Living in the House of Your Father (08/24/2003)

The Finished Work of Christ and the New Birth

Turn with me this morning, please to John chapter 3. Where we've been talking about the finished work of Christ. All that he has accomplished for us and we're talking about the fact of sonship. Talked about it for a couple of Sundays now.

And we're going to continue on that thing. Let me review just a little bit in case we have some visitors who haven't been here the last couple of Sundays. But in John chapter 3, we won't read through every verse again, but if you look at verse 8 It illustrates very well the first point about our sonship being the children of God.

By faith in Christ Jesus. The first point was if you remember. That Jesus used physical birth as an example or an illustration of spiritual birth. He used something that we're all familiar with to teach us something we didn't know anything about.

So he taught Nicodemus and us that spiritual birth is like physical birth and One of the things that they have in common is this in physical birth. The cause of it is not the child. The cause of the physical birth is the parents in other words.

The child is born because of the will of the parents not because of his own will. In Fact he is born by nothing that he did himself. In fact, wouldn't you agree with me that the child has to be born first before he has the opportunity to be obedient or disobedient?

So therefore his birth is not a result of his obedience. We all agree that that's true in the physical world. It's also true in the spiritual world, but a lot of people are confused about that. In fact, most people who call themselves Christians in this world today.

Think that's something that you do plays a part in your own salvation. You have many camps on that some I know some think there's five steps in Salvation can't even remember them all. It's a lot of things you have to do.

I know it's believe repent. Confess. Be baptized and I left one of them out probably tithe or something. I left one of them out, but there are five steps among that group to be saved. There are other groups who say that salvation is like a gift that God gives but you have to do the receiving.

And so if you don't do the receiving and exhibit your faith. Then you you will not be saved and that if you do exhibit the faith, that's what causes you to be saved. None of that is true because the emphasis is on you and me and in salvation the emphasis should be on God.

Because he is the father and just as in natural birth. The birth of the child relies upon the work of the parents not the child. It's the same in spiritual in the spiritual realm. John 3 8 proves it. Look at verse 8 we won't read all the way down because we've already done that the last couple of Sundays.

But it says the wind bloweth where it listed. Now, what does that mean? The word listed means where it wants to? The wind blows where it wants to and You hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell where it came from or where it's going.

So is everyone that is born of the Spirit? And so we see that Salvation cannot be controlled by man. It is of God, it's interesting if you drop back to verse 4. When Jesus first told Nicodemus you must be born again.

Nicodemus said how can these things be. Can a man enter his mother's womb again and be born? Why was he asking such a question? Because like most of those who call themselves Christians today I would call them Armenians because there are people who believe that they do something to help themselves be saved.

That's most every one of your friends who call themselves Christians believe that now they may tell you they don't. But their actions and other words that they say later on in the conversation Will illustrate that they really do think that they have to do something to help God Save them.

Nicodemus was like this. Nicodemus said why you know, how can I? Go back in my mother's room and be born. He's focusing on himself. What can I do to be saved? He said that doesn't make sense because I can't do that and Jesus whole point was you're right.

You can't do that. Therefore you can't save yourself. It's like the wind that blows where it listed you can hear it. You can Sense that it's there, but you cannot control where it came from or where it's going.

So is everyone that is born of the Spirit? Nicodemus once again asks, how can these things be and Jesus reply is Jesus answered and said to him art thou a master of Israel and Noah's not these things.

We could say this to most of our quote Christian friends today. If you made it very clear and very solid that you did nothing to save yourself. Nothing that you did played a role in it. It is all from the Father.

God drew you to Jesus Christ. God placed within your heart the faith of Jesus Christ so that you could then believe and God called you to himself to see like he did the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.

He wasn't going out trying to be saved. He was going out trying to kill Christians. He didn't have a little bumper sticker on his chariot that said I found Christ. He wasn't looking. He wasn't looking but God was pursuing him and on that road all of a sudden God made it to be so in Paul's heart where he had eyes that could see and Ears that could hear and those around him didn't.

The same event there were people there who didn't have that. But Paul did because God had given it to him as a gift because God was birthing him. He was giving birth to another one of his children and Paul played no part in it.

All he did was say, oh, I'm here now. What can I do? You see the birth has to take place before the obedience can come. And it's that way with every one of us. But most of your friends don't know that and if you made it very clear to them.

You know what? They would say to you. They said well, how could that be? See Nicodemus in chapter 3 verse 9. How can these things be. That's exactly what they would say to you and your answer could be similar to that of Jesus in verse 10.

Are you claiming to be a Christian and you don't know these things you're claiming to be a pastor. You claim to be a teacher of the word and you don't know this. That's what Jesus said so Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3.

John chapter 1 verse 12 and 13 where it speaks of Salvation that says we are born not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man. But of God those verses all illustrate that point and then last time we went to a second point and Look at John chapter 3 verse 7.

We started to introduce this point with this verse. Marvel not that I said unto thee he must be born again. And you look at the Greek behind these words born again. And you see the word Jeneo. Which is the word that is used to come up with the English word genes like you inherited genes from your parents.

So what the scripture really says? Jesus tells Nicodemus. This is not a physical thing. We're talking about. There's nothing you can do to be saved nothing yourself. It is a gift from the Father. You're going to be born and he says marvel not at this.

You must be gene from above. Born again means gene from above or another way you can Translate the the word again is gene from the first. Which meaning God being the Alpha and the Omega the first the one who was there before anything else was there you must be gene by him and then you go into 2nd Peter and Chapter 1 in verse 3 and Also 1st Peter 118 it uses the word born again.

It's a slightly different word. It literally means to be rejeaned. And 2nd Peter 1 3 explains exactly what happens when a person is born again. Spiritually he is born. Look at this verse. 2nd Peter 1 3 according as his divine power.

Hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue virtue. Do you see that it's God that does the calling it's God that is doing the action.

For us salvation is passive. It's in the passive tense. It means it's done to us by someone that is greater than us. But look at verse 4 whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these He might be partakers of the divine nature.

You see that it says this is given to us. It's not something we can do. God must give this to us, but when he gives us birth He rejeans us he jeans us from above. We now can think of the old man and the new man.

Paul talks about it all the time the old man being the natural man the flesh. The new man being that which is born at the time of spiritual birth. So now we have we are two men with the old man. We have the genes of our human mother and father.

The new man has been rejeaned and we now have the genes of God and it says we therefore have The divine nature we have been made partakers of it. See you see that's not us doing the work. When it says we are made partakers that someone greater than us doing it to us He makes us to be partakers of this at the moment.

We're born go back to physical birth. Then I gave an illustration using Matthew last time we had four children before Matthew was conceived and so imagine that when Matthew was in Charlotte's tummy. He says mom.

Can you hear me? She says what is that? He says listen, I know you have four children. You know, I don't know if five is too much. But I'll promise you this if you'll let me be born I will be perfectly obedient the whole my whole life.

So on the basis of that, please let me be born. Do you think that happened? No, that didn't happen. He was just simply born one day and from that moment on he had the opportunity to obey or disobey so the obedience had no role in his birth and Jesus is saying this look when you are born into this world.

That's one thing but when you are born from above you are Regained you're given the genes of Jesus Christ and you are given the divine nature. You are made partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

You know what? That means you have a nature that God has now we still have the old man hanging around unfortunately. We live in him. We live in a body of flesh. The whole thing of growing in Christ is learning how important it is to walk in the new man.

Rather than in the old man because Paul said this about himself He's the greatest Christian that ever lived and yet he said in this flesh dwelleth. No good thing. There is nothing good that we can bring from the old man and use it in God's work we have to come from the new Man, we have to live in the new man and walk in the new man.

And that is the goal that is the challenge and that is the part We must play is we must be in control of ourselves. You have to understand if you're born again today. The real you is the new man. The old man is crucified now.

He was crucified the day Jesus was crucified in reality spiritually. But when Jesus was risen from that grave your new man was risen with him as a matter of fact. We'll see in a few points here if we get to him that when Jesus Ascended into heaven after the resurrection.

You ascended in him. The new man and so you walk in the new man and you know what that new man has a nature that wants to do. Exactly what God wants you to do it pulls a hundred percent in the direction of God all the time without fail.

There's a verse in first John chapter 5. I believe where it says the new man cannot sin. So as long as you're walking in the new man. Some people call that spirit filled if you're walking in the new man, you won't sin while you're doing that you can't and that Is the real you by the way?

Now what you have to do to be a good Christian is be a thinking Christian you have to think about you have to hear your thoughts. All sin is here is between the ears. Now there may be actions that we call sins, but they start right here.

So if we would all learn to think about what we're thinking about. We can be a good Christian. Thoughts just pop into our minds all the time because the old man is there. He is very much has to do with your brain the organ.

We call the brain. You've been putting input into there since You were born you get it from TV. You get it from music. You get it from videos. You get it from bad company. You've been around and from good company.

And if you're born again, you get input from the Word of God from being around Christians. You get it from all different directions. It all goes in that same brain and it's like a magnificent computer and you've put all that input in.

Unfortunately a lot of that input it comes from the world in the bad sense of that worldliness. Worldly thoughts worldly philosophies worldly ideas that are not even true that you thought were true because you've been taught those things sometimes by your mom.

Sometimes by your grandmom. So you think they're true and all that's programmed in and if we walk according to that. We will walk surely as the world walks. But if we can learn to think about what we're thinking and a thought pops in our mind and it does not match the Word.

Jesus said my words they are spirit and they are life and if a thought pops into your mind It doesn't match the word you need to hear that thought pay attention and cast it out of your mind. And say no, you're not you can't think that way.

And you know, that's your old man. You know, you don't think that way you're not in control. I'm in control and I'm walking with the Lord. My mentor dr. Rocky Freeman said one time if any thought comes into your mind.

It does not edify you which means build you he said consider the source. He said it's not from God. It's either from a demon or from your own fleshly mind that you drug up from the past. But he said it's not from God any thought that's from God will build you and edify you.

So you have to think about what you're thinking about all the time there's even a place the Bible where it says you're supposed to take your thoughts and bring them into captivity of the Lord Jesus Christ and When we don't do that, we're disobeying the Lord because he taught us to do that.

It's a great key and walking in the new man is making sure that you man's in control of The mind and so we have a divine nature. Now those people who feel that a person could be truly born again and then lose their salvation.

Are so far off the mark That it barely merits arguing with them. In fact I joked in the last couple of Sundays about the fact that the real Subtitle of this message is the first second third and fourth of my 1 ,000 reasons.

You cannot lose your salvation. But the first reason is because your birth had nothing to do with you. It had to do with God bringing you into his family. And since you didn't do it, you can't undo it.

It was a work of God. The second reason is because at the moment of salvation you are rejeaned and given the divine Nature. Now, let me ask you this if you have the divine nature. Why would you do something or Why would you do something unnatural to that nature?

For example, if you have the divine nature and it's very propensity is to move towards God and towards the heavenlies. How could that nature then say I don't want God. You see that would have to be the nature of the devil.

You don't have that nature when you're born again, you're given the new nature. We talked about last time the reason a cow eats grass because it's his nature to eat grass. He doesn't go around to try to impress his fellow cows and say well, I'm religious.

I'm going to eat grass so that I may be a cow. Doesn't work that way. He has the nature first and so he eats grass. A truly born-again Person does good works as we discussed in Sunday school in the book of James.

Simply as a result of what he is on the inside. He does good works as a result of his very nature. That God has given him at the moment of spiritual birth that he did not have before that moment. He did nothing to get that nature.

By the way, he didn't earn it. He can't work it up. He can't invent it. He can't say I believe I believe I believe I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. You know, none of that works. It's something that someone greater than you has to give to you and that's what God has done.

So the second reason that you could not lose your salvation is because you've been given a nature. That would never want to do that. You've been given a nature that wants to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now let's go to a third point. We're talking about characteristics of a child of God. The first characteristic is that he is born. He's given birth by his father and his mother in the physical realm and the spiritual realm by the father.

The second characteristic is that he now has the nature of his parents or spiritually the nature of his father. The third Characteristic is this that when a child is born he lives in the house of his father.

Is that not true? And so that's true spiritually. Now look at John chapter 3 verse 12 a Born-again child or a child who was born into God's family lives in the house of his father. John 3 12, I have told you earthly things and you believe not.

How shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things and no man hath ascended up to heaven? But he that came down from heaven even the Son of Man which is in heaven now. I use this verse as a springboard to talk about this idea that if we are born again We are currently dwelling in the house of the Lord already.

We shall dwell in a mansion that he's building for us now someday. But we right now on the planet earth in time and space we're already living in his house. Look at this verse again chapter 3 verse 12 and 13.

Do you notice that Jesus is on the planet earth? Standing before a man named Nicodemus talking to him face to face and as he speaks to him. Look at verse 13 very carefully. You may not have noticed this.

But he says no man he's speaking of himself. Jesus is speaking of himself telling Nicodemus. I'm going to tell you about me. He says no man has ascended up to heaven except he that came down from heaven even the Son of Man.

Which is present tense in heaven now, how could Jesus say that? Here is his feet are grounded on the earth and he's talking to Nicodemus and he says I'm the son of man who is in Heaven, that's present tense.

How can he be on the earth and in heaven at the same time? Well, we don't necessarily know but we know it states that he was. Now my question to you would be is this possible for children of God for us?

Can we be on the earth and in heaven at the same time? Well, we'd better learn whether we can or not because you cannot walk in the new man. If you don't understand this concept you not only died in Christ, that's the old man.

You not only were resurrected in Christ. That's the birth of the new man to life that you also Ascended in Christ and seated where he is seated at the right hand of God in Christ. You are there as well.

And that is the whole key to walking in the spirit is Knowing that that's where it's coming from. It's coming from there down this way rather than the body running everything we do. My old man my flesh my urges my brain all the input.

Telling me where to go who my friends are what I'm going to do what I like. That's upside down for a true child of God it should all come from the heavenlies and move down into the life and in this body becomes an Instrument in God's hand in the physical world to do God's work because Jesus is not here bodily.

We are his body here. You know what? He is the mind there and we are in him now. Let's look and see if this we see that it's possible for Jesus to be on the earth and in heaven at the same time. Is it possible for us turn to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 5?

Let's look at this. There's another place. We're running out of time. You might want to mark Ephesians 1 3. But let's just go to Ephesians 2 5 and we'll use one of these points to illustrate this. We're gonna have to look at the grammar just a little bit because there are three phrases that are used in this passage and the three phrases have the same exact tense of the verbs and.

And that's going to prove something to us as far as God's mind on this subject. So follow with me Ephesians 2 5 even when we were dead in sins. Hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace you are saved.

You see you're not saved by something you do. You're saved by unmerited favor. That's what grace means. You were quickened together with Christ now that happened 2 ,000 years before you were born almost in this world.

It had nothing to do with your will or anything. You've done in this life. It was accomplished before you were born. You. God is omniscient. He knows all things. God is not bound by time. God does not have to wait and see what you're gonna do or what I'm gonna do.

God knew you before the foundation of the world. Ephesians chapter 1 teaches that and it says he chose you before the foundation of the world and predestinated you before the present foundation of the world to be his own and.

So what the Bible says here is that 2 ,000 years before you were born. God is not bound by time. He spiritually took those who were his children. Who whom he knew from the foundation of the world and placed them in Christ spiritually so that when Jesus died your old man Was crucified.

So that Jesus paid the sin debt for you, but you were literally in him and your sins literally did die. But not only that three days later when Jesus came out of that grave by the power of God. Which you'll see this word in a moment this word for power.

The same word that is translated into the word birds. You've probably had that in school some of you that have had some engineering classes. It's it's a measurement of work. But it is what God provides in the resurrection of Christ.

It is that same power that quickens us now look what it says. He hath quickened us together with Christ. This word together is very important because it means oneness in union. It means we were. I think brother Otis sometimes teaches.

It's like being a Siamese twin. You are so tied together with Christ that you're not one and he's one but you're one together. So you were that way with him when he rose from the grave when he was quickened when he was given life.

Now it says he hath Quickened him half quickened is in English. It sounds like past tense, but in the Greek, it's actually Errorist we don't have that in English. But the errorist tense is a very interesting tense.

And that's one reason God wrote the word in Greek is so we could have these different colors in shades of meaning. Let me read to you a definition of what aorist tense means. It means the concept of the verb is Considered without regard for past present our future.

It's sort of an eternal tense. The most common use of the aorist tense is this it views the action as Already existing at a certain point in time. In other words anywhere where you go in time and stop there.

That action is already there. It meets you there. You see that you can't do that in English. But well, I just tried but it doesn't work real easily. But when the Bible says he hath quickened us with him the same time he quickened Christ.

He quickened us it is not in the past tense. So it's not really only a reference to 2 ,000 years ago. The day Jesus was on the cross in time. It goes beyond that it says even at that point. It was already really done by God.

He has quickened us in Christ it's aorist active. Active means God did it we didn't do it and it's indicative which means it just flat happened. You can't change it it is something that happened that cannot be changed.

Now if that's true of our quickening. Look at verse 6. It says the same grammar. Uses the exact same grammar when it says he hath raised us up together. He not only made us alive together with Christ.

He now raised us up together the same exact tense. We are in union with Christ the day he came out of the grave and our new man is given birth. Really at that time. We're not aware of it until the moment of our salvation in our lifetime is when we become aware of it the Apostle Paul Walking along the road going out to kill Christians all of a sudden God Gives him that miraculous gift of faith.

He gives him a birth. He looks up and he says Lord. He could never call him that before Lord, what would you have me to do the obedience followed? He was risen. He knew he had been risen for the first time in his life.

Together now, but I want you to look at this last phrase in verse 6. The tense is the same. It is exactly identical to what we've looked at already. The error is tense. Not only did he quicken us. Not only did he raise us.

But it says at the same time, which is not now it's already happened. It is not with really with regard to time because anywhere in time you go. This has already happened for God's children. We're aware of it at the point of our salvation, but it says he has made us to sit together.

That's the same word for union in heavenly places in Christ now from our vantage point. This happened in the past 2 ,000 years ago the day Jesus was on the cross. These things happen and they happen to him and to us together.

That's why we say we have a co-death. We have a co burial. We have a co resurrection and a co ascension. We are together with him. Now we are united at the moment of birth. We are given the divine nature.

The Holy Spirit baptizes us or immerses us into Christ. We become part of his body. We are one with him and it counts for all time at that point somehow. Spiritually from God's viewpoint it baptizes us and makes us.

I shouldn't use that word. It's a bad English word. He immerses us is what the word really means into Christ. We become one with him, but we were one with him from that point from our viewpoint looking back.

We were in him when he died in him when he rose in him when he ascended and that's exactly what it means when it Says we now right now already. You come to any point in time and it's already there come to now today and this is already here.

You are sitting together with him in heavenly places. Wow. If we could understand what that meant the Greek word for heavenly places is just one word. It means in the heavenly regions. So you could say this.

If we are his feet on the earth, he is our head in the heavenlies or you could put it this way. Jesus and myself or Jesus in yourself. You are together in your body on this earth. But Jesus and yourself.

You are together in the head in heaven as well. So we don't think that way we think of what Jesus in my heart that is so true. Jesus lives in me. My body is the temple of the Living God on this planet on this earth in space and time to do physical work in God's physical world with other human beings to be a witness to be a light.

He is with me here, but we don't talk about this nearly enough. We are with him there now when you start. Paying attention to your own mind. Realize that you are the new man. You need to understand that you are seated spiritually in Christ in the heavenlies.

Far above the things of this world. You're above your enemies. You see you are living in the house of God now. Where is God's house? It is not here. This is his footstool. You're living with him in the heavenlies now that is a characteristic of being born into the family you're living in God's house in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 19.

It says and what is the exceeding greatness of his power? Now that is the the word that the English word erg comes from. It's a word that means power that comes from God. The exceeding greatness of his power to us word in other words toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power salvation is of him.

Salvation is of God. It's according to God's power verse 20 says which he wrought in Christ. When he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies. That same power was wrought in you and me when we were born again.

Now this is a power in verse 21 to be far above all Principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world. But also in that which is to come and he hath put all things under his feet.

And gave him to be the head over all things to the church. Which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Do we realize that? Because we are in Christ. Seated in the heavenlies. We're above the enemy.

We're above the world. We're above the flesh. We're above the temptations. We're above the devil. We're above the law of the Old Testament those churches that are too legalistic. They don't understand this concept.

We're seated in the heavenlies. The law doesn't apply there. It only applies here. We're already above that in Christ and So because we are in Christ We walk in the law because that's what Jesus does.

You go into Psalm 27 turn there with me for a moment. I've said this many times. It's amazing to me how David in the Old Testament had such an insight to New Testament truths seem like He understood some of these concepts that we don't really learn from the Old Testament except by reading some of David's songs.

But Psalm 27 for Talks about being in the house of the Lord. Says one thing have I desired of the Lord. That will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. You see that's not talking about when when you die and go to heaven.

It's talking about now To behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. That's not talking about the earthly temple. That was a pattern of the heavenly place Where the Holy of Holies was it's talking about the place in heaven.

David simply said this if I could live and have my thought life in the house of the Lord and Behold the beauty of Lord where he is in his temple that means in the heavenlies. Then I would have some results in my life.

Let's look at what some of these results are. He says first I would behold the beauty of the Lord if we dwell in the heavenlies. David did we can then behold the beauty of God and communicate with him where he is and Then verse 5 says for in the time of trouble He shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle.

Shall he hide me? He shall set me upon a rock and now shall mine head be lifted up above my enemies. Which around about me therefore Will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy? I will sing. Yeah, I will sing praises unto the Lord now.

I don't know if you're if you're with me This morning, but but I'm seeing this and I hope some of you are starting to see the fact that David is Saying that I'm living on the earth, but my mind in my heart and spiritually I'm already dwelling in heaven in the house of the Lord and I'm beholding his beauty while my enemies are attacking me down here and As I behold his beauty from his true tabernacle in the heavenlies not here.

But there while I'm looking in his face spiritually beholding his beauty. He lifts me up above my enemies who are still down on the earth. Do you know your enemies today you have three the world the flesh and the devil.

You need to learn how to fight each one. You don't fight them the same way. But the truth is if you could dwell in your new man and dwell in Christ in the heavenlies at the right hand of God. You don't even have to fight them because they're below you.

They're down in a realm where you are not living. You're living in this realm. Your body is here as an instrument of God, but your mind and your heart is there. Beholding God in his house because you're living in his house while you're still here.

You're not waiting till you die. Many Christians wait till they die. Well when I die, I guess I'll see what it's like up there. Yeah, they never looked around before David did though. David looked around up there by faith.