,

instead of immersion baptism the concept of sprinkling.

If you remember goes back to when God set up the rules for

the Tabernacle sacrifices, the priest would wash some items and

sprinkle other items during the ceremonial cleansing in used in

their various sacrifices. Here, God is promising to wash

their sin corrupted, Souls clean when he brings them into his

kingdom. This is an exclusive work that

only God performs when he says, I will, that is singular.

I got alone. Will this is not a joint effort

between God and people. His stead regeneration, involves

the solitary Act of God Alone. This passage also says that God

will cleanse you from all your filthiness.

And from all your Idols, this is a reference to the passages in

numbers. 19 Hexxit has 30 and Psalm 51, each of these includes

a reference to using water for purification and the symbolism

of divine purification. All of this ceremonial washing

depicted, the cleansing power of God in the hearts of people.

The washing away of sin is also mentioned in Zechariah 13:1.

Zechariah 13:1

Which says on that day, there shall be a fountain opened for

the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to

cleanse them from sin and uncleanness I think it's

important and really interesting to note that if you look at the

passage right before, Zechariah 13:1, right at the end of

Zechariah 13:1

chapter 12, In the beginning, in verse 10 now that section of my

Bible is entitled him whom they pierced.

So Zachariah 12:10 says and I will pour out on the House of

David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a spirit of Grace and

pleas for mercy. So that when they look on me on

him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for only for an only

child and we bitterly over him as one weeps over a firstborn,

the Apostle, John in chapter 19, Verse 37.

He refers to this chapter, in his account of the crucifixion

of our savior and the piercing of his side.

So here we have a foretelling of the death of Jesus and Zachariah

prom prophesying on that day, that a fountain will be opened

for the cleansing for our sin. Referring to Lawson's book

again. He says, as the leading teacher

of Israel Nicodemus would have been well acquainted.

With these passages further, he should have known the most basic

truth they represent. When Jesus explicitly said to

him that he must be born of water.

He meant it as a symbol of regeneration, this radical heart

change. And the inner washing of the

Soul, by the spirit in the New Birth.

The Lord sprinkles clean, water, upon, filthy centers and makes

them clean. This is a spiritual cleansing

that purifies us from the slow defilement of sin.

Such a washing permanently removes, the indelible

sin-stained that exist within the human heart regeneration,

cleanses from sin by this purifying of the Holy Spirit.

So, like all of us. Nicodemus had to learn that God

loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son.

So that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have

everlasting life. Again like us Nicodemus had to

come to an understanding that God did not send his son into

the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be

saved by God's grace through faith in him, he had to realize

that Jews are not automatically credited.

With righteousness, because of their ancestry Jews, and

Gentiles alike, have to look to Christ to live.

Nicodemus had to learn that whosoever believes in Jesus is

not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already

condemned because he has not believed in the name of the one,

and only son of God. He had to see that his natural

birth into the world. As a descendant of Abraham was

not sufficient to enter the kingdom.

He had to be born again. He had to be born of the spirit

and washed in Christ, redeeming blood I wonder.

Assuming that. Nicodemus, I'm going to mention

here is the same Nicodemus. But I believe he was.

I wonder when Nicodemus accompanied Joseph of Arimathea

to take down the bruised and bloodied body of the Lord Jesus

from that cruel, Roman cross. if his mind went back to that

conversation in the middle of the night, Did he had with Jesus

when he came to see the Lord and started to understand that

unless you was born of water and born of the spirit.

He cannot enter the kingdom of God.

You know, there was another man in the first century that needed

the same spiritual cleansing of his soul.

This man was also a Pharisee a ruler of the Jews.

He was in the Sanhedrin. This man though, he had no

desire to meet with Jesus to ask questions.

His sole purpose was to rid the world of these so-called

Christians. He even received official papers

to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial

where they face death. The man we know as Saul of

Tarsus according to Philippians 3:5 and 5 through 6.

Philippians 3:5

Saul was circumcised on the eighth day of the nation of

Israel of The Tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of Hebrews as to the

law a Pharisee as to Zeal a persecutor of the church as to

the righteousness, which is in the law found blameless.

No one was more devout than Saul But, you know, the story, you

know, the story of his conversion on the road to

Damascus, he was knocked off his horse by the blinding glory of

God. And again here quoting Lawson

and that defining moment, Saul of Tarsus Was Born Again by a

sudden work of Grace. He was regenerated immediately,

his old life passed away, a new life in Christ began.

In that Split Second. This avowed enemy of the Gospel

changed his Allegiance. He became a true follower of

Jesus Christ. This professed photo was

radically transformed. He became the Apostle Paul, the

chief proclaimer of the faith. He once sought to destroy the

same heart, that was given to Saul is placed within all, who

are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

If you are born again, God has washed, you clean and removed

your sin, you are not the same person you once were.

Now granite. As simple as it sounds, he can

be hard to comprehend for our human mind.

Let's be careful because sometimes we spend so much time

chasing after something that we find difficult to understand

that we miss the most important truth.

Let's make sure that we fully understand that salvation is by

grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh and every man faces the

consequences of their sin, Eternal condemnation.

But whatever is born of the spirit that is what the whatever

is born of the spirit. That is Born Into the family of

God becomes a new creation in Christ.

Who will enter the kingdom of God.

Worship, team, milk and start making your way up.

As I wrap this up, they were, let me remind you of the main

idea of my sermon this morning, God's regenerative work brings

new life, to our hearts, through the Spotless, cleansing of the

Holy Spirit. If this, or any idea of being

born again, being washed of the water of the spirit or being

regenerated is confusing. You please, please come see me,

Kyle, Jasper, Alan James, see one of us.

Please don't wait. Don't leave here today without

knowing for sure. That you're a new creation in

Christ with a pure regenerated heart.

Thank you.