When we come to one of the best-known and some would say the great passages in Scripture this morning, gospel of John chapter 3. Gospel according to John chapter 3. You must be born again. Jesus has told us in chapter 2 of a wedding in Cana in Galilee, where He and His disciples were invited to the wedding feast. The wedding party ran out of wine, and Jesus miraculously changed six large pots of water into wine. That day in Cana, Jesus demonstrated His power and His authority over the natural world. His authority over the laws of biology and chemistry that He had created and set in motion. And of that supernatural work at the wedding in Cana, John wrote, This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. Well then, at the Passover festival in Jerusalem, when Jesus performed more supernatural signs, John writes, many believed in His name when they saw the signs He was doing. But their belief depended solely on the miracle. It had no root in the gospel, no root in the truth. And no one can be saved from their sins and from the penalty of their sins simply by believing in the power of the incarnate Son of God. Even the demons know of His power. If one is to enter into the kingdom of God, there must be something more. Something else must happen. And that's what Jesus teaches us about this morning. So John chapter 1, verse 3, 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 have come from God. Think about that. He understood Jesus had come from God. Why? Because no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was confused. He said to him, How can a man be born when he's old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Don't be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it's going. And so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? And Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things? Father, thank You that You've given us this Word. Thank You that You've opened our hearts and minds to know You. Thank You that You've called us here into this place to gather together to hear from You, to worship You. And Lord, I pray that this Word, as we proclaim it this morning, will have a transforming effect on each one of us present. In Christ's name, amen. So we saw those people last week who believed in Jesus' name because they saw the signs, but Jesus wasn't entrusting Himself to them. They believed only in His power. And He knew what was in man. Now here comes Nicodemus, who I believe was one of those who saw the signs Jesus was doing. But Nicodemus was different. He was a Pharisee. He was one of a group that would be open in its hostility to Jesus throughout his public ministry. He was a ruler and a teacher in Israel, which meant he was most likely one of the scribes of the Pharisees. And these signs Jesus was doing caught his attention. He wanted to meet Jesus and talk to him, but he didn't do it in the light of day. He knew from the signs there was something very different, something special about this man, but he didn't want to meet him in the daytime. Perhaps he feared the repercussions from his brethren among the Pharisees and the rest of the Jewish rulers. So he came to him by night. And he said to Jesus, Rabbi, we know. Now who's we here? We know. Is he talking about himself and the rest of the Pharisees? Himself and some of the other Pharisees? I believe he's talking about himself and those who believed in him because of the signs at the end of chapter 2. Can't be sure, but that seems to be John's flow here. We know you've come from God as a teacher because no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. That was a given for Nicodemus. And Nicodemus is addressing Jesus in a very respectful manner here. Because of the signs Jesus was doing, Nicodemus was convinced that Jesus must stand in a closer relation to God than he did. Not necessarily that he was God, or even that he was the Messiah, but that he was sent from God. That he was perhaps a prophet. But it's the signs. It's the signs that drew Nicodemus. He believed the signs confirmed that Jesus was a teacher sent from God. And in that he was correct. The signs are always given to authenticate that the one who's doing the signs is sent from God and to authenticate his mission, his message. So Nicodemus thought God must be with you or else you couldn't be doing the things you're doing. And there is implicit in Nicodemus' words here A desire on his part to know more about God, to himself be able to draw nearer to God. Through one he believed, because of the signs, was already closer to the Father. Now we're going to meet Nicodemus two more times in this gospel. Chapter 7, when the Sanhedrin is attempting to have Jesus arrested, he says to them, look, under our law we're supposed to give a man a trial. Not much more is said about that incident. Temple police officers went to arrest Jesus and came back and said, hey, nobody's ever spoken like this man. So Nicodemus sort of stood up for Jesus now in chapter 7. Then, of course, in chapter 19, Nicodemus aids Joseph of Arimatheus in taking Jesus' body down from the cross and placing it in a tomb, wrapping it in the linen coverings. So Nicodemus was not your ordinary Pharisee. He was not one hostile to Jesus at all. And these signs caught his attention. So the real question that seems to be on Nicodemus' mind here was the same one that some of those priests who had come to John the Baptist had asked of the Baptist. Who are you? Who are you? He wanted to know who Jesus was. And Jesus' response to Nicodemus was to teach him the true doctrine of eternal life. And that's why this passage is of such momentous importance. Jesus said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, mankind has invented all sorts of ways by which he thinks he can enter the kingdom of God. Some go around and say, well, all you have to do is accept Jesus. No, you have to be born again. Some say all you have to do is attend a church meeting 40, 50 times a year. No, you have to be born again. Some say all you have to do is be baptized. No, you have to be born again, and you can't do it yourself. Jesus answered Nicodemus. Unless one is born again, he can't see the kingdom of God. Confused Nicodemus. We see his confusion in his response. He thinks Jesus is saying, look, you're saying to me I have to go back into my mother's womb and be born again? Well, Jesus then explained to Nicodemus there's a difference between bodily birth, the flesh, and the spirit of a man. He said, that which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. There are two aspects to a man, to every man and woman. We live in bodies of flesh, but all men are, in our essence, what? Spirit. We're spirits inhabiting bodies. And because of sin, Adam's sin, all men come into this world in bodies of flesh, but spiritually dead. Now, you can say you don't like that. You can say that's not fair. Why should I pay for Adam's sin? Well, God is God and we're not. And this is what God's Word tells us. We are spirit, but our spirits are dead. They lack understanding. They cannot understand. They cannot see and know God. We can't understand the things of the Spirit of God because those things are spiritually discerned and our spirits are dead, unable to see God and come into His kingdom unless God does something, unless God acts, does a work in us. And Jesus said to Nicodemus, don't be amazed that I'm saying this to you, you must be born again. Unless man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Now this is pretty clear. In fact, I don't know what could be clearer. You think there's something you can do to get you into the kingdom of God? Jesus doesn't think so. Well, Nicodemus wants to know, how can this be? How can a man be born again? Because he's only thinking in terms of physical birth. But Jesus was speaking of a man's spirit, the essential part of him. And Jesus said this in illustrating the new birth of a man. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where it comes from. You don't know where it's going. So is everyone who's born of the Spirit. Nicodemus says, How can this be? And Jesus said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and you don't understand these things? Remember, in matters pertaining to the Old Testament Scriptures, Nicodemus was among the most learned in all of Israel. He was one of the Jewish religious leaders, a Pharisee, a teacher of the law, a scribe. And he recognized the power of God in the signs Jesus was performing. So what was his problem? His problem was that as a Pharisee, Nicodemus was one who placed his emphasis and his hope on the external practices of religion, on showing up, on offering sacrifices, on offering grain offerings, on complying with those hundreds of rules that the rabbis had added to the law of God. He was only concerned with rituals and outward conformity to the law. So for Nicodemus and for all the Jews, all attempts to gain the favor of God were based on the works of men. Based on His own works. What can I do to enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus' answer? Nothing. Believe on Him whom the Father has sent. And Jesus tells him there's no work of any man that can save him from eternity in hell. No man can do that, which is absolutely necessary, if a man is to be saved from eternity in hell and enter the kingdom of God. You must be born again. And the new birth is a mystery of God. We don't know where it comes from. We don't know where it's going. And it's a work only God can do. We best understand this because it's this truth that brings us to our knees and causes us to cry out to God. Like all of us, Nicodemus had to come face to face with his sin. He had to recognize there was nothing he could do to atone to God for his sin. You see, all of the religions of the world have people doing things to try to atone for their sins and make themselves right with God. Whether it's going up some steps, whether it's praying in a particular direction, whether it's sitting in a particular stance. whether it's performing or participating in some sacraments. None of those things can save anybody. You must be born again. So Nicodemus had to realize no animal sacrifice, no grain offering, no work of charity could ever be sufficient to make him right with God. And we have to realize the same thing. No work of ours, no sacrifice, no grain offering, no anything that we do could allow us to enter into God's glorious presence. Only God can do such a work in a man, and only God can cleanse a man of his sin. He wants us to understand this so that we will turn to Him. This is the one whom I'll look upon, the one who is humble and contrite. Nicodemus had to end his reliance on his own merit, his own works. On any perceived goodness he sees in himself, you see what a great and dangerous falsehood it is to say that all men are basically good. No, we're not. Not in God's sight. Not according to God's standard of righteousness. Nicodemus had to cease his reliance on his own goodness, the goodness he saw in himself, and turn to Christ, look to Christ and His righteousness. This is what the gospel's about. He's a teacher in Israel, but he didn't understand these things. He didn't understand the words David had written in a psalm that Nicodemus must have known very well. Psalm 14, 2. David writes, The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. That's a pretty plain statement. They've all turned aside. Together they have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. There's none seeking God, unless God does this work. So here in John chapter 3, verses 1 through 10, we have the dialogue now between Jesus and Nicodemus, which we've just kind of walked through. Verses 11 through 21 is the discourse of Jesus. following that discussion. And here Jesus teaches us many, many things. There is probably more heavenly doctrine contained here in these 21 verses than maybe any other 21 verses in all of Scripture. Here Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God, the only way of entry into it. He teaches about the new birth and the necessity of both the new birth and faith. He teaches here of the purpose of His incarnation and of God's love for His creation. And He taught here of His plan of redemption, of eternal life and eternal judgment. All of this is contained here in these 21 verses. But what's central to our Lord's teaching here in these first 10 verses this morning is His conversation with Nicodemus. And it's this truth. If one is to come into God's kingdom or even see it, he must be born again, born from above. Now why is this necessary? Because of sin. Because all men are stained with sin and can do nothing to cleanse themselves. So you must be born again. You must be made a new creature. The unfolding of God's plan and purpose, an eternal plan and purpose, takes us back to the Garden of Eden. Here's God blessing Adam with this garden paradise. Adam had fellowship with God. He had one condition placed on him. Don't eat from the fruit of a single tree in a garden full of magnificent and fruitful trees. It was simply a command that he submit to the authority of God. God said, in the day you eat from it, you will die. Well, Adam ate from the tree. His wife brought him the fruit and he ate of it. He rebelled against the authority of God. And Adam died that day, just as God said he would. But he didn't die physically. You know how long Adam lived physically after that day? 900 plus years. He lived 900 years. He didn't die that day physically. He died spiritually. Meaning, he was separated from God. God, the source of spiritual life, was separated from him. And so were all his descendants after him. I won't repeat the illustration I use of being given a garden paradise. And you're told all your descendants can stay here if you simply obey my one command. Well, when he's cast out of that paradise, so are all the descendants. And the only way to get back in is to be spiritually reborn. Only God can make a person spiritually alive. And His making a person spiritually alive is not dependent on anything any man does. It's not in response to anything a man does or thinks or believes or says. It has nothing to do with anything we do. It has to do with His own sovereign grace. All men have a duty to obey God perfectly. But because our nature is to sin, none of us can obey God perfectly. And James writes, chapter 2, verse 10, whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all. So we're all guilty by one sin, just as Adam was. And you can say, well, I don't think it's fair that Adam's sin is accounted to me. But what about your own sin? If you've got one sin, you're guilty of all. And if a man is to enter into his kingdom, there's got to be an atonement. But no man can do anything to atone for his sin. Why? Because atonement to God requires a perfect, unblemished sacrifice. He required a sinless man to offer himself. As all men are sinners, and all have a duty to believe, not only in the mind, but in the heart, in the atonement that Christ made on the cross. That's now the duty. But a mere intellectual belief, such as Nicodemus had that day and as those people who believed because of the signs had, is not sufficient. There has to be a heart transformation. There has to be a new spiritual life implanted by which a man can come to see his sinful state and his need for a righteousness he does not possess. This is all about humbling ourselves before God. It can only happen when a man is raised from a state of spiritual death. That has to happen before someone is going to recognize their sinful state and their desperate state before God. In this passage, Jesus' focus is not on the duty of man, but on the miraculous work that God does. The work by which He brings undeserving sinners into His kingdom. The kingdom of God is not of this realm. Jesus said so. My kingdom's not of this realm. It's not an earthly kingdom. It's a heavenly kingdom, a spiritual kingdom. And before one can enter it, he has to be born again. Something has to change in him. He must have spiritual life restored to Him. To be born again is to receive a new nature from God. He transforms us. He restores spiritual life to a spiritually dead sinner. This is what He does in the preaching of His Word. This is what we pray He's doing right now in anyone who has not been born again. And we pray that this Word has a transforming effect on all those who have been. But here's what Paul wrote of this work of God. He wrote about it in both his letters to Ephesus and to Colossae. Ephesians 2, 4, after telling us we're all dead in our transgressions and sins. by nature, children of wrath. He says, "...but God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions..." Dead. Not dead physically. Spiritually dead. "...even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ." There it is. By grace you have been saved. And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Colossians 2.13, when you were dead, again spiritually dead. It's not talking about dead people. When you were dead in your transgressions, in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and He's taken it out of the way." How did He do it? He nailed it to the cross. He nailed it to the cross. So this miraculous work of God is absolutely necessary before anyone can come into God's kingdom. Now, you know, I hope as we're listening to this, we are saying, I want to get into this kingdom. What do I have to do? I'll try to answer the question when we come to the conclusion today. But understand something. Some out there wrongly teach that faith precedes the new birth. Well, that's not possible. Read Psalm 14 again. It's an unbiblical theory. One does come into the kingdom of God by faith, but Scripture shows us that the rebirth of a sinner has to occur before he's able to believe and come into the kingdom. Recall what we read here in Psalm 14. These are inspired words of King David, quoted by Paul in Romans chapter 3, verses 10 and 11. Now hear this, there is none who seeks after God. There's none righteous. There's none who does good, not even one. In other words, folks, no one can cause or bring about his own rebirth. Only when God changes a person, makes him a new creation, and awakens the sinner's spirit, does he then seek God. Hear the words of the Apostle Peter. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3. He begins this epistle saying this, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you." Charles Spurgeon put it this way. There must be worked in you a work which is impossible for you. A work which only God Himself can perform. Or else you can't see Him. You can't know Him. And the new birth, Calvin writes, means a renovation of the whole nature. That's what the Bible teaches us. For there's nothing in us that isn't corrupted by sin, our thoughts, our words, our deeds. Everything falls short of God's holy standard, falls short of His glory. We all fall short of His glory. So there has to be an inner transformation which no man can work in himself. Has to be a radical change in one's understanding and in one's will. Has to be a radical change in one's desires and affections. One must become a new creation. That's one way of knowing. Have I been born again? Are you the same person you were before? Or have you changed? Has Christ come into your heart? Has God changed you? One must become a new creation brought into union with the risen, ascended, and exalted Christ. 2 Corinthians 5, 17. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. So when a man is born from above, God creates a new nature within the sinner. The old nature is not entirely eradicated. One day it will be. But not yet. But a new nature is born within the man. And this new nature hates what the old nature loved. And it loves what the old nature hated. It loves Christ. It hates His sin. It's a new nature which is one that partakes of the nature of God. Because of the indwelling of the Spirit of God. How does God do this? Well, Jesus said simply, a man must be born of water and spirit. Well, we talked about this a little bit earlier. There have been nearly 2,000 years of discussion and writings over the precise meaning of these words, born of water and spirit. And we should understand, though the translations insert the definite articles, born of the water and the spirit, those words are not present here in the original language. Simply born of water and spirit may be two distinct things, may be two ways of describing the same thing, or may be two aspects of a single work of God, which is probably the case. Some have suggested that the water here refers to Christian water baptism. But Jesus is saying nothing here about water baptism. What He's saying is you have to be born again of the Spirit from above. And there's no scripture which would affirm that one is saved, born again, brought to faith by water baptism. Water baptism is a way by which we profess our faith, our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection. It's our profession of faith. It follows the new birth. Others say water here refers to physical birth, to the water of the amniotic fluid. Still others claim that water and spirit refer symbolically to the cleansing and the filling with power that accompany the new birth. I think that's getting close to it. Others point out that we see that water is also used as a metaphor in Scripture for what? For the Word of God. John 15.3, Jesus says, you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Ephesians 5.25, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word. Now Titus chapter 3 verse 5, Paul brings the ideas of cleansing and the power of the Holy Spirit together. And there he writes, he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, how? By the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Well, I believe Paul's words here in Titus help to illuminate Jesus' meaning here. But I want us to look back to verse 10 here, what Jesus says to Nicodemus. He says, Nicodemus, as a teacher in Israel, don't you know these things? How can you not know these things? How could Nicodemus not have known that if one is to enter the kingdom of God, he must be born of water and spirit? Now Jesus knew something that Nicodemus would have known if he'd have read what Ezekiel wrote in chapter 36 and verse 25 and following. Because there Ezekiel speaks of the water and the spirit as signifying cleansing from impurity and the transformation of the human heart. Ezekiel 36, 25, God said, Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I'll put my spirit within you, cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances." Ezekiel was writing about the new birth. The New Testament writers then taught us about the means that God uses to accomplish the new birth in a sinner, hearing and believing the Word of God. Romans 10, 17, so faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Scripture's clear, the hearing of the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit are the means by which the new birth is accomplished. That's as far as our understanding is going to be able to go, at least in this life. But Scripture repeatedly affirms this truth. First Corinthians 121, For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God, God was pleased to save people, how? By the foolishness of the message preached. People are reborn and come to saving faith through the preaching of the Word of God. 1 Peter 1.23, hear the words of the Apostle, For you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God. It's the means he uses. Through the preaching of his word, God cleanses his people. The washing of regeneration, washed by the water of the word. He gives them a new heart. He gives them his own spirit, who now indwells each one. The new birth is a cleansing and empowering work of God in a sinner who responds in faith and repentance. Spurgeon again the new birth is the implanting of that living seed within the soul And it is the creation within each of us that new eternal life that enables one to believe The actual imparting of new life is the making of a new creation Look back to verse 6 There Jesus said to Nicodemus that which is born of the flesh is flesh That which is born of the Spirit is spirit Now the word flesh in Scripture is sometimes used to refer to the sin nature. But here it speaks of human nature itself, of the body. Here the point is that natural human birth produces people who belong to the earthly family of mankind. That's what natural birth does. But not to the family of God. Only by spiritual rebirth in the indwelling of the Spirit of God does a person enter into the kingdom of God and into His family as His adopted child. This all happens when one is born again. You are adopted as a child of God. You are justified. You're set apart by God to Himself. All when He causes a person to be born again. Romans 8 and 9, you're not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you don't belong to Christ. Romans 8, 15, For you have not received a spirit of slavery, leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, Abba, Father. How does God do this? Well, Jesus' answer tells us this is a mystery for God alone to know, at least for now. The wind blows where it wishes. You hear the sound of it. You don't know where it comes from, where it's going. So is everyone who's born of the Spirit. Jesus draws a comparison of the new birth to the wind. We don't know where the wind comes from, but we can see the leaves moving. We can see the trees swaying. We can see the results of it. Ship moves on the sea. Something changes. We see things changing. And the same thing is true of the new birth. Everyone who is born again from above is transformed. Want to know if you're born again? Are you the same person you used to be? Because one who's born again is a new creation. He's now in union with Christ and indwelt by His Spirit. And Nicodemus is wondering, how can all this be? Well, he's left in confusion, isn't he? Because in his fallen mind and his own human reason, he wasn't capable of understanding these things. That's why these unbelievers to whom we witness can't understand and won't believe. Because God hasn't done this work. Nicodemus was not capable of understanding the things of God because he was still spiritually dead. First Corinthians 2.14, a natural man, meaning the unreborn man, does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him. They're foolishness to the world. And he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. And this is true For all of us, no person is capable of understanding heavenly things by human reason or human intellect. No one can understand unless God illuminates you. Nicodemus had devoted many years to the study and the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures. But Jesus is showing him you hadn't understood them. You haven't understood the meaning of Ezekiel 36 and the necessity of a cleansing that only God can do and of the giving of a new heart by God. And so Nicodemus standing there at night talking to Christ lacked the true knowledge of the way of salvation. as so many do today. He knew only of seeking the blessing of God by his own works. And this is our nature because we think we can be good enough. We think by our works we can merit anything. Now he's taught that salvation is a gift of God. Comes by an event in which a man is entirely passive, the new birth. And Jesus wasn't saying, notice His words, He wasn't saying, look Nicodemus, see to it that you're born again. No, He was saying, Nicodemus, something has to happen to you. The Holy Spirit must plant spiritual life in your heart. How does this happen? Well, Spurgeon says, I'm not going to try to explain the mystery of the new birth, but as is also true of the wind, we can see its results. And I'm not going to try and explain it either. But what are the marks? What are the marks that one has been born again? Well, the first mark is a love for Christ. A love for Christ. This Christ who you held at arm's length, you now come to Him. You want to know Him. Another mark is faith in Him, belief in Him. Not merely belief in His power as some of the Jews did in Jerusalem that week, but belief in His atoning death. A faith that's manifested in a joyful submission to Him as Lord. And a manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit within you. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are all marks of the new birth. These are marks that you've been born again. Another mark of the new birth is repentance. Sorrow for sin and turning away from it. Leaving the old man behind, laying aside the old self. The newborn Christian hates the sins he used to love. Another sign of the new birth, and this is an important one, is a love and hunger for the Word of God. People who are born again love to open the Word of God and dig into it and be taught by Him and come into fellowship with Him as He teaches us. Another mark the Apostle John tells us is a love not only for Christ but a love for people, especially the people of God. It's manifested in compassion for and service to others. 1 John 4, 7 we read earlier, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Jesus said the night before He died, John 13, 35, By this all men will know you are My disciples, if you love one another. And then regular fervent prayer. If you love Christ, you're going to spend time with Him. If you love the Father, you're going to want to spend time with Him. It's another mark that you've been born again. Another one is possessing the peace of assurance that one now has an inheritance in glory with God. Do you go through life with your eyes set on what God has promised you and what He has in store for you? Do you feel this new life Have your desires changed? Have the things of your old life passed away? Do you really trust in the promises of God? Do you have a firm assurance in what He has promised? These qualities characterize your life? Do they describe your dealings with others? None of us is perfect, but we're supposed to be a little more perfect than we were before Christ came to us. These are all marks of the new birth, indicators that one has been born again. And on the other hand, if you don't believe that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, that He lived a sinless life and died on the cross to atone for your sins, you can be pretty sure you've not been born again. If you're not manifesting the fruits of the Spirit in your life, this is a dangerous warning sign. So now, we come to the question that reaches to the heart of the matter here. If one has to be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God, and that's impossible for any man to do. If no man can cause his own spiritual rebirth, what is he to do? Put another way, if you're spiritually dead, and you don't believe, and you can do nothing to make yourself spiritually alive, is there anything you can do? This is the truth. What Jesus has taught us here is the truth that must bring a man to his knees, that should bring him to recognize his helplessness and his hopelessness, and cry out to God. That's why this is such a glorious passage. Because this is the passage that shows us we're entirely dependent on God. If your house was on fire, what would you do? Well, you're facing eternal fire. if you're not in Christ. So you cry out to Him for mercy. You must recognize you're a helpless sinner condemned to hell for all eternity because that's how we all come into this world, children of His wrath. And knowing there's nothing you can do about it, so you must humble yourself and recognize your own works will never be good enough and cry out to Him. Lord, open my heart, open my eyes to know You. He's the only one who can do that. If your house was on fire and there was only one man who could put out that fire, only one man who had a fire truck and a fire hose, isn't He the man you would call to? Isn't that the man you would call? Wouldn't you plead with Him to save you, to save your house and to save your family? Well, our Father in heaven, the very source of life, is the only one who can cause you to be born again. So why aren't we all on our knees crying out to Him to save us from the fires of hell? That's what Jesus is showing us here. That's what we should learn from this. Satan has so distracted people, they don't realize that they themselves are headed for that fire. I hope we hear this, folks. This isn't about God's injustice, this is about God showing us our need for Him. It's only when we come to that point, when we realize our hopeless condition and how dependent we are on the grace of God and on the work of His Spirit, when we recognize the worthlessness of anything we can do of our own works, it's only when we get there that there's any hope. And Jesus' words here should drive us to cry out from the depths of our heart, O Lord, save me, and to cast ourselves into His arms. And you know what? From the moment you do that, you have hope because He's not going to turn you away. Spurgeon put it this way. He said, there's people out there would say, I fear that this kind of preaching will be very discouraging to some people. It will discourage them from trying to save themselves. Spurgeon says, that's exactly what I want to do. I want to discourage people from ever again trying to save themselves and to turn to Christ. I want to cast them into despair," he says, concerning their inability to save themselves. Because it's when a man utterly despairs of being able to save himself that he calls out to God to save him. And Spurgeon adds, you should know, if you do come to Christ, it's because the Spirit of God has led you to do it. He's given you a new birth. He's enabled you to do it. But if you don't, if you reject Him, your blood is on your own hands. Lord, I hope I've explained this in the way that You would have me. I pray, Lord, that we've heard You and I've not disrupted Your meaning this morning. I pray, Lord, if there's anyone here who has not come to you and cried out to you, that they will do so today. I pray that we will again be made cognizant of the worthlessness of our own works before you. And I pray, Lord, that you will do saving work, even in among us this morning, that you will cause anyone who has not been born of water and spirit to be so born this morning. And I ask it in Christ's name.