Born Again, the Mystery Revealed by Jesus - Part 1 — Erlo Stegen

Jesus’ Teaching on the New Birth

Jesus said, you must be born again. Here we read about a man who was a Pharisee, Nicodemus. A teacher of Israel. It doesn't say here that he was a teacher of Israel, but rather that he was the teacher of Israel.

In other words, he taught everybody in Israel. There was no one in Israel of a spiritually higher stature than him in teaching Israel. He was the most important one. He comes here to Jesus at night. Some ask, why should he have come at night?

Was he afraid of people that might have seen him with Jesus? But I personally don't quite like that interpretation. I think rather that it's because he who was the teacher of Israel, he who was the most educated in the things of Israel, that he wanted an opportunity with Jesus all alone.

There was something in his heart that troubled him. He wanted the opportunity to sit down with Jesus alone to talk to him and have ample time to discuss with Jesus alone with him. For he had a question on his heart.

He wanted to discuss something that was very profound with Jesus. And as a highly educated person, full of wisdom, he wanted to ask Jesus the question he had. He was respected by everyone because of his importance.

History tells us that he was also one of the three most richest people in Israel. He was one of the three richest people in Israel. He was also one of the three richest people in Israel. But despite being the richest, most wise, most highly respected man, there was still something deep that he did not understand.

And he just felt within him that there was something that was important that he didn't yet understand. You see, even if you are very rich, you are highly respected, you are very important, highly educated, but that will not satisfy.

And there is no doubt that there was something that he wanted to hear from Jesus himself. So here we find him sitting with Jesus, alone with him, asking him questions. Because we We might try and bluff our way, we might pretend, we might be pharisaical and have an outward show, but Jesus understands and he knows exactly what's in the heart.

Even if you are able to speak flowery words of eloquence, but Jesus knows if there's something else in the heart. And Nicodemus tells him, we know you are from God, for no one can do what you do unless you are sent from God.

The Necessity of Being Born Again

Jesus responds by saying, truly, truly, I say to you, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Do you see that? Even if you can use the right Christian language, make the right impression, but if you are not born again, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

That confused Nicodemus, wondering how is that possible that a person can be born again, even though he was so wise and highly respected, he could not understand this. He asked, what an old person, can he then enter into his mother's womb and be born again?

We might say, how can such an educated person, the teacher of Israel, speak such nonsense? See, even if you have all the knowledge of the Bible, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. See, even if you have all the Christian eloquence there is, you are highly respected, you are a teacher yourself, you appear to know everything, but if you are not born again, you cannot use these things to enter into heaven with.

This is amazing. God says in another place that he has hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to the babes. Salvation is not by education, but by revelation that was hidden to him. I will sing this one again for you.

Salvation Comes Through the Spirit and the Word

Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you that unless a man is born again of the Spirit and of water, he cannot enter God's kingdom. Some people, as soon as they hear the word water, their mind jumps to the conclusion that he must be referring to baptism, therefore a person must be baptized.

No, that is not in this context. You cannot be baptized and therefore become a new person. A thief can go into the waters and he will come out of them still a thief. It is not speaking about water as we know it.

Sometimes water is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Like, for instance, when Jesus said, if any man drinks of this water, he will thirst again, but if anyone drinks of the water I shall give him, he will receive that which will flow like a fountain from heaven.

And there he was speaking about the Holy Spirit. And then, the word water is sometimes used in the context of the word of God. So, if it speaks about being born of water, it means rather than that you are born of the word of God.

So, if you are born of the word of God, you are born of the word of God. So, the word of God washes and it refers then to the word being that water as Jesus said, you are washed by the words I have spoken to you.

Stay away from thinking that water in this case must mean baptism. It is not baptism either by the sprinkling of infant baptism or by adult baptism. It is neither. Instead, it is the word of God which brings about new birth by the Holy Spirit.

Flesh, Spirit, and the Mystery of New Birth

And Jesus said, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. And therefore, do not be amazed if I say to you, you must be born again. And the person might be confused and say, how so?

Jesus spoke in symbolic terms, illustrating with wind saying, look at the wind, it blows where it wishes. And you feel the wind, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going to. Some people today might say, but we just go straight to the internet and we can calculate where the wind is coming from and where the wind is going to.

They might be correct sometimes, but at other times, meteorologists can be totally incorrect. They do not really know where the wind, where the source is from and where exactly it ends. Many things there are that we do not understand, but they exist.

And so, I say to you, that which is born of the Spirit is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. And therefore, do not be amazed if I say to you, you must be born again. A person may not understand how a black cow eats green grass and then gives white milk and from that you can get cheese and things like an ice cream.

Nicodemus’ Limited Understanding

So, Nicodemus's question was, how can it be? So, he had much knowledge and knew a lot about things in this world, but this confused him and he asked Jesus how can it be? And so, Jesus asks him, how can you be the teacher of Israel, teaching everyone and yet you do not understand this?

And he said, verily, we speak of things that we know, but you do not receive that which we say. And so, he said, if I speak to you of things in this world that you do not understand, how will you ever understand the things of heaven?

Saying, no one has gone from here into heaven, except the one that descended from heaven, the Son of Man. So, Nicodemus heard brand new things and was taught a very important lesson. So, he asked Jesus, how can you be the teacher of Israel, teaching everyone and yet you do not understand the things of heaven?

The Bronze Serpent and the Son of Man Lifted Up

And he said, look Nicodemus, just as the serpent of Moses was lifted up in the desert and healed those who looked to it, so too the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that those who believe in him might be saved.

So, he asked Jesus, how can you be the teacher of Israel, teaching everyone and yet you do not understand the things of heaven? And he said, look Nicodemus, just as the serpent of Moses was lifted up in the desert and healed those who looked to it, so too the Son of Man might be saved.

Jesus Reveals the Way to Heaven

But he was still not satisfied, that's why he comes to Jesus and asks these profound questions. And Jesus marveled, saying, but Nicodemus, you who are a teacher of teachers, how can it be that you don't understand these things?

So highly educated, having passed everything, but here was something that confused him, that's what it's like when we meet with Jesus. So that night, Nicodemus received a lesson that he had never been taught and had never known before.

Jesus revealing things of heaven and how to enter heaven, saying, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert.