The Born Again Experience

The Born Again Experience

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

---

John 3:1-2
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee with authority as a ruler amongst the Jews. Why did he come by night to see Jesus? Maybe he did this because he feared the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, fearing he would be excommunicated, or possibly even killed.

In John 9, when the man who had been blind from his mother's womb was healed, his parents were afraid to speak up for this very reason:

John 9:18-23
But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.

These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.

He's of age; ask him! His parents were afraid of being excommunicated from the synagogue.

Nicodemus also could have come to Jesus because he was under conviction.

He knew Jesus was a teacher come from God: for nobody could do the miracles He did except God was with him. He called Jesus Rabbi which means teacher or master.

Jesus took this opportunity to speak to Nicodemus about his soul, about his need of being born again.

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Born Again

That term born again has become a common term by many who don't fully understand what it means. To be truly born again is to have a spiritual birth that is wrought in the heart by an act of God. When we are born again of the Spirit of God, our sinful nature is changed by the new birth, enabling us to respond to God in faith.

John 3:4
Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Of course, we can't do that! Jesus wasn't talking about being born again physically from our mother's womb. He was talking about being born of the Spirit of God.

John 3:5-7
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

You Must Be Born Again

Jesus likens one's new life in Him to the wind. Just as one sees the effect of the wind in the trees, one can see the effect of salvation in our life. When we receive Christ as our Saviour — repenting of our sins, being born again, and becoming a new creature in Him — the effect is evident.

John 3:8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

We see the effects of the wind blowing. We can see the leaves moving as the wind blows through the trees. And we can feel the wind: Sometimes it blows fiercely, and other times gently.

In the same way, we will see the effects when people have been born again of the Spirit of God, have received new life in Christ Jesus. That new life will be seen and heard. As we hear the sound of the wind, we will hear the sound of their new life in Christ when they speak. They will want to tell that they have been born again, that Christ has made them a new creation in Him.

How many times we give a testimony of our salvation! We thank God for saving us, for giving us new life in Christ Jesus.

My Husband's and My Testimony

I received this new life when I was 21, after I had been married for about four years. We had two little ones at the time: Wayne was two and Paul was just a few months. One day I was visiting my mother, who lived about 12 miles from us. On our way to the store, a Christian neighbor came out of her house and stopped to talk with us about the Lord, inviting us to church.

The next Sunday morning I woke my husband and said we were going to church. He said, "No, not this Sunday. I want to rest. Next Sunday we'll go to church." He probably thought I would forget all about it. But I didn't. I had previously told him that I wanted us to raise the children in the ways of the Lord, and now I wanted us to start going to church.

When I was a child, I had gone to Sunday School from time to time; and I listened in the night hours when they played gospel music on the jamboree that came from Tennessee. I would weep as I listened to those gospel songs.

When this neighbor spoke to my mother and me, there was still something within me, drawing me to the Lord.

Now, God created each of us to have fellowship with Him. He wants to come and abide in us. Many try to fill up that place with other things, but it does not work. They will always feel that emptiness until they have surrendered their lives to the Lord.

The next Sunday morning I woke my husband up and reminded him that he had promised we could go to church. He kept his promise, and we got ready to go. Well, we drove down that street, I don't know how many times, and we could not find the church. We went right by it time after time, but we were determined. And, finally, after many tries, we found it.

We sat near the back, right next to the pastor's wife. The pastor had an altar call, inviting those who wanted to get saved to come forward. We didn't respond, but the pastor's wife invited us to come back to church that night. And we did. This time we sat closer to the front, next to two older women. The pastor preached a wonderful sermon and, again, had an altar call, inviting souls who needed salvation to come forward. Again, we didn't respond. The pastor lingered awhile and then closed in prayer.

Before we could even stand up, these two older women had their Bibles open to Romans 10:9,10, which they read to us:

Romans 10:9,10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

They spoke to us about the Lord and then asked if we would like to receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour. We both responded that we would, and that night we received Christ as our personal Saviour.

I'm glad that I can preach salvation today because I have had a salvation experience myself.

A New Creature

John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

That which is born of the flesh is physical, but that which is born of the Spirit is spiritual. It's the Spirit of God who imparts this new life in us, making us a new creation in Christ Jesus.

II Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

So, there's a change that takes place in our lives through the new birth. When we are born again, born of the Spirit of God, we are a new creature. This new life is in us, and the old things are passed away. The old sinful life passes away; and, behold, this new spiritual life is in operation, is evident. We no longer want to live in sin. We now want the things of God, want to live for Christ; and we desire God's Word. We get so hungry for the Word of God that we desire more and more.

Spiritual Growth

Even after all these years, I still desire more and more of God in my life, more and more of His Word. I'm asking Him to really touch my soul. I want more of the knowledge of the Lord.

This shouldn't go from us as time goes by. There should ever be a desire for God's Word. It doesn't matter how many times we've heard it preached, how many times we've read it.

You know, the Bible is not an ordinary book. When we buy an ordinary book, we read it and then we're done with it. But the Bible's not like that. Every time you go to the Bible, God will enlighten your eyes with something fresh. He will open Scriptures to you, speaking off the pages of His Word.

Treasure your Bible. Treasure it. And not only treasure it, but put those Scriptures down into your heart. Memorize the Word, not just to memorize it, but to know and understand and obey it, letting His Word sink deep down into your heart.

Spiritual Blindness

Nicodemus wanted to talk to Jesus personally. Sounds to me like those scribes, Pharisees, rulers and chief priests had been talking about Jesus and His wonderful miracles. Nicodemus told Jesus that they knew He was a teacher sent from God, but it seems he had no knowledge of what it meant to be born again.

John 3:9,10
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was one who had studied the law and the prophets, so he should have had some understanding of what Jesus was speaking about.

Ezekiel 36:36,37
Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

If Nicodemus had been studying the prophets, he should have known what Jesus was talking about.

In John 7 we find Nicodemus again, at the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles. And Jesus also was there secretly.

John 7:37-52
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

So there was a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.

Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.

The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus, but His time was not yet. They could not kill Him before His time. Understand that there was an appointed time for Jesus to go to the cross (the old rugged tree), an appointed time for Him to take our sins in His body.

Jesus took an awful whipping from Pilate. His back was laid open, and with those stripes we were healed. Yes, Jesus paid the price for our healing, as well as for the forgiveness of our sins (Isaiah 53:5).

Now, Nicodemus was there at the feast when they were wanting to kill Jesus. He spoke up, and asked them, "Does our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he does?" He was pleading for justice, and they asked if he wasn't from Galilee. Didn't he know that out of Galilee rises no prophet? Or so they thought!

God's Time

The hour would come when it was time for Jesus to be crucified, God's time. Realize that, though people might try to kill you, unless it's your time, they won't be able to.

I recently read a testimony of a man who came to kill the preacher but was unable to move his hand to pull the trigger. He went home and called the preacher, asking that he pray for his hand. The preacher prayed, and the Lord restored his hand. As a result, he went to the preacher's house and got saved!

Isn't that something! That preacher was spared by a miracle of God. Yes, it was a miracle to make that man unable to pull the trigger, a miracle to restore his hand after the preacher prayed, and a miracle for the man to get saved as a result. What a testimony.

Prepare to Meet thy God
(Amos 4:12)

This message in John 3 is for all who are not born again. But we who have been born again also need to learn from it. We all want to make sure of what will happen after we die. We want to have the assurance that we will be ready.

We also want to be prepared to face persecution. We want to be on guard, because we never know what will take place if we should face persecution: Either we will be true to the Lord and take the persecution, or we will deny the Lord to avoid being persecuted.

Matthew 10:33
But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

This is a matter of life or death. Everlasting damnation is death, and everlasting life is life. We know that when God sent His only begotten Son into this world, He didn't come to condemn the world but that the world could be saved through Him.

Luke 16:19-31 speaks of this place called hell, and tells us that it is a place of torment.

Matthew 25:46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

This was the parable of the goats and the sheep. The goats refer to the lost; they will go into everlasting punishment. God's Word declares this.

Matthew 25:41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels

How can one really make it? By being born again and going on to do the will of God, walking in obedience to His Word. That's how we'll make it.

Eternity is Forever

People won't die in hell. They'll be there for ever and ever and ever, in everlasting torment.

Mark 9:46
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

We must be born again, having our names written in the Lamb's book of life and found continuing on walking with the Lord, living in obedience to His Word. Otherwise our names can be blotted out of the Lamb's book of life (see Revelation 3:5).

Revelation 20:14,15
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

We don't want to play around. If we want our names kept in the book of life, we need to shape up, get serious with God, and make sure we're living according to His will.

Are you prepared to meet your God? Are you really prepared to meet Him?

You can't be found ready if you're playing around, taking your salvation lightly. You should want to be sure. Don't play around. Going to church is not enough. Going to church is not going to save you. Oh, you might get saved while you're in church, but if you don't go on to live the Christian life when you're not in church forget it.

Constantly Abiding in Christ

John 15:4-7
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

You need to constantly abide in Him and let His Words abide in you. It's up to you. Be sure that you're right with God, that you're serious about your walk with the Lord.

John 3:16-21
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

If you have never been born again, I would urge you to open your heart to Jesus Christ today, asking Him to forgive you of all your sins, and to come into your life and be your personal Lord and Saviour.