Born Again

Let's just start out in prayer, father.

We just thank you, lord, for tonight.

I thank you, lord, that your word is alive, it is powerful, it is sharp, and so we just thank you, father, that we open up our hearts and our ears to what you have to say tonight.

I thank you, father, that you're alive and moving in us and moving in these last days.

I thank you, father, that we're bold as a lion, bold to proclaim the truth, to speak the truth, and so we just thank you.

It's an honor to get to be in your word tonight, in Jesus' name, amen, amen.

And so tonight I'll be talking if you're taking notes or you can just jot down in the comments, I'll be talking about being born again, and so my first scripture is Romans 8, 28.

You know, we have in the youth, we have themes, and so we're entering our new theme this coming up Sunday, and so I'm excited about that.

We have a party, and so, um, our new theme is going to be summer of purpose, and so that's where this message was brought forth Um, how God has a purpose and a plan for us, for me, for you watching.

And so Romans eight 28 says and we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

And so many of y'all I mean I know the ones watching you know you guys are born again.

And so it's just a, it's just a reminder message to the church that, hey, we are born again.

And so it's just a, it's just a reminder message to the church that, hey, we are born again.

And so, um, that last section of Romans 8, 28 is called according to his purpose.

Purpose means reason for existence, reason for existence.

And so you can ask yourself, why am I here?

What is my reason for existence?

And so, in order to answer that question, we have to make sure that we really embrace God's purpose for our life.

We have to understand who we are.

Who am I, you know, and some people, you know, their identity, you know, is in their job, and that is part of our identity, what we do, and we're a daughter, and and we're a wife, or we're a son and a father, um, and sure, that's part of our identity.

But who, who, who really are we?

And so, um, we're called, you know, christians were called to be Christ-like.

We're called to, called to follow God's example.

And so it all starts with knowing who we are.

And so to fulfill that purpose you know it helps us to know what we do in life.

It starts with knowing who we are.

And so you know, when we were born again, we received a new identity.

And so 2 Corinthians 5, 17 in the New King James and I'll read 2 Corinthians 5, 17 in a couple of translations, but in the New King James it says therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.

And so you're a new.

You're a new creation, you have a new identity.

And so you're a new.

You're a new creation, you have a new identity.

And so you know to be born again, it's, it's.

Being born again is so much more than just, oh, my sins have been forgiven, or, yay, I got a free ticket to heaven.

You know, being born again there's so much more.

When we said yes to Jesus, you know, when we, when we received Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, he totally transformed our life.

We have a new identity, we received a new identity.

And so 2 Corinthians 5, 17 in the New Living Translation says this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone.

A new life has begun.

In the GWT translation says whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation.

The old way of living has disappeared.

A new way of living has come to existence.

I like that.

The old way of living has disappeared.

A new way of living has come to existence.

I like that.

The old way of living has disappeared.

A new way of living has come to existence.

The TLB translation says when someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside.

He is not the same anymore.

A new life has begun.

And so again, when we're born again, we received a new identity.

You know I grew up going to church, basically my whole life, and so you know, many of us have all different, we all have different testimonies, we all have different stories of how we came to know Jesus and when we got born again.

You know I was um.

So I grew up in a Spanish church when I was little.

Eventually, when I was in junior high, I started going to Lakewood, but I got say I don't.

You know, I don't remember the specific age.

I was saved, I think I was like six or seven, but my mom's forever.

It was not inside church, it was in the parking lot of church, it was outside of church and I remember my mom's friend just prayed a simple prayer with me and my heart was open.

You know, I was a little girl and so I remember that day.

And then I got filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Lake Wadodi Osteen.

She on a Sunday morning, I believe it was yeah, it was a Sunday and she just said if anybody, you know, if you do not speak in tongues, if you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, just stand up where you're at and receive.

And so I didn't even go up to the altar, we just stood there and I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And I think I was like 11 years old, 12.

And so, you know, that day, those two days, changed my life, and so we all have those stories, we all have those testimonies of when we got born again.

And so again, this is just a reminder hey, you are born again, right, we are born again.

And so, and a lot of times, you know, we live in this world we have to remind ourselves.

There's lots of voices that come, you know, towards us and, and you know whether your work, um, our thoughts, all of these things come towards us, and so we have to remind ourselves.

Even if you got saved a long time ago, you have to remind yourself daily hey, I'm not of this world.

I am not of this world, we are just passing on through, right, we're just passing on through, and so we are a new creation.

The past is gone.

Behold, you have been born again.

There you are.

It's a new identity, it's a new way, new way of thinking, new way of talking, new attitude, new behavior, um, totally different.

The old is gone, the new is here, right.

And so I mean now we're all.

I'm talking about the new birth.

Right now, we've all been born, naturally.

If you are watching on live stream and you're and you're breathing, we've all been born, of course, naturally.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about being born again, of the spirit.

And so Psalm 139, 13 through 14, the new King James says for you formed my inward parts, you covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marvelous are your words, and that my soul knows very well, very well.

And so God created us, right.

God formed us, god created us.

Isaiah 44, 2 in the New King James says thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you.

And then Isaiah, later on in verse 24,.

Isaiah 44, 24 says Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb, I am the Lord who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth.

Myself, and so the creator of everything created us Right.

So when we were born, we had this natural birth identity.

He formed us in our mama's womb, right.

And so, um jeremiah 1, 5 says before I formed you in the womb, I knew you before you were born, I sanctified you, I ordained you as a prophet to the nations, and so you know, in the natural we were.

You know how many of y'all can remember.

Well, you might never, probably don't remember the day you were born, but if you have kids or grandkids, or when you see little babies, you know the first time we're looking at a little baby, we're like, oh well, they look just like you know, mom, or they look just like dad.

I remember when Ethan was born he had a full set of black hair and they were like, oh, he looks just like dad.

I remember when ethan was born, he had a full set of black hair and they were like, oh, he looks just like jay.

And then time went by, you know, and all that dark hair fell out and then he got a fresh set of like blondish, brown hair and his blue eyes and and, oh, he kind of looks like mama, you know.

And and all Allison had dark hair and then she began to get her beautiful curls in and they were like, where did she get those beautiful curls in?

You know, we pastor, I think, had curls when he was little.

My mama had curls, and so, you know, in the natural, we look at these little babies and we compare them.

You know, of course they came from little babies and we compare them.

You know, of course they came from, you know, conceived from mom and dad, and so, you know, they remind you of the parents and the grandparents and those are, and so all of that is natural identity right, and so we have to realize that we don't have to stay that way.

When we were born again, we have a new identity right, and so we took on a new spiritual nature In John 3, 3 through 7, in the New Living Translation says Jesus replied I tell you the truth unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.

What do you mean, exclaimed Nicodemus?

How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?

Jesus replied I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit.

Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

So don't be surprised when I say you must be born again.

And so, yeah, that would you know.

Nicodemus was thinking of it from a natural point.

How can you know?

How can a man go back into his mama's womb?

That would be a little bit strange, right?

That would be awkward, that would be weird.

And so he's thinking of it from a natural point.

And so, no, he Jesus is telling him here.

Hey, listen, no, we, unless you're born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

And I wanted to read in my Bible in the kingdom dynamics.

It has a little, a little note here.

It says upon repentance, a new order of life opens to the believer in Jesus Christ.

Jesus used the figure of the new birth to dramatically indicate three things Without the new birth, there is no life and no relationship with God.

In the new birth, a new perspective comes as we see the kingdom of God, god's word becomes clear and the Holy Spirit's works and wonders are believed and experienced.

Faith is alive.

Through everybody say that faith is alive.

Through new birth we are introduced Literally.

We enter to a new realm where God's new kingdom order can be realized.

New birth is more than simply being saved.

It is a requalifying experience, opening up the possibility of our whole being to the supernatural dimension of life and fitting us for a beginning in God's kingdom order.

Isn't that so good?

And so here we enter into his kingdom.

And so, just like verse six, it talks about the Holy Spirit giving us new life.

And so, again, nicodemus was only thinking of it from a natural standpoint, and Jesus you know Jesus had to come along and say no, nicodemus, that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm not talking about going in back into your mama's womb, I'm talking about this new birth.

I'm talking about um, you can't see the kingdom of hay unless you're born again.

And so I wrote down being born again as a spiritual truth that affects us naturally, and so it affects us.

New life equals new identity.

New life equals new identity.

Right when we were born again, we took on the nature of Christ, and so we have his nature in us so we can respond.

You know, when the world throws things at us, how are we supposed to respond?

We respond if we have the nature of God in us.

We don't respond in fear, we respond in faith.

When, if we have the nature of God in us, we don't respond in fear, we respond in faith.

If we have the nature of God in us, we don't respond with anxiety and worry and depression, but the joy of the Lord's our strength.

We respond with joy.

And so we want to respond like Jesus, and so we respond from the spirit.

That's new life.

And so we have to make sure you know Jesus.

Jesus was tempted, but he was perfect, and so we have his nature.

You, you, we're overcomers, we're the head and not the tail.

And so, again, just a reminder that we are born again, and so we have to remind ourselves on the daily hey, this is, this, is what.

Just well, just like you know, what would Jesus do?

That popular slogan back in the 90s, or whatever, but it's really true.

We should be responding like Jesus.

We have the nature of God, of nature of Christ on in us, and so we have to make sure, instead of whining, instead of complaining about a situation, we respond like Jesus.

We have his nature, we have been born again.

We don't associate with the natural, we associate with the supernatural, we associate with this new life, right, the Zoe life.

And so he's made us righteous.

The past past is gone.

A new identity has come to us.

First, thessalonians 5 23 says in the new king james.

First, thessalonians 5 23.

Now, may the god of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul, and Everybody say that or type it out Spirit, soul and body Be preserved, blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so Paul separated this human being into three parts.

Right, you're a spirit.

You've heard pastor preach about this.

You're a spirit.

Right, you have a soul, which is what your mind, your will and your emotion?

Right, you have a soul which is what your mind, your will and your emotion right.

And so we had.

God gave us emotions, but we're not led by those right.

How many of y'all know people that can be emotional, not just women?

I don't know why women get blamed to be emotional.

I mean, I've seen some guys get emotional but um, but, but seriously, like we, our soul is our mind, our will and our emotions.

And so we have to make sure that you know we were spirit being.

And so John 4, 24 says God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

And so, again, like the real you, I, when I see you face to face, I'm not seeing the real you.

I'm seeing your body, but the real you, the spirit man, the one that is alive, I'm not seeing the real you.

And so that's the one that has been born again.

And we have to make sure that our soul, that our mind, our will and our emotions line up with our spirit and line up with the word of God.

Genesis 1, 26 and 27 says.

Then God said let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Pastor always says we have dominion over all the creeps.

Right, we have dominion over every creeping thing.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God.

He created him male and female.

He created them.

So, again, god created us.

You're a spirit, you have a body and you have a soul, and so your spirit man comes alive at the new birth.

Right, so your spirit is to dominate your soul in your body.

Your spirit man should be the boss, but a lot of times we let the soul be the boss, like who's calling the shots?

Right, is your emotions calling?

Are they the boss?

Your emotions are the boss.

Is your will.

It's either your way or the highway.

No, I want to do.

We see that in the nursery, but the babies don't know, the toddlers don't know, but 30, 40, 50 year old grown men should know, right.

So we, we have to make sure that, hey, our spirit man is calling the shot again, shots again.

We've been born again, we're Christlike, we have the nature of Jesus living on the inside of us, and so we're a spirit being.

So our spirit is to dominate our soul and our body, and so we have to make sure.

And so the message translation says let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.

Let me read that again Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.

Let me read that again Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.

And so we got God's nature and living on the inside of us.

And so you were born, a spirit being, right.

You were clothed in a body.

So when you're born again, your spirit man comes alive, right, so he is alive.

So your spirit man has the authority.

You have the authority.

God has given you the authority.

You know, pastor mentioned, pastor taught on this past Sunday on deception, and he mentioned the God, the little God of this age, all the and the Greek is cosmos all the floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maximum speculation, hopes, impulses, aims, aspiration, aspirations at any current um, at any time current in the world.

And so you have the God of this age, the little g, over the world.

And so we have to make sure that we guard our heart, we have to make sure that, hey, we remind ourselves we are born again.

And so we should act like a born again Christian, we should talk like a born again Christian, we should make decisions and choices from that born again identity, from that new identity, and so we don't put on the old identity, we don't, we don't put on, we don't drag our old corpse around.

You know, that's what they did back in the in the olden days to to torture somebody, they would, they would tie a dead corpse to their body and eventually that person would die.

But you, you know, a lot of times that's what, that's what visual, that's what happens when the old man is gone.

But then you still act like the old man.

Well, you're just dragging him around, dragging that old car corpse around.

He stinks, nobody wants to see him, nobody wants to hear him.

So we have to make sure that we have that, that that man is in the grave, he's long gone, and our new identity, our new birth, that we're walking in it, and so and so we have to make sure that we're walking in that authority, and so we're a spirit being right.

And so I put down here many Christians forget that they are a spirit being.

First they try to solve problems with the natural point of view, and so we can't forget that we're a spirit being.

We're like what does God think about the situation when you're faced with something very important?

Well, have we prayed about it?

Have we asked God about it, or have we just done our own thing and worry and stress no, no, we go to the word first.

We go to the word.

We pray much in the Holy Spirit.

You know that's part of fearing.

The Lord is caring about what he thinks about this situation.

Bringing it, you know, bringing it up to him instead of, instead of pushing our way through and making things happen, we just bring it to the Lord.

We, we have peace, we don't, we're not pushy, we're calm and and we stand our ground, amen.

And so 2nd Corinthians, 3, 18 in the New King James says but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as by the spirit of the Lord.

So what same image?

Hey, we're, we're being transformed into that image, and so we have to make sure.

You know, just like it says here, we're being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as by the spirit of the Lord.

And so First Corinthians, 9, 27, and the new King James says but I discipline my body and bring it unto subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

So Paul knew that he had to put his body under Right.

And so we discipline our body.

Our body shouldn't have control over us.

Again, I'm talking about being born again, the new, the new you, the new identity.

It's a new way of thinking, a new way of talking, a new way of doing things.

And so Paul here is saying I discipline my body, my body is not the boss of me, right.

And so we have to make sure Paul didn't want to be disqualified, that I myself should not be disqualified.

So we have to understand who we are and what God has called us to do.

Second Corinthians, 4.16, says, therefore, we do not lose heart.

You know what that means, that you can lose heart.

You can Even though our outward man is perishing.

Newsflash, if you didn't know.

Right from dust to dust, eventually this body is going to decay here.

So he says, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

So what was Paul talking about here?

The real you, the real, the real person, not just your body, not just your flesh.

The real you, the inward man, is a spirit man, right.

And so you are first and foremost created, a spirit being, and so that's the house you live in, your body.

That's going to go, that's eventually going to fade away.

And so we, paul says do not lose heart, do not lose heart.

And so that's, that's, that's encouraging to us.

Hey, don't lose heart in this world.

You're going to have tough times, you're going to have tribulations, there are things going to come up, but hey, do not lose heart, god is faithful.

God is faithful.

And so first Peter, three, four in the New King James, says rather, let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of God, right?

So Paul talked about this person.

Paul talked about the real you.

Peter talked about the real you.

They understood that.

And so if they wrote about it, if they lived it out, how much more right, how much more we have Jesus.

We have the greater one living on the inside of us, and he helps us.

He gave us the Holy Spirit, he helps us.

And so we have to make sure that we remind ourselves of these scriptures Ephesians 2, 4 through 6.

I don't know which one I wrote down, I'm thinking the New King James.

But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love, with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.

By grace, you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

So we've been made alive, or we can say he made us born again.

When we were born again, he made us alive together with Christ.

And so you are.

You're seated in heavenly places, you are blessed to be a blessing Right, and so you have the authority to reign in this life.

And so I just want to remind you hey, you've been born again.

So let's make sure that we act like it, that we talk like it, that that our old nature doesn't try to creep up, creep up, um, our old way of of doing things.

You know when you, um, when you said yes to Jesus.

You know Roman, and maybe you're watching this later and you've never said yes to Jesus.

So in Romans it says if you it's just a simple prayer If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart Jesus Christ, hey, he died for you, and so you don't have to through pain, through sickness or disease.

If you just confess them, hey, be my Lord and Savior.

Thank you, lord, for forgiving me for the sins I've committed.

I thank you, father.

I ask you to come into my heart, be my Lord and Savior.

You don't have to come up to the altar, you don't even have to have a preacher pray for you, you can just do it there at your house.

Now it is good to get, it is good to be in a body, it is good to come to church, it is good Iron sharpens iron.

It is good to be among other fellow believers, you know, and to get, to get in a community where, where you're strengthened and where you grow and where you learn about the Bible and where you fellowship with other Christians.

But listen, if you, you know being born again, it's just a heart to heart prayer with God.

He hears us, he hears you when you pray.

You know, even if you don't submit a prayer request to pastor or the staff or he, you can go directly to God.

Now we'll agree with you and we'll pray with you and we'll stand with you and we'll fight with you.

We'll stand with you and we'll fight with you.

But I just want to encourage you that you can go to God yourself.

So I just want to encourage you with that a reminder that, hey, being born again.

We've been born again.

We act like it, we talk like it, we live what we live like it, our new, our new nature, our new identity.

Like it, our new, our new nature, our new identity.

You know, and I put uh, when you understand what God created you to do, it's easy to fulfill that purpose in your life.

So you were created to do amazing things.

So we embrace his purpose for our life.

You have a purpose, I have a purpose, we all have a purpose, and so that's to fulfill the plan of God for our life.

And so, um, so I just wanted to encourage you with that.

Tonight I'll go back to my original scripture in Romans 8, which says that we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to his purpose.

And so we love God, you love God, I love God, and so we love God, you love God, I love God.

And so we're called to greater things.

We're called to fight with each other, we're called to build each other up, we're called to you know, we're blessed to be a blessing, and so I just want to encourage you with that.

Whatever you're going through, whatever you know in life.

You know, whatever comes our way, whatever is thrown at us, it doesn't have to discourage us, it doesn't have to get us under.

It doesn't have to, you know, throw us out.

We you can, you can come back.

In the word of God you can.

You know you're in in.

The Bible says that we're an overcomer.

The thief comes to still kill and destroy.

But Jesus came that we may have a rich and a satisfying life.

So Jesus came that we may have a.

Don't let that go to waste.

You know he came so you can have a rich life.

Not a rich, yes, and a bun, yes, and money, yes, and all of that.

But really in your whole being, your, your mind, your body, your emotions, all of that one he wants, he wants it whole, he wants it well.

And so we just have to make sure that we remind ourselves, hey, that we're born again.

Let's act like it, let's talk like it and let's tell us others about, hey, they can be born again to the life that is in us.

They can be born again too, the life that is in us.

You know, the Zoe life.

We can share that with others.

We can pray for others.

You can pray for others.

You can pray for your spouse or your kids or you know your family members or somebody at the grocery store that needs help.

You have the Zoe life on the inside of you and I just want to encourage you that you can pray for others as well.