Born Again, the Mystery Revealed by Jesus - Part 2 — Erlo Stegen

Jesus Lifted Up Like the Bronze Serpent

The child of God speaking about the cross earlier on. Now so too, Jesus Christ must be lifted up, in other words, the cross, so that if we believe in Him, we can have eternal life. You see, out there in the wilderness, the children of Israel complained and murmured.

And they sinned against God. And God sent fiery serpents to bite them. Whoever was bitten by these snakes would die. Many died in a very short time. The poison of these serpents was worse than the mamba.

And they died because of their sin. And they cried out, Moses also cried out to God. And God then said, Moses, make a bronze serpent. Then lift it up, this bronze serpent, that whoever sees it would live.

There were corpses everywhere. Some with limbs swollen up. Some were in the process of dying, weak and paralyzed. And when the serpent was lifted up, as weak as that person might be, perhaps getting help from somebody else to turn his head, to look towards the serpent, he would live.

Miraculously, the moment a person's eyes locked onto that serpent, the person would be healed. The poison would lose its power. So too, that is why Jesus had to be lifted up. There are many different serpents in this world killing people.

Sin's Many Serpents and the Need to Look to Jesus

Just think of drugs, how many have already died. That poison has entered in. Some are emaciated. Some because of prostitution, sexual immorality. Even children being ruined by the lusts of the flesh. Just 12 years old, or 13, already thinking of the opposite sex or of marriage, seeking boys or the opposite sex.

And they have this drive within them, with boys exactly the same, even children. You've achieved nothing in life, you have nothing, no cows to pay the dowry with, you don't even have a little chicken.

You girls are too cheap. You are just... You cheapen yourselves, and you infatuated with a boy who has nothing to show you anything. And you can see for yourself he has nothing, and yet you go for him.

And you're driven by youthful lusts, and you are lying out there in the desert as a corpse having been bitten by the serpent of lust. Maybe you've got AIDS or other diseases as a result of sin. There are a great variety of fiery serpents today.

Or maybe it's hatred, anger, grudges, murder. Just look at how things are now in this world. My brother visited me and told me about a little boy, a little boy who no longer has eyes, was mutilated, his genitals mutilated.

But still alive, there in hospital. Serpents like these, you are like a wild beast. Of the felt. And if you get bitten by such serpents, you will die whether you want to or not. If you don't believe in Jesus.

Making Jesus First Through Self-Denial

And Jesus becomes number one to you. Another person I spoke to. I said to him, if you want to go along with us, then you need to know what it is to deny yourself that Jesus is the very first one, that you seek first the kingdom of God, and then all these other things God will bring.

Not that your wife is first or your children are first, but that Jesus is number one to you. Let everyone examine themselves to see whether that is so. If not, you'll be like that boy whose eyes have been taken out from him.

There are those people who are busy mutilating other people, taking out their eyes. It's been a practice for a long time and it still happens today. Dr. Albie also told me that he has met up with such things a long time ago, how he saw such things personally.

You see, if you have anything to do with the occult, with spiritism, with worshipping the ancestral spirits, all these fiery serpents get hold of you. So Jesus says, just as the bronze serpent was lifted up and everyone who looked was healed, you can be certain that you will definitely be healed.

If you put your faith in Jesus, you will definitely be born again. So Jesus teaches this lesson, this unexpected lesson to Nicodemus, that if a person is born again, that's the only way. Now here you see a cross on the pulpit.

The Cross and Transformation Through New Birth

The child of God said earlier that it consists of two planks, two pieces of wood. Now we are to gaze upon Jesus on the cross. This cross, which symbolises the sin, that's why Jesus became sin on the cross, and as you look to Him on the cross, you are healed from whatever sin may be troubling you.

How marvellous. That the sinner who looks to Jesus, trusting Him, He who is on the cross for him, that that person, even if he was a drunkard, or a person who would swear, or was bound by different things, his drunkenness comes to an end, for he is born again.

He no longer swears, his life is turned around. He is born again. Not just... It's not by dressing in certain clothing, or joining a certain church, or joining the church choir, you must be born again.

Only that will change you. In English we can say it's not by self-reformation, but by revelation. It is by being born again. If you try and save yourself, you will definitely go back to your sins again.

It doesn't help that you buy some whitewash and try and paint the stones and make it look white. Only if you are born again are you washed to be white inside. So Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, these profound things, saying you must be born again.

You cannot try and change that. Don't say, well I gave myself over. If you were not regenerated, born again, regenerated by the water of the word and the spirit of God, not a single person can enter into heaven without that happening.

So ask yourself, are you really born again? So that the difference is noticeable, people can say you used to be a drunkard, you are no longer, you used to sway, you used to do these things, but you don't do them anymore, you changed.

You might be a seeker after money, money will not help you enter into heaven. He was highly respected, this Nicodemus. He was looked up to by everyone. And yet, not understanding how to enter into heaven.

Nicodemus and the Necessity of Spiritual Birth

Well, here is this Nicodemus, lifted up, but he needs a redeemer. He needs a saviour. You cannot save yourself by promising, I won't do it again, for you will do it again. You must be born anew. You won't find a chicken wanting to swim in water.

Or it's chicks wanting to go into the water, they will drown. But the duck and its ducklings instinctively want to go into the water. For it was born a duck. If you are born a chicken, you remain a chicken.

If you are born of the flesh, you will remain a thing of the flesh. But if you are born of the Spirit, spiritually, you will listen to the Spirit. If you are born of the Spirit, you will listen to the Spirit.

If you are born of the flesh, you will be a living thing. You won't fight against the Spirit. You won't have to be told by somebody else, no, you shouldn't do this, this is not appropriate for a Christian.

You will want to do the right thing. And so it is with the person who is born again. If a parent is uniting himself with his children who are still in the world, following the things of the world, that parent shows that he's not really born again.

A person must be saved, must be born anew, and I ask every one of you here, are you born again? I ask somebody, are you married? The person said yes. I asked, are you following Jesus? The person said yes.

I asked, is your wife following Jesus? He said yes. Is together with you? Person said we are united as one. We are united and we follow in the same way following the Lord and we are decided together. But a wife who is not united with her husband like that is simply following the flesh, is a thing of the flesh.

But if you're born from above, you will want to do the right thing. And nobody will force you, can force you into sin. Like a chicken, if you try and put it into water, it will desperately try and get out of that water.

That is a mystery and yet it is revealed, is it not? If a child is born, that child lives and is alive and so too if you're born spiritually again, you will live spiritually. May what Jesus said to Nicodemus be something that is heard by you too and that you would understand this mystery.

Nicodemus's Faith Shown at Jesus's Burial

I don't think Nicodemus took this lightly. For when Jesus was crucified. There was a certain beautiful grave, a sepulcher that was dug out like a cave into the hillside. Only the rich people of the day could afford such tombs.

Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus out of, as they took him down from the cross and Nicodemus came and assisted Joseph of Arimathea and also anointed him, putting him into their grave. Which shows us that Nicodemus was touched to such an extent that he never forgot it and remembered this man is a righteous man.

And so when Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down, Nicodemus was right there assisting and embalming him to put into the grave. Nicodemus never forgot Jesus. There was a certain council in Israel called the Sanhedrin.

Nicodemus being a member of it. And when it was discussed regarding crucifying Jesus, Nicodemus stood up in front of everyone. Saying, Our Lord, does our law permit a person to be condemned without the person having the right to defend himself?

And the others scoffed, saying, Oh, so you're one of the Galileans too? They mocked, for he had said, How can you condemn him without having heard from him? But there are certain brainless people like those who said, Oh, so you're from Galilee too?

Instead of listening carefully to what Nicodemus said. For they are the ones who said, Where have you ever heard of a prophet coming from Galilee? What are you also from Galilee? But in his heart he knew.

Nicodemus had said, We know that you are from God. For no one can do the things you do unless he is sent by God. Well, I'm coming to an end. It is getting late. But before we part, tell me, are you born again?

Can other people testify honestly that you are changed, you are born anew? Are you thoroughly changed so that your husband can testify that his wife is changed? And you, husband, can your wife testify of you that you are truly born again?

You are so changed that you are a new creature. Old things have passed away. You are brand new. Don't try and list your righteous deeds and that you're a member of the choir and you are so religious. Nicodemus was all that and more and better than you.

But he had to be born again. If you're not born again, let this day be the day of your birth. You know how old you are. You know your exact date of birth. When you were born as a person in the flesh. But being born again?

The second birth, the spiritual birth? You need to know that for your date of being born again spiritually is more important than your birthday. Let's bow our heads and pray.