August 11, 2025 • 30 mins
Salvation is often misunderstood as simply becoming a better person or getting more religious. In this eye-opening message from John 3, Pastor Tim Mann tackles Jesus' famous conversation with Nicodemus to reveal what true salvation actually means.
When Jesus told this respected religious leader, "You must be born again," He wasn't suggesting a moral makeover or increased religious devotion. He was declaring the necessity of supernatural regeneration—a complete spiritual rebirth that only God can produce. This teaching confronts the sobering reality that someone can be deeply religious yet spiritually dead, attending church regularly while remaining outside God's kingdom.
Drawing from Jesus' words and Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Tim unpacks the radical truth that salvation isn't self-improvement but divine transformation. The Holy Spirit's work in regeneration is compared to wind—unseen yet powerful, unpredictable yet undeniable. When true spiritual birth occurs, everything changes from the inside out. New desires emerge, new loves take root, and a new direction unfolds.
Most significantly, this message challenges our natural inclination toward self-sufficiency. We don't need to turn over a new leaf; we need to receive new life. We don't need a spiritual tune-up; we need a resurrection. Only the Spirit can take a heart of stone and make it flesh, giving sight to the spiritually blind and life to the spiritually dead.
Have you experienced this supernatural transformation? Or have you settled for religion without regeneration? Don't marvel at the message—marvel at the God who makes dead hearts beat with spiritual life. The question isn't whether you're religious enough, but whether you've been born again.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Tim Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
What it means to be saved, discussing this theme of
saved, understanding God's workin us, the Gospel of John,
chapter 3.
I'm going to be reading thefirst eight verses and I'm
reading from the New King JamesVersion of the Bible.
The Bible says there was a manof the Pharisees named Nicodemus
(00:44):
, a ruler of the Jews.
This man came to Jesus by nightand said to him Rabbi, we know
that you are a teacher, comefrom God, for no one can do
these signs that you do unlessGod is with him.
And Jesus answered and said tohim, most assuredly I said to
(01:26):
you, unless one is born of waterand the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the fleshis flesh and that which is born
of the Spirit is Spirit.
Do not marvel that.
I said to you, you must be bornagain.
(01:47):
The wind blows where it wishesand you hear the sound of it,
but cannot tell where it comesfrom and where it goes.
So is everyone who is born ofthe Spirit.
Now go with me to the littleletter Titus in the New
(02:09):
Testament.
Titus, chapter 3, verses 4through 7.
Titus 3, 4 through 7, the Biblesays but when the kindness and
the love of God, our Savior,toward man appeared not by works
of righteousness, which we havedone, but according to His
mercy.
He saved us.
And we'll read it Savior, thathaving been justified by His
(02:32):
grace, we should become heirsaccording to the hope of eternal
life.
And we'll stop here.
And this is God's Word thatwe've just read.
(02:55):
I'll tell you what I've noticedover the last many years that
I've been a pastor.
Most people and I didn't do asurvey, but at least anecdotally
I think this is true it is mostpeople, people who attend
church and people who don'tattend church Most people think
(03:16):
of salvation as becoming abetter person, turning over a
new leaf.
Turning over a new leaf,cleaning up your act right,
getting religious.
But jesus didn't say unless youimprove yourself, you cannot
see the kingdom of god.
He didn't say if you behavebetter, attend church and fix
(03:42):
your life, you'll be, be okay.
He didn't say that.
He actually said something farmore radical.
He said, most assuredly, theold King James says verily,
verily.
In our lingo we would say thisis the fact of the matter and it
(04:02):
is true.
Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
So that's not self-help, that'snot moral reform, that's not
religion, that's regeneration, acomplete spiritual rebirth
(04:23):
brought about by the Holy Spirit, brought about by the Holy
Spirit, and without it Jesussaid no one can enter the
kingdom.
Now this was shocking toNicodemus, because he was a
Pharisee, he was a religiousleader, he was a moral man, he
was a teacher of the law of Godin the Old Testament.
(04:46):
So if anyone ever looked savedI mean, if anybody ever looked
saved on the outside, it was him.
But Jesus looked straight athim and said you must be born
again.
You must be born again.
In other words, salvation isn'tsomething we can achieve, it's
(05:07):
something we must receive.
It's not a decision to improveour behavior, it's a miraculous
act of God that changes ournature.
That same truth is echoed inTitus 3 that we just read, where
the Apostle Paul writes thatGod saved us, and I quote him.
God saved us not by works ofrighteousness, which we have
(05:31):
done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of theHoly Spirit.
So here's the heart of today'smessage.
I mean, if you check out outlater, just tune out later on,
pay attention right now, allright.
Here's the heart of today'smessage salvation is not
(05:55):
self-improvement, it is newbirth by the holy spirit who
regenerates and renews us.
I'm going to say it againSalvation is not
self-improvement, it is newbirth by the Holy Spirit who
regenerates and renews us.
So let's begin with aconversation that changed
(06:17):
everything for one man andreveals what is essential for
salvation.
First of all, verses 1 through3, chapter 3, verse 1 through 3.
I'm not going to rereadeverything just for the sake of
time, but what we do see here isin these verses we see the
necessity of new birth.
You must be born again.
(06:38):
You must be born again, be bornagain.
So here we have.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus atnight and he flatters Jesus.
Basically, we know you're ateacher from God.
No one can do these signs thatyou do unless God is with him.
(06:58):
And what's interesting here is,jesus didn't ease into the
conversation.
He didn't offer small talk.
He didn't offer small talk.
He didn't compliment Nicodemusfor his dedication or his years
of study.
Even he got right to the pointand he said you must be born
again.
You must be born again.
(07:18):
Now here's the thing aboutNicodemus.
Nicodemus was religious, but hewas lost.
Nicodemus now.
Look, nicodemus was religious,but he was lost.
Nicodemus now.
Look, nicodemus wasn't anoutsider.
He wasn't immoral by anystretch of the imagination.
He was a Pharisee.
(07:38):
He was a top-tier religiousleader.
He knew the Scriptures, knewthe Old Testament Scriptures.
He lived a disciplined life.
He carried himself with respectin the community and so from
the outside, nicodemus lookedlike the kind of man you'd want
(07:59):
as a church leader.
He looked like the kind of manthat we might nominate to be a
deacon or to be a Biblefellowship group teacher.
We'd want him to be a Bibleteacher.
But Jesus wasn't impressed withoutward appearances.
He didn't say, nick, you'redoing great, just keep it up.
He said that's not enough.
(08:22):
That's not enough, that's notenough.
And here's a sobering truth youcan be religious, you can be
deeply religious, and still bespiritually dead.
(08:44):
Still be spiritually dead,still be spiritually dead.
You can be religious, deeplyreligious, and still be
spiritually dead.
You can be in church everySunday and still be outside the
kingdom.
You can believe in God.
You can know the Bible.
You can serve on ministry teams.
You can serve on churchcommittees.
You can even teach a class.
You can serve on churchcommittees.
(09:05):
You can even teach a class andstill not be born again as a
pastor now for over three plusdecades.
It's hard to believe.
So, yeah right, I've seen itmore than once, I've seen it
(09:31):
several times.
I'm talking about men and womenwho, who knew all the right
answers, had never truly beenmade new.
Their religion seemed sincereas far as you could tell, but it
was still flesh.
(09:52):
No new birth, no spirit of God,no transformation, no change,
no transformation, no change, nochange.
See, what we see in these firstthree verses is new birth is
(10:14):
not optional.
Jesus didn't say being bornagain is a good idea or it's
helpful for spiritual growth, orit's helpful for spiritual
growth.
No, he said, unless one is bornagain, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.
(10:34):
Unless that word unless leavesno room for debate.
This isn't one path among many,it's the only way.
In fact, jesus himself saysagain later, john, chapter 14,
verse 6, a pretty famous verse.
He said I am the way, the truthand the life, and no one comes
(10:55):
to the Father except through me.
And so that means there is onename, one cross, one door and
one Savior and one way to enterGod's kingdom you must be born
again.
You must be born again.
It's not enough to try harder,it's not enough to clean up your
(11:25):
act.
You must be made new from theinside out.
And I'll tell you, I've noticedthis a lot.
This is where a lot of folksstumble, because we like the
idea of working our way to God.
(11:47):
We like that idea.
Working our way to God, youknow, pulling ourselves up by
our bootstraps, as they say,kind of feels virtuous.
But Jesus says that won't cutit.
There's no listen, there's nopatch job that can fix a dead
(12:10):
soul.
You don't need a spiritualtune-up, you need a resurrection
.
You need a resurrection.
In these first three verses wealso see that new birth is a
(12:33):
spiritual miracle.
The phrase born again it alsoin the Greek language can be
translated born from above.
Maybe you have an englishtranslation that puts it that
way.
Born again can be translatedborn from above.
Listen, this isn't somethingyou do.
I want you to know that you'reborn from from above.
(12:59):
This isn't something you do.
It's something God does,something God does.
Look who in the room caused yourspiritual birth.
Raise your hand.
You had nothing to do with it.
You didn't cause your spiritualbirth.
You didn't earn your way intoexistence.
(13:20):
It was given to you A miracle.
And spiritual birth is the sameway.
You don't cause it, you can'tmanufacture it, you don't
trigger it with religiousactivity or clean living.
(13:41):
It's the sovereign work of Godand that's why salvation is not
about moral reform, it's aboutresurrection.
God brings the spiritually deadto life, he opens blind eyes,
(14:01):
he gives new hearts.
And when it happens, you knowit.
You know why.
Because nothing stays the same.
Things begin to change in youand in your life.
And in your life we also see theScripture teaching us here that
(14:24):
new birth brings new life.
See, being born again doesn'tjust give you a new label, it
gives you a new life.
It gives you a new nature.
It gives you a new heart.
You're not just forgiven,you're transformed.
You're not just forgiven,you're transformed, you're
changed.
(14:44):
You don't just believedifferently in your brain, you
don't just believe differentlyintellectually.
You don't just believe a newset of facts or a doctrinal
statement.
You start to live differently.
That's what changes.
(15:09):
As the Apostle Paul says in 2Corinthians 5.17, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation.
Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things have becomenew.
The Spirit of God now dwells inyou and he convicts you, and he
teaches you, and he leads you.
You don't need to turn over anew leaf.
(15:30):
You need to receive new life.
Think of it this way.
Think of a caterpillar.
It can crawl.
It can crawl, it can stretch,it can strive, but no matter
what it does, it can't fly.
It can't fly.
(15:51):
Something has to happen insideit.
It has to be changed, it has tobe transformed and through
metamorphosis it becomessomething entirely new a
butterfly.
That's what new birth is like.
That's what being born again islike.
God doesn't just teach you howto crawl better.
(16:12):
He transforms you, he changesyou.
He gives you new desires, newloves.
He transforms your very nature.
He enables what was onceimpossible, and that's a new
(16:40):
heart, a new identity and a newdirection.
Now new birth is initiated byGod, but it's also responded to
by faith.
Now we'll explore more of theSpirit's role in the next
(17:00):
section, but don't miss this.
You must respond.
God awakens the heart, theSpirit convicts, but you must
repent and believe.
If you're in John, go back tojust a page John 1.
We didn't read any out of John1, but John 1.
I didn't have this on thescreen.
(17:21):
I didn't have it in the planfor it to be shown, but John 1.
I didn't have this on thescreen.
I didn't have it in the planfor it to be shown, but John 1,
verse 12 and 13,.
This really articulates thisJohn 1, verse 12 and 13.
You guys are good.
Back there I'll tell you whatthe Bible says.
But as many as received him thatword received in the Greek
language gives the idea ofwelcoming as many as received
(17:44):
him.
To them he gave the right tobecome children of God To those
who believe in his name, whowere born not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor ofthe will of man, but of God.
God does the saving, but youmust receive Christ, you must
(18:09):
turn from sin and trust in Him.
So these truths that we've justtalked about in verses 1
through 3 apply to all of us.
They apply to all of us.
They apply to all of us.
So if you're here this morningand you've been a true believer
for a long time, maybe that'syou You've been a true believer
(18:31):
for a long time.
I want to say to you thismorning don't ever forget you
are not a polished version ofyour old self, you're a new
creation.
So don't drift back into theold ways.
Keep walking in newness of life.
Maybe you are a relatively newbeliever in Jesus.
(18:52):
Well, you may not feel brandnew every day, but the Spirit of
God lives in you, begun a goodwork and he will finish it.
Maybe this morning you're inthis room and you would be very
honest with yourself and youwould say I'm not saved.
(19:15):
I'm really still an unbeliever,and I know that.
Let me tell you Don't settlefor religion.
Don't settle for religion.
Don't settle for tradition orritual.
(19:37):
Have you been born again?
Have you been born again?
Have you been born again?
If not, jesus says you cannotsee the kingdom of God.
So today, call on Him, ask Himto make you do Do.
(20:01):
Verses 4 through 8.
What we see in these verses isthe nature of the new birth.
It's a work of the Spirit.
After hearing Jesus say youmust be born again, nicodemus
was confused.
He tried to understand it inphysical terms.
(20:22):
Verse 4,.
Nicodemus said to him how can aman be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time intohis mother's womb and be born
Now?
That's an honest question, andI'll tell you.
What it does too is.
I think it reveals just howmuch we naturally think in
earthly categories.
Right, it's kind of just whereour mind goes.
(20:43):
Nicodemus had a sharp mind, hehad a deep knowledge of the Old
Testament, but he still missedit.
He was trying to make sense ofa spiritual reality with human
logic.
Jesus wasn't talking about asecond physical birth.
He was talking about aspiritual, a supernatural
(21:05):
transformation that only God canperform.
And look what he says.
Jesus answered most assuredly.
I say to you, unless one is bornof water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God,verse 5.
Now, there's been much debateover the years over what water
(21:26):
and the Spirit means, but youneed to remember the Old
Testament was their Bible, andso, in the context, I believe
Jesus is drawing imagery onEzekiel, chapter 36 in the Old
Testament, which was their Bible, where God promises to wash His
(21:47):
people, clean and give them newhearts.
Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 25through 27,.
God is speaking and says Then Iwill sprinkle clean water on
you and you shall be clean.
I will give you a new heart andput a new spirit within you.
I will put my spirit within youand cause you to walk in my
(22:08):
statutes.
This isn't about baptism.
This isn't about water baptism.
This is about regeneration, thewashing away of sin and the
giving of new life by the Spiritof God.
So when Jesus says we must beborn of water and the Spirit,
he's describing a totalspiritual renewal, a cleansing
(22:31):
from sin and a heart made aliveto God.
And then he goes on to sayverse 6, that which is born of
the flesh is flesh and thatwhich is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
Now Jesus is drawing a hard linehere.
(22:53):
He's saying that flesh can'tproduce what Spirit?
Flesh can't produce spirit.
So human nature, no matter howdisciplined, no matter how
educated, no matter how wellbehaved human nature, can't
(23:18):
generate spiritual life.
It can only reproduce itself.
Listen, that's why you canraise your kids in church, you
can teach them the Bible stories, you can model morality in
front of them to the best ofyour ability.
(23:40):
But only hear me only theSpirit can cause them to be born
again.
Plead with God for them, pleadwith God for them.
I've seen people try to reformthemselves.
I mean they quit bad habits,they join a church, they clean
(24:01):
up their language and still bejust as lost as ever.
Why?
Because only the Holy Spiritcan raise the dead.
Only the Holy Spirit, only hecan take a heart of stone and
make it flesh.
Only he can give sight to thespiritually blind and life to
(24:25):
the spiritually lifeless.
That's why salvation isn'tearned, it's received.
It's not something we control,it's something god does, and in
this passage the bible alsoteaches us.
Here jesus is speaking.
(24:45):
You know how?
I know it's in red, uh, anyway,anyway.
No, I know it's in red, anyway.
If you don't have a Bible thatyou know has red letters, you're
missing out.
What we learn here is that theSpirit's work is mysterious but
(25:10):
powerful.
Jesus said to Nicodemus Do notmarvel that.
I said to you In.
In other words, don't be amazedby this, don't be surprised by
this, don't don't act allastonished by this.
Do not marvel that I said toyou you must be born again.
The wind blows where it wishesand you hear the sound of it,
but cannot tell where it comesfrom and where it goes.
(25:31):
So is everyone who is born ofthe Spirit, and so Jesus here
compares the Holy Spirit of Godand those born of the Spirit to
the wind Unseen, unpredictableand unstoppable.
(25:52):
Anybody in this room ever beensuccessful at controlling the
wind?
You can't control the wind, butyou can't deny its presence
either.
You can't control the wind, butyou can't deny its presence.
You see effects, the the treessway, what we really see the its
(26:12):
effects.
When a hurricane comes our way,you, you see the trees sway,
the, the leaves scatter flagswave, the sails fill, and so it
is with the spirit of God.
You can't chart His course orcommand His timing, but when he
(26:34):
moves, you know it.
You know it.
Conviction grips the heart,tears come in repentance, faith
is awakened and desires change.
Your desires change.
Your desires change.
New birth isn't a decision weschedule.
(26:58):
It's a sovereign move of Godthat changes everything.
We also understand that theSpirit gives life, just
information.
Some of us really likeinformation.
Nicodemus had information, hehad scripture, he had theology.
(27:22):
What he didn't have was life,spiritual life.
Jesus later said in john,chapter 6, verse 63 jesus said
this, and I quote our lord andsavior he said it is the spirit,
capital s, who gives life.
The flesh profits nothing.
(27:43):
The flesh profits nothing.
It's the spirit who gives life.
And then he said the words Ispeak to you are spirit and they
are life.
That's why I wish it were thecase, but that's why sermons
alone don't save.
And lord knows, especially whenso-called sermons have nothing
(28:10):
about sin and repentance, andwho Jesus is and what real
salvation does.
We have a whole lot oftherapeutic, moralistic deism
going on.
We want to make you feel better, feel better about yourself.
(28:33):
We'll put you in therapy fromthe pulpit, counsel you and give
you psychology, pop talks, helpyou how to be nice, tell you
how to be nice, be nice to eachother, love everybody, whatever,
and just believe in God.
But even the kind of sermons Ipreach, those sermons alone
(28:55):
don't save.
That's why religious traditionor religious rituals won't
change a heart.
That's why even look, we canget worked up.
We can work you up.
We can lower the lights and getthe smoke going.
Man, we can sway and wave andhave all the songs that's
(29:15):
popular and you love and hungerfor Listen, I'm telling you.
That's why emotion, that's whytears and resolve on its own
can't regenerate a soul.
Only the Spirit of God canbreathe life into dry bones.
That's why we pray before wepreach.
(29:35):
That's why we plead with God inevangelism.
That's why we depend on Himevery time we share the gospel,
because salvation issupernatural.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
You've been listening to.
Foundations of Truth, the Bibleteaching ministry of Pastor
Timothy Mann at ProvidenceChurch, ormond Beach, florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach Forservice times, bible fellowship
groups and more information onactivities at Providence Church.
Go online totheprovidencechurchorg.
(30:06):
If you feel led by God tofinancially support Foundations
of Truth, visit the giving linkat theprovidencechurchorg.
Until next time, continue tobuild your life on the
foundations of truth throughJesus Christ and God's written
Word.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Tim Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
What it means to be saved, discussing this theme of
saved, understanding God's workin us, the Gospel of John,
chapter 3.
I'm going to be reading thefirst eight verses and I'm
reading from the New King JamesVersion of the Bible.
The Bible says there was a manof the Pharisees named Nicodemus
(00:44):
, a ruler of the Jews.
This man came to Jesus by nightand said to him Rabbi, we know
that you are a teacher, comefrom God, for no one can do
these signs that you do unlessGod is with him.
And Jesus answered and said tohim, most assuredly I said to
(01:26):
you, unless one is born of waterand the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the fleshis flesh and that which is born
of the Spirit is Spirit.
Do not marvel that.
I said to you, you must be bornagain.
(01:47):
The wind blows where it wishesand you hear the sound of it,
but cannot tell where it comesfrom and where it goes.
So is everyone who is born ofthe Spirit.
Now go with me to the littleletter Titus in the New
(02:09):
Testament.
Titus, chapter 3, verses 4through 7.
Titus 3, 4 through 7, the Biblesays but when the kindness and
the love of God, our Savior,toward man appeared not by works
of righteousness, which we havedone, but according to His
mercy.
He saved us.
And we'll read it Savior, thathaving been justified by His
(02:32):
grace, we should become heirsaccording to the hope of eternal
life.
And we'll stop here.
And this is God's Word thatwe've just read.
(02:55):
I'll tell you what I've noticedover the last many years that
I've been a pastor.
Most people and I didn't do asurvey, but at least anecdotally
I think this is true it is mostpeople, people who attend
church and people who don'tattend church Most people think
(03:16):
of salvation as becoming abetter person, turning over a
new leaf.
Turning over a new leaf,cleaning up your act right,
getting religious.
But jesus didn't say unless youimprove yourself, you cannot
see the kingdom of god.
He didn't say if you behavebetter, attend church and fix
(03:42):
your life, you'll be, be okay.
He didn't say that.
He actually said something farmore radical.
He said, most assuredly, theold King James says verily,
verily.
In our lingo we would say thisis the fact of the matter and it
(04:02):
is true.
Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
So that's not self-help, that'snot moral reform, that's not
religion, that's regeneration, acomplete spiritual rebirth
(04:23):
brought about by the Holy Spirit, brought about by the Holy
Spirit, and without it Jesussaid no one can enter the
kingdom.
Now this was shocking toNicodemus, because he was a
Pharisee, he was a religiousleader, he was a moral man, he
was a teacher of the law of Godin the Old Testament.
(04:46):
So if anyone ever looked savedI mean, if anybody ever looked
saved on the outside, it was him.
But Jesus looked straight athim and said you must be born
again.
You must be born again.
In other words, salvation isn'tsomething we can achieve, it's
(05:07):
something we must receive.
It's not a decision to improveour behavior, it's a miraculous
act of God that changes ournature.
That same truth is echoed inTitus 3 that we just read, where
the Apostle Paul writes thatGod saved us, and I quote him.
God saved us not by works ofrighteousness, which we have
(05:31):
done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of theHoly Spirit.
So here's the heart of today'smessage.
I mean, if you check out outlater, just tune out later on,
pay attention right now, allright.
Here's the heart of today'smessage salvation is not
(05:55):
self-improvement, it is newbirth by the holy spirit who
regenerates and renews us.
I'm going to say it againSalvation is not
self-improvement, it is newbirth by the Holy Spirit who
regenerates and renews us.
So let's begin with aconversation that changed
(06:17):
everything for one man andreveals what is essential for
salvation.
First of all, verses 1 through3, chapter 3, verse 1 through 3.
I'm not going to rereadeverything just for the sake of
time, but what we do see here isin these verses we see the
necessity of new birth.
You must be born again.
(06:38):
You must be born again, be bornagain.
So here we have.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus atnight and he flatters Jesus.
Basically, we know you're ateacher from God.
No one can do these signs thatyou do unless God is with him.
(06:58):
And what's interesting here is,jesus didn't ease into the
conversation.
He didn't offer small talk.
He didn't offer small talk.
He didn't compliment Nicodemusfor his dedication or his years
of study.
Even he got right to the pointand he said you must be born
again.
You must be born again.
(07:18):
Now here's the thing aboutNicodemus.
Nicodemus was religious, but hewas lost.
Nicodemus now.
Look, nicodemus was religious,but he was lost.
Nicodemus now.
Look, nicodemus wasn't anoutsider.
He wasn't immoral by anystretch of the imagination.
He was a Pharisee.
(07:38):
He was a top-tier religiousleader.
He knew the Scriptures, knewthe Old Testament Scriptures.
He lived a disciplined life.
He carried himself with respectin the community and so from
the outside, nicodemus lookedlike the kind of man you'd want
(07:59):
as a church leader.
He looked like the kind of manthat we might nominate to be a
deacon or to be a Biblefellowship group teacher.
We'd want him to be a Bibleteacher.
But Jesus wasn't impressed withoutward appearances.
He didn't say, nick, you'redoing great, just keep it up.
He said that's not enough.
(08:22):
That's not enough, that's notenough.
And here's a sobering truth youcan be religious, you can be
deeply religious, and still bespiritually dead.
(08:44):
Still be spiritually dead,still be spiritually dead.
You can be religious, deeplyreligious, and still be
spiritually dead.
You can be in church everySunday and still be outside the
kingdom.
You can believe in God.
You can know the Bible.
You can serve on ministry teams.
You can serve on churchcommittees.
You can even teach a class.
You can serve on churchcommittees.
(09:05):
You can even teach a class andstill not be born again as a
pastor now for over three plusdecades.
It's hard to believe.
So, yeah right, I've seen itmore than once, I've seen it
(09:31):
several times.
I'm talking about men and womenwho, who knew all the right
answers, had never truly beenmade new.
Their religion seemed sincereas far as you could tell, but it
was still flesh.
(09:52):
No new birth, no spirit of God,no transformation, no change,
no transformation, no change, nochange.
See, what we see in these firstthree verses is new birth is
(10:14):
not optional.
Jesus didn't say being bornagain is a good idea or it's
helpful for spiritual growth, orit's helpful for spiritual
growth.
No, he said, unless one is bornagain, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.
(10:34):
Unless that word unless leavesno room for debate.
This isn't one path among many,it's the only way.
In fact, jesus himself saysagain later, john, chapter 14,
verse 6, a pretty famous verse.
He said I am the way, the truthand the life, and no one comes
(10:55):
to the Father except through me.
And so that means there is onename, one cross, one door and
one Savior and one way to enterGod's kingdom you must be born
again.
You must be born again.
It's not enough to try harder,it's not enough to clean up your
(11:25):
act.
You must be made new from theinside out.
And I'll tell you, I've noticedthis a lot.
This is where a lot of folksstumble, because we like the
idea of working our way to God.
(11:47):
We like that idea.
Working our way to God, youknow, pulling ourselves up by
our bootstraps, as they say,kind of feels virtuous.
But Jesus says that won't cutit.
There's no listen, there's nopatch job that can fix a dead
(12:10):
soul.
You don't need a spiritualtune-up, you need a resurrection
.
You need a resurrection.
In these first three verses wealso see that new birth is a
(12:33):
spiritual miracle.
The phrase born again it alsoin the Greek language can be
translated born from above.
Maybe you have an englishtranslation that puts it that
way.
Born again can be translatedborn from above.
Listen, this isn't somethingyou do.
I want you to know that you'reborn from from above.
(12:59):
This isn't something you do.
It's something God does,something God does.
Look who in the room caused yourspiritual birth.
Raise your hand.
You had nothing to do with it.
You didn't cause your spiritualbirth.
You didn't earn your way intoexistence.
(13:20):
It was given to you A miracle.
And spiritual birth is the sameway.
You don't cause it, you can'tmanufacture it, you don't
trigger it with religiousactivity or clean living.
(13:41):
It's the sovereign work of Godand that's why salvation is not
about moral reform, it's aboutresurrection.
God brings the spiritually deadto life, he opens blind eyes,
(14:01):
he gives new hearts.
And when it happens, you knowit.
You know why.
Because nothing stays the same.
Things begin to change in youand in your life.
And in your life we also see theScripture teaching us here that
(14:24):
new birth brings new life.
See, being born again doesn'tjust give you a new label, it
gives you a new life.
It gives you a new nature.
It gives you a new heart.
You're not just forgiven,you're transformed.
You're not just forgiven,you're transformed, you're
changed.
(14:44):
You don't just believedifferently in your brain, you
don't just believe differentlyintellectually.
You don't just believe a newset of facts or a doctrinal
statement.
You start to live differently.
That's what changes.
(15:09):
As the Apostle Paul says in 2Corinthians 5.17, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation.
Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things have becomenew.
The Spirit of God now dwells inyou and he convicts you, and he
teaches you, and he leads you.
You don't need to turn over anew leaf.
(15:30):
You need to receive new life.
Think of it this way.
Think of a caterpillar.
It can crawl.
It can crawl, it can stretch,it can strive, but no matter
what it does, it can't fly.
It can't fly.
(15:51):
Something has to happen insideit.
It has to be changed, it has tobe transformed and through
metamorphosis it becomessomething entirely new a
butterfly.
That's what new birth is like.
That's what being born again islike.
God doesn't just teach you howto crawl better.
(16:12):
He transforms you, he changesyou.
He gives you new desires, newloves.
He transforms your very nature.
He enables what was onceimpossible, and that's a new
(16:40):
heart, a new identity and a newdirection.
Now new birth is initiated byGod, but it's also responded to
by faith.
Now we'll explore more of theSpirit's role in the next
(17:00):
section, but don't miss this.
You must respond.
God awakens the heart, theSpirit convicts, but you must
repent and believe.
If you're in John, go back tojust a page John 1.
We didn't read any out of John1, but John 1.
I didn't have this on thescreen.
(17:21):
I didn't have it in the planfor it to be shown, but John 1.
I didn't have this on thescreen.
I didn't have it in the planfor it to be shown, but John 1,
verse 12 and 13,.
This really articulates thisJohn 1, verse 12 and 13.
You guys are good.
Back there I'll tell you whatthe Bible says.
But as many as received him thatword received in the Greek
language gives the idea ofwelcoming as many as received
(17:44):
him.
To them he gave the right tobecome children of God To those
who believe in his name, whowere born not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor ofthe will of man, but of God.
God does the saving, but youmust receive Christ, you must
(18:09):
turn from sin and trust in Him.
So these truths that we've justtalked about in verses 1
through 3 apply to all of us.
They apply to all of us.
They apply to all of us.
So if you're here this morningand you've been a true believer
for a long time, maybe that'syou You've been a true believer
(18:31):
for a long time.
I want to say to you thismorning don't ever forget you
are not a polished version ofyour old self, you're a new
creation.
So don't drift back into theold ways.
Keep walking in newness of life.
Maybe you are a relatively newbeliever in Jesus.
(18:52):
Well, you may not feel brandnew every day, but the Spirit of
God lives in you, begun a goodwork and he will finish it.
Maybe this morning you're inthis room and you would be very
honest with yourself and youwould say I'm not saved.
(19:15):
I'm really still an unbeliever,and I know that.
Let me tell you Don't settlefor religion.
Don't settle for religion.
Don't settle for tradition orritual.
(19:37):
Have you been born again?
Have you been born again?
Have you been born again?
If not, jesus says you cannotsee the kingdom of God.
So today, call on Him, ask Himto make you do Do.
(20:01):
Verses 4 through 8.
What we see in these verses isthe nature of the new birth.
It's a work of the Spirit.
After hearing Jesus say youmust be born again, nicodemus
was confused.
He tried to understand it inphysical terms.
(20:22):
Verse 4,.
Nicodemus said to him how can aman be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time intohis mother's womb and be born
Now?
That's an honest question, andI'll tell you.
What it does too is.
I think it reveals just howmuch we naturally think in
earthly categories.
Right, it's kind of just whereour mind goes.
(20:43):
Nicodemus had a sharp mind, hehad a deep knowledge of the Old
Testament, but he still missedit.
He was trying to make sense ofa spiritual reality with human
logic.
Jesus wasn't talking about asecond physical birth.
He was talking about aspiritual, a supernatural
(21:05):
transformation that only God canperform.
And look what he says.
Jesus answered most assuredly.
I say to you, unless one is bornof water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God,verse 5.
Now, there's been much debateover the years over what water
(21:26):
and the Spirit means, but youneed to remember the Old
Testament was their Bible, andso, in the context, I believe
Jesus is drawing imagery onEzekiel, chapter 36 in the Old
Testament, which was their Bible, where God promises to wash His
(21:47):
people, clean and give them newhearts.
Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 25through 27,.
God is speaking and says Then Iwill sprinkle clean water on
you and you shall be clean.
I will give you a new heart andput a new spirit within you.
I will put my spirit within youand cause you to walk in my
(22:08):
statutes.
This isn't about baptism.
This isn't about water baptism.
This is about regeneration, thewashing away of sin and the
giving of new life by the Spiritof God.
So when Jesus says we must beborn of water and the Spirit,
he's describing a totalspiritual renewal, a cleansing
(22:31):
from sin and a heart made aliveto God.
And then he goes on to sayverse 6, that which is born of
the flesh is flesh and thatwhich is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
Now Jesus is drawing a hard linehere.
(22:53):
He's saying that flesh can'tproduce what Spirit?
Flesh can't produce spirit.
So human nature, no matter howdisciplined, no matter how
educated, no matter how wellbehaved human nature, can't
(23:18):
generate spiritual life.
It can only reproduce itself.
Listen, that's why you canraise your kids in church, you
can teach them the Bible stories, you can model morality in
front of them to the best ofyour ability.
(23:40):
But only hear me only theSpirit can cause them to be born
again.
Plead with God for them, pleadwith God for them.
I've seen people try to reformthemselves.
I mean they quit bad habits,they join a church, they clean
(24:01):
up their language and still bejust as lost as ever.
Why?
Because only the Holy Spiritcan raise the dead.
Only the Holy Spirit, only hecan take a heart of stone and
make it flesh.
Only he can give sight to thespiritually blind and life to
(24:25):
the spiritually lifeless.
That's why salvation isn'tearned, it's received.
It's not something we control,it's something god does, and in
this passage the bible alsoteaches us.
Here jesus is speaking.
(24:45):
You know how?
I know it's in red, uh, anyway,anyway.
No, I know it's in red, anyway.
If you don't have a Bible thatyou know has red letters, you're
missing out.
What we learn here is that theSpirit's work is mysterious but
(25:10):
powerful.
Jesus said to Nicodemus Do notmarvel that.
I said to you In.
In other words, don't be amazedby this, don't be surprised by
this, don't don't act allastonished by this.
Do not marvel that I said toyou you must be born again.
The wind blows where it wishesand you hear the sound of it,
but cannot tell where it comesfrom and where it goes.
(25:31):
So is everyone who is born ofthe Spirit, and so Jesus here
compares the Holy Spirit of Godand those born of the Spirit to
the wind Unseen, unpredictableand unstoppable.
(25:52):
Anybody in this room ever beensuccessful at controlling the
wind?
You can't control the wind, butyou can't deny its presence
either.
You can't control the wind, butyou can't deny its presence.
You see effects, the the treessway, what we really see the its
(26:12):
effects.
When a hurricane comes our way,you, you see the trees sway,
the, the leaves scatter flagswave, the sails fill, and so it
is with the spirit of God.
You can't chart His course orcommand His timing, but when he
(26:34):
moves, you know it.
You know it.
Conviction grips the heart,tears come in repentance, faith
is awakened and desires change.
Your desires change.
Your desires change.
New birth isn't a decision weschedule.
(26:58):
It's a sovereign move of Godthat changes everything.
We also understand that theSpirit gives life, just
information.
Some of us really likeinformation.
Nicodemus had information, hehad scripture, he had theology.
(27:22):
What he didn't have was life,spiritual life.
Jesus later said in john,chapter 6, verse 63 jesus said
this, and I quote our lord andsavior he said it is the spirit,
capital s, who gives life.
The flesh profits nothing.
(27:43):
The flesh profits nothing.
It's the spirit who gives life.
And then he said the words Ispeak to you are spirit and they
are life.
That's why I wish it were thecase, but that's why sermons
alone don't save.
And lord knows, especially whenso-called sermons have nothing
(28:10):
about sin and repentance, andwho Jesus is and what real
salvation does.
We have a whole lot oftherapeutic, moralistic deism
going on.
We want to make you feel better, feel better about yourself.
(28:33):
We'll put you in therapy fromthe pulpit, counsel you and give
you psychology, pop talks, helpyou how to be nice, tell you
how to be nice, be nice to eachother, love everybody, whatever,
and just believe in God.
But even the kind of sermons Ipreach, those sermons alone
(28:55):
don't save.
That's why religious traditionor religious rituals won't
change a heart.
That's why even look, we canget worked up.
We can work you up.
We can lower the lights and getthe smoke going.
Man, we can sway and wave andhave all the songs that's
(29:15):
popular and you love and hungerfor Listen, I'm telling you.
That's why emotion, that's whytears and resolve on its own
can't regenerate a soul.
Only the Spirit of God canbreathe life into dry bones.
That's why we pray before wepreach.
(29:35):
That's why we plead with God inevangelism.
That's why we depend on Himevery time we share the gospel,
because salvation issupernatural.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
You've been listening to.
Foundations of Truth, the Bibleteaching ministry of Pastor
Timothy Mann at ProvidenceChurch, ormond Beach, florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach Forservice times, bible fellowship
groups and more information onactivities at Providence Church.
Go online totheprovidencechurchorg.
(30:06):
If you feel led by God tofinancially support Foundations
of Truth, visit the giving linkat theprovidencechurchorg.
Until next time, continue tobuild your life on the
foundations of truth throughJesus Christ and God's written
Word.
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