We're turning again in the Word of God to John's Gospel and the chapter 3. And we'll be looking at some parts of this passage, but in particular, I want to leave with you the words of Christ in verse 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, that is Nicodemus, verily, verily, which can be translated surely or truly, Truly, truly, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Well, I have had the privilege of living in three different countries in my 33 short years here on earth. I lived in Northern Ireland until I was 18. I lived in England for five years. I returned to Northern Ireland for four years for Bible college, and I've been in Scotland for four years now. And there's something noticeable about the different landscapes in each country. England, I noticed, in the parts that I lived, was quite flat. You had to travel quite far to see a hill or a mountain. The landscape of Northern Ireland seems to be the greenest throughout the United Kingdom, and Scotland definitely has the most hills. But there's one thing in particular that I've observed about the landscape in Northern Ireland that is very different to other places in the United Kingdom. As you would travel through towns and villages, as you would travel up country lanes, you would find on lampposts, on trees, on the fences of people's houses, the word of God. You would find scripture nailed to trees. People have painted them on pieces of wood and put them on their fence. As you would travel through wherever you would go, it would be quite noticeable the word of God. Growing up with the Word of God, as you would see it on trees and lampposts, you took it for granted. It was whenever you moved to England and Scotland and traveled around, you wouldn't see the word of God so evidently put in places. Maybe as you're driving past a church, you would see it. It's only whenever I returned to Northern Ireland and as you drive past a lamppost or a tree, you would see the word of God placed there. A great witness and a great testimony. And one of the most common verses that you would see upon a tree or a lamppost are the words of the Saviour in John 3. Very simple words, yet very profound. Ye must be born again. Now to one group of people in the world, these words are perfectly clear. They can understand these words. They're in fact able to say, I have experienced these words. And the thought of these words being born again brings a happiness, and a joy, and a peace, and a contentment to their souls. They're words that come to them with freshness and gladness each time they read of them. But there's another group of people in the world, and they find these words of Christ, you must be born again, very difficult to comprehend. They struggle to know what the Savior means. They have no experience of these words. They don't know what it is to be born again. And to them, it's a peculiar philosophical concept that would need explaining. Well, this was the experience of the man in our story today. that we read of in John 3, his name was Nicodemus. In verse 1 we're told that Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. So this was not an ignorant heathen. This was not a man with no knowledge of God or the word of God. In fact, he was a man of high authority in the religious leadership of Israel. Some have speculated that he was probably a member of the Sanhedrin. And the Sanhedrin was the ruling council of the Jews. It was the highest ecclesiastical order in the Jewish religion. So this is not an ignorant man. In fact Christ says in verse 10 that Nicodemus is a master of Israel. Now that could be understood today, a skilled theologian. Christ says to him, art thou not a master of Israel? Art thou not a skilled theologian? So this man, Nicodemus, was no doubt brought up in his Jewish religion. He was brought up on the word of God. In fact, he was a man who evidently, if he's a master in Israel, a skilled theologian, he's a man who gave himself to intense study of the Word of God. He surpassed his peers in being put on to the Jewish council of the Sanhedrin which had about 70 members. So here is a man who's intelligent. Here is a man who has given himself to studying the Word. But yet he's struggling to deal with this concept. He's struggling to understand this phrase, you must be born again. Nicodemus came to Jesus Christ desiring to converse with him. He had heard Jesus preach. He was impressed at his preaching. Why can't I have the knowledge that he has? Why can't I preach with the authority that he has? He looked around the other men in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, and he saw that none of these men were fit to lace the boots of Jesus. They didn't have what he had. So he was impressed by the preaching of Jesus. No doubt he had witnessed or at least heard of the miracles of Christ and he was astounded what he was able to do. Well, he came to Jesus Christ and he gave him reverence. He called him rabbi, that is teacher. Now think about that. One of the most skilled theologians in all of Israel, one of the highest men in the ecclesiastical order of the Jewish religion comes to Jesus Christ, the son of the carpenter, and he says, teacher, rabbi. He gave him reverence. He acknowledged that he was from God. testified that God was with him. So, this man Nicodemus, he's coming to Jesus Christ. He realizes there's something special about him. And dear friend, there is. There's something very special about Jesus Christ. He's the son of God and he's God the son. He is the one who is all glorious. He is the one who is all majesty. He is the one who is rich in He's the one that Solomon says who is altogether lovely. Now notice about Nicodemus. It says he came by night. Why did he come by night? Maybe he was too busy to come during the day, but perhaps He was embarrassed. Embarrassed that such a man like himself is going to have to come and seek spiritual guidance, spiritual wisdom, counsel from one who isn't on the Sanhedrin, from one who hasn't been recognized by the Jewish religion. He's having to come to him. But at least he came. He was maybe too embarrassed to come during the day, but at least he came. Do you know pride is a terrible thing? And pride keeps many people out of the kingdom of heaven. There's many people who are too proud to come to the minister or go to a Christian friend and say, could you explain to me how I can be saved? Could you explain to me how I can be right with God? Can you explain to me how I can get to heaven? So many people are full of pride. They wouldn't humble themselves and come and say, I don't know the answer to this. Can you help me? When Nicodemus came, and he humbly sought spiritual counsel of Christ. Now it appears that Nicodemus came representing a section of the Jewish religious order. In verse 2, he says, we know. Who's he speaking about here? Well, we believe he's maybe speaking about some in the Sanhedrin, that Jewish council. They've maybe heard about Jesus. They've been talking about him. And there are some who have come to a conclusion. We know that thou art a teacher come from God. So it appears there's a body of men who know that Jesus has come from God, but where are the rest of them? Why is only Nicodemus here? The rest of them were maybe too ashamed to come, maybe too ashamed to come and seek spiritual counsel of Christ. They maybe thought, well, we know he's come from God, we know he has the truth, but if I go, other people will laugh at me. I could lose my position on the Sanhedrin for going and asking help of this man, Jesus of Nazareth. Dear friend, it's better to have the world laugh at you and have your soul converted and be in heaven than to be too full of pride to come and seek spiritual help. Well, what were the intentions of Nicodemus? Did he come to flatter Christ? Did he come to persuade him to join the Sanhedrin? There's some have speculated that's what he was intending to do. But there's others who suggest he was coming with a genuine spiritual inquiry. And that's what I would hold. I believe here is a man. And with all his wisdom that he has in studying the Old Testament, and all the learning that he's gained from his education, with all his practices of religion that he's done, the sacrifices that he's observed, the teaching that he's given, these sacrifices, here is a man and he still knows, something is missing in my life. For all the religion I have, for all the learning I have, for all the religious duties I perform, I know that something is still not right. I'm still not right with God. Maybe that describes you here this morning. Maybe you've had the privilege of being brought up in a Christian home. And maybe like Nicodemus you've been trained in the Word of God. You know your Bible. You know it perhaps better than some Christians know their Bible. You come along to church faithfully. You wouldn't miss church. You wouldn't break God's law. You wouldn't go out and do your shopping on the Sabbath day. Oh, you're conscientious. But maybe deep down in your heart today, you know there's still something missing. Maybe like Nicodemus, you've searched your heart and you've realized there's something still not right in my soul. Something that's still not right between me and God. Well, Nicodemus, I believe, had this concern about his soul and he came seeking the answer. And what was the answer that Jesus gave him? The answer Jesus gave him was this, you must be born again. In fact, the Savior went further than that. He tells Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now Nicodemus, in his lack of understanding, he's confused. He takes Christ literally. He says, are you saying that I have to enter into my mother's womb a second time and be born again? How is that physically possible? Nicodemus was unable to wrap his head around this teaching of Christ. What do you mean I have to be born again? A lot of people are in confusion about this today. Not sure what it means to be born again, not sure what it means to be converted, to be saved, to be a Christian. Oh there's many people today and perhaps you're one of them. You want to be in heaven, you have hopes that you will be there. But you maybe want to be there on your own terms. Oh yes I know the preacher's talking about being born again. The preacher's talking about being converted. But that's only for the ultra serious Christians. That'll not apply to me. I'll still get into heaven as a minor league Christian. No dear friend. Listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ said. Dear friends, there's a great restriction here. Unless you're converted, unless you're saved, unless you experience a new birth, the Lord says you cannot. You cannot see the kingdom of God. So this is serious. If you're never to be in heaven, If you're ever to be with Christ for all eternity, if you're ever to have your sins forgiven, ye must be born again. Notice the Lord Jesus Christ does not present a multitude of options here. He's very clear. He does not say to Nicodemus, there's many ways for you to be in heaven. No, he says there's one way. Ye must be born again. Well, let us look at these simple words today, dear friend. And I hope you leave here today with these words echoing in your ear. He must be born again. First of all, what does it mean to be born again? Well, we need to be born again because of the state in which we are born. You and I were born into this world with a body and with a soul, but we're born into this world in a state of sin. We're born in sin, we're shaped in iniquity. Sin is in our nature. We have inherited it from our parents. Whenever Adam and Eve sinned, they brought sin into the world. And death therefore passed upon all men as the consequence of sin. And you and I might think, well, I'm a pretty good person, I'm a mortal person, I'm an upright person. But the Bible says, no, we're sinners. We have that sinful nature. We cannot help ourselves from sinning. It is our very practice that we're prone to do. But sin is our rebellion against God. We might think my sin isn't hurting anybody really, but it is, because your sin is breaking God's law. Your sin is you reaching war against God. God says, be holy, and you say, I will not be holy. God says, keep my law, and you say, I will not keep your law. Oh you might not realize it dear friend, but you're in a war with God and your sin is your rebellion against Him. Your sin is hostility towards your Heavenly Father. Sin ultimately is selfishness. That's what it is. I was reading in a newspaper article many years ago about what music people choose to have played at their funerals. And it was terrible to see that the number one song that people chose to have played at their funerals, it wasn't a hymn, it wasn't a psalm, it wasn't anything spiritual. It was a worldly ungodly song by a man called Frank Sinatra. I did it my way. And sadly, that's how sinners live in the world. They live saying, I'll do things my way. I'll not do things God way. I'll be my own king. I'll be my own God. I will decide what is right and how I will live. And dear friend, we're born with that sinful nature. We're prone to sin. We can't help ourselves to do it. This is the way we are naturally born. This is the soul that we have. a sinful, corrupt, and depraved soul. And this is why we need changed. This is why we need a new birth. We're born in corruption and we need a new birth. We need to become a new person. And this is what a born again person is. To experience a new birth is to be changed. It's to be transformed into a new person. Doesn't mean we take on a new body. We still have the same body. But it means that we receive a new heart, a new heart. And that is what God promised for his people. He said in Ezekiel, I will take away your stony heart, your stony heart of sin, your stony heart of rebellion and wickedness and corruption, and I will give you a new heart. Now the Lord is not speaking physically here, he's not literally going to take that heart away and give us a new one, but he's speaking spiritually. He says I will take away your corrupt heart, your heart that loves and lives for sin and the world and your heart that is full of animosity against me and I will give you a new heart. And that is what we need. I remember some years ago, I was preaching at an open air, and there was a man who was sitting on a bench, listening to the open air, drinking at 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning. And I went up to the man and his friend afterwards and started speaking to them about spiritual things. And the man tried to say that he'd been converted, but his life was testifying differently. And I'd been preaching that morning on the subject of the new heart. And I said to this man, even though he said he'd been to church, even though he said he'd professed faith in Christ, he had never been back to church, never read his Bible, never prayed. And I said, dear man, I preached on the Lord taking away the stony heart and giving you a new heart. Can you honestly say before God that you have a new heart that loves him, a new heart that adores him? And yes, while we're still living in the body of sin, while we still feel our weaknesses, can you honestly say that you love God? And he turned around and said, oh, the pastor who prayed for me never told me I had to do anything like that. And dear friends, whenever the Lord changes us, whenever we're converted, whenever we're born again, we receive a new heart. Because the heart that we're born with is a heart of stone. It's a cold heart against God. And we need a new heart. And whenever we're born again, we receive a new mind. Our mind is enlightened spiritually and savingly to understand the gospel. Oh, there was a time we didn't want to hear the name of Jesus. And then whenever we're converted, we can't hear it enough. Oh, there's a time whenever we were cold to the things of God, and going to church would have been the last thing in our mind. But for the born-again believer that can't wait to be in the presence of God's people, sitting under the Word of God, it's a new heart, it's a new mind, and it's a new will. Our will is renewed. We have new desires to live for God. Yes they'll not be perfect and they'll fall very far short of perfection but in the born again believer they will be there. Somebody who's been born again will know what it is to repent of their sin and have a loathing for sin and they will grieve over their sin and mourn over their sin. Somebody who's been born again will not delight in sin like they used to. Oh their sin will be terribly grievous to them. Somebody who's been born again will have a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, you cannot be born again and still hate the son of God. You cannot be born again and still resist Christ and his overtures in the gospel. It's impossible. It would be a contradiction. You cannot be a born again believer and reject Jesus Christ and choose Islam. No, that cannot happen. Somebody who's been born again It's somebody who's been called by the word. We call that the gospel call. They've heard the word of God. It has struck their heart and soul with conviction. They know it's right. They know that they need to act upon it. They know they need to respond to the gospel call. And there is a call in the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ says, come unto me, all you that labor under heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And the soul who's born again will respond to that call. We're called by the word, it's the outward call, the gospel call, we're called by the spirit. Oh, the Holy Spirit comes inwardly and effectually calls us to himself. It's an irresistible call that we cannot refuse, whereby we're drawn to Jesus Christ in saving faith. Being born again is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The older version of The Bible, the Geneva Bible that came before the King James Version, it translated this phrase, born from above, because that is where the work begins. It's a work that is done by God, born from above upon us, and we are changed, and we are born again. But let us think secondly here today, upon the subject of who must be born again. Maybe you're saying, well, that's fairly good for the offscaling of society. The drug dealers, yes, they need to be born again. The harlots, they need to be born again. The drunkard, the wife beater, yes, they need to be born again. But it's not for me because I'm a good person. No, dear friend, we must all be born again. If we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, then we must all needs be born again. It's not just the heathen. in the darkest corner of Africa. It's not just the primitive tribes in the Amazon. It's not just those in the lands where the gospel has never reached yet that need to be born again. It includes people in Scotland today. It includes people in the Isle of Lewis. It includes people in Stornoway. And it includes all of us here, each and every one of us. If we're ever to see the kingdom of God, ye must be born again. Now there are many people, especially in a land like ours, who would call themselves Christians. They would take the name of Christian. They would say, I'm a Christian. But only a person who has been born again can be a Christian. You will find some people, in order to clarify what type of Christian they are, they will say, I'm a born again Christian. But we don't need to use the term born-again Christian, because a Christian is somebody who by their very definition should have been born again. We don't refer to a triangle as a three-sided triangle, do we? Because a triangle, by its very name, is three-sided. Well, so a Christian is one who is born again. If somebody has not been born again, if somebody has not been converted, if somebody has not been changed, They can't take the name of Christian. It doesn't belong to them. They're misusing it. They're stealing it and applying it to themselves when they shouldn't. No, dear friends, we must all needs be born again. There will be not one single person in heaven who has not been born again by the Holy Spirit of God. Maybe you're saying, well, you're making a somewhat convincing point here today, preacher. But I'm still not sure why I personally must be born again. Oh, you must be born again because you have a sinful nature and that nature needs to be changed. Dear friend, you have to be born again because you're under the condemnation and wrath of God for sin. Remember, God does not view sin lightly. He does not view your sin lightly, even though you think nothing of your sin, even though you play down your sin and say it's not really that bad. God doesn't. and it's because of your sin, dear friend, that you will stand before God one day and face punishment and justice for that sin unless you're born again. You must be born again, dear friend, to receive the forgiveness of your sins. There will not be one person in heaven who died in their sin and refused to repent. No, to receive the forgiveness of sins, you must be born again to have peace with God He must be born again to be restored to fellowship with God like Adam had in the garden before the fall. He must be born again. And if you're ever to be in heaven if you're ever to be with loved ones who have gone there before if you're ever to enjoy God's eternal rest if you're ever to be in the presence of Christ for all eternity. He must be born again. The Lord Jesus Christ made that abundantly clear. Verse 3 except There's a restriction here. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. What does that mean, dear friend? If you refuse to be converted, if you refuse Christ's overtures in the gospel, if you refuse to come to him, you'll not be born again. You'll not be converted. You'll not be saved. And it means if you die in your sin, you'll not be in heaven. So what's the alternative? You know it full well. The Bible makes it abundantly clear there's one of two eternal destinations. The redeemed will go to heaven. Those who have been born again will be with Christ for all eternity in his glorious kingdom. But those who refuse to be born again, those who die in their sin, Oh, the Bible says they will be cast into utter darkness. They will be cast into hell, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Oh, dear friend, there'll never be a born-again soul in hell. All the born-again believers will be in heaven, but hell is reserved for those who've rejected Christ, for those who have rejected the new birth, those who have refused to come to him. but how will it be for you? Where will you spend eternity? It all centers upon this new birth. Well, how can you be born again? Well, dear friends, it's possible for you to be saved because of the work that Christ has done. The Lord Jesus Christ was one who knew no sin. But the Bible says he went to the cross where he was made to sin for us. The Lord Jesus Christ took the sins of all his people upon himself. He is the one who's made atonement for our sin and he is the one who shed his blood for the remission, the forgiveness of our sins. So it's possible for you and I to be born again because of what Christ has done for us. We had a debt to God for our sin that we could never pay, but Christ has paid for us. He is our substitute. He is our surety. He is the one who offered himself even unto death to redeem his people. It's only possible for you and I to be born again and converted because of what Christ has done. Should that not make us thankful? that the Son of God would offer himself in the sinner's place. There's nothing left for you and I to do. If salvation could be obtained by anything you or I could do, then Christ died in vain, but Christ died so his people could be saved. And the Holy Spirit does the needed work in us. That is what being born again is. We're receiving the Holy Ghost. transforming us, changing us, converting us. I had a friend many years ago I worked with, and we were talking one lunchtime, and he was very open to the things of God. And he said, Craig, I know I'm a sinner. And he said, I know I need to be saved. And he said, I know I'll go to hell if I'm not saved. And he said, my problem is I don't think I can keep it. I will fall. I will feel. I will let the Lord down. I'll not be able to continue as a Christian. And I said, Aaron, I feel the Lord every day. Every day I feel the Lord. I sin against him. But the Bible assures me the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses me from all sin. And he said, I can't keep it. And I said, it's not us who keeps it. It's him who keeps us. Peter says we're kept by the power of God. What is the responsibility we have? The responsibility we have is to come to him. We cannot keep ourselves. Oh, in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, the call is issued, and the spirit and the bride say, come. and that is what we're commanded to do. Come, and he that thirsteth, come. Yes, we will struggle and we will fail. We will let the Lord down. He perseveres with us. He gives us his Holy Spirit, his comforter to lead and guide us in all truth. The responsibility that you and I have before God is to come to Christ. How can we be born again? because of the finished work of Christ, because of the work the Holy Spirit does in us. And you're maybe saying, well, how exactly does it all work? I've heard that some people, they're converted in an instant, and other people, well, they can't say when they were converted. Well, not all conversions are the same. As our fingerprints differ, as our faces differ, as our DNAs differ, so our conversions will be different. There are some who can tell the exact moment they were saved. And for others, it's been a slow and gradual process, but they know full well they are the Lord's. The responsibility we have is to seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. That is the responsibility we have, to seek him. Well, as we come to a close this morning, Maybe you're wondering, whatever happened to this man, Nicodemus? Was he ever born again? Was he ever saved? Well, we read about him two other times in scripture. In John 7, 51, it appears that Nicodemus is defending Christ before the Sanhedrin, that Jewish council. He says to his fellow men, doth our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he doth? It appears that he sought to defend Christ before those other men. It also seems that he helped in the burial of Christ. In John 19.39 it says, And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Here was a man who heard the teaching of Christ, ye must be born again. And he went away, and it seems to me at least, that there's marks of grace in his life. There's evidence that this man was changed, that he was translated and transformed to be a child of God. He's defending Christ before others. He's associating with the people of Christ, seeking a proper burial for Christ, bringing the needed things for his grave. He wasn't a man who went away and said, that's not for me. He didn't turn away and say, yes, other people need to be born again, but not me. He didn't say, well, I'll stick with my religion and I hope it's right. No, he was a man who went away and he pondered these things. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I must needs be born again. Otherwise I'll not see the kingdom of God and I'll take him at his word. I must be converted. I must be saved. But how will you respond to these words of Christ? Oh, you've listened to the foolishness of my preaching, but it's not my preaching, dear friends, that I want you to leave thinking about today. It's the words of Christ. Christ says, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. How will you respond to these words of Christ? Will you come to him? Will you leave your sin? Will you seek that new heart that he has promised to give those who seek him? Now, dear friend, there are things that you can get into heaven without. You can get into heaven without money. You can get into heaven without fame. You can get into heaven without fortune or without a great education, but you cannot get into heaven. You cannot enter the kingdom of God without a new birth. So if you're never to be saved, if you're ever expecting to be in heaven, dear friend, listen carefully this last time, ye must be born again. Bishop JC Ryle. was the first Protestant Archbishop of Liverpool. Now, I have a terrible memory. Forget names, forget dates, and forget everything. But whenever I read this quote by Bishop Ryle, it was impressed deeply upon me, and I've never forgot it. He said, there is coming a day when those who have never been born again will wish they had never been born at all. Dear friend, what is your life on this earth? It is a little vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. But after this life, we will be ushered off into eternity. And where will you spend eternity? Will you spend it in heaven with Christ? Or will you spend it in hell for rejecting him? What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be. What will you do with him? He says, accept a man, be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Dear friend, ye must be born again. Let us stand to pray.