The Bible Provocateur
Unveiling the True Meaning of Being 'Born Again': A Journey Into Spiritual Rebirth and Divine Citizenship
Are you ready to challenge every misconception you've ever had about the Christian faith? Prepare to explore the mystery and marvel of being 'born again', a process often shrouded in misinterpretation and controversy. We're peeling back layers of biblical text, deep-diving into Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, and tackling the assertion that rebirth is exclusive to a select few. Together, we'll navigate the complexities of spiritual transformation and its universal call to all individuals, looking into the profound implications that extend far beyond one's earthly identity.
Embark on a theological journey that transcends cultural and religious boundaries, as we dissect what it truly means to become a new creature in Christ. Reflecting on Paul's teachings, we reveal an inner metamorphosis so powerful, it's likened to acquiring a new soul through the Holy Spirit's work. This episode isn't just an intellectual exercise; it's an invitation to experience a radical shift, one that redefines our very existence and aligns us with the Kingdom of God. From immigration metaphors to the present reality of God's Kingdom, we're setting the record straight on what spiritual citizenship entails.
As we wrap up, brace yourself for an uncompromising look at the eternal consequences of our choices. We confront head-on the doctrines of divine justice, the return of Christ, and challenge the skeptics who dismiss the existence of hell. This is not just about theology; it's about the weight of our spiritual decisions and the future that awaits us. With an unflinching gaze, we address the foolhardy rejection of God's sovereignty and the necessity of repentance, all while weaving through the fabric of scripture and the essence of the Christian faith. Join us, and let's grapple with these truths together.
Are you ready to challenge every misconception you've ever had about the Christian faith? Prepare to explore the mystery and marvel of being 'born again', a process often shrouded in misinterpretation and controversy. We're peeling back layers of biblical text, deep-diving into Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, and tackling the assertion that rebirth is exclusive to a select few. Together, we'll navigate the complexities of spiritual transformation and its universal call to all individuals, looking into the profound implications that extend far beyond one's earthly identity.
Embark on a theological journey that transcends cultural and religious boundaries, as we dissect what it truly means to become a new creature in Christ. Reflecting on Paul's teachings, we reveal an inner metamorphosis so powerful, it's likened to acquiring a new soul through the Holy Spirit's work. This episode isn't just an intellectual exercise; it's an invitation to experience a radical shift, one that redefines our very existence and aligns us with the Kingdom of God. From immigration metaphors to the present reality of God's Kingdom, we're setting the record straight on what spiritual citizenship entails.
As we wrap up, brace yourself for an uncompromising look at the eternal consequences of our choices. We confront head-on the doctrines of divine justice, the return of Christ, and challenge the skeptics who dismiss the existence of hell. This is not just about theology; it's about the weight of our spiritual decisions and the future that awaits us. With an unflinching gaze, we address the foolhardy rejection of God's sovereignty and the necessity of repentance, all while weaving through the fabric of scripture and the essence of the Christian faith. Join us, and let's grapple with these truths together.
Christians, good afternoon. I have titled this message Accepting man Be Born Again, and it is taken from the text where our Lord says in John, chapter three, verse three. John, chapter 3, verse 3. Verily, verily, I say unto thee except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Speaker 1:I usually keep a running list of subjects to draft messages about and to speak about, and usually they come from my own studies or my own reading. Whatever it is I'm doing, but I'm always trying to prepare something for the believers to hopefully inspire, to provoke, whatever it may be. But the whole idea is to continue the whole theme of iron, sharpening iron. But every now and then I come across something someone says and I feel the need to respond to it in a very comprehensive way In order that people may really truly begin to understand biblical truths. Do I always get it right? No, I don't. We all make mistakes in our understanding. But what I have done is to myself made a commitment that, whatever it is I say, whether it turns out to be right or wrong, when I said it I had a defense of it that I was convinced was true. That being said, it is possible to be corrected and in such cases, I am more than happy to be corrected if it means that God's truth is made more illustrious than my understanding of his truth.
Speaker 1:That being said, I was watching on TikTok a few nights ago. I was watching on TikTok a few nights ago and there was a live session that was going on with another creator who goes by the name of the Wadester. The Wadester, I got to tell you I've heard many of his messages and the guy almost never gets it right. But when it comes to salvation, when he talks about that, he does get that part right. But if you listen to him to talk about the more the deeper aspects of our theological understanding of the Bible, of the Bible, I have almost never seen him correct, except for when he deals with the subject of the perseverance of the saints, as I would call it, and he calls it once saved, always saved. What has to be understood is that if you get one thing wrong, then it becomes a house of cards and it all falls down. It's important to get the word of God right, and all of us should be committed to doing that.
Speaker 1:Now, that was a winded intro, but let me tell you what the message I have for you now is speaking to this guy who goes by the name Wadester, on TikTok. He said the other night on live, while I was listening, he said that when the scripture says that a man must be born again, that that has nothing to do with you or I, those of us who are Gentiles. He says that, to be born again, jesus is speaking only to Jews. That's what he says. Jesus is only speaking to Jews. When he was giving an answer for what John 3, which says this John 3, verse 3, it says Jesus answered and said unto him verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1:This man, wadester, says that in this message by Christ, he was only speaking to Jews and that this has no reference whatsoever for the Gentiles. Now I got to tell you this is stupid, this is ridiculous. It always bewilders me when somebody says that something that has an obvious interpretation that they don't like they want to say it's either out of context, or you don't understand it in the Greek or the Hebrew, or this doesn't apply to us today, or this doesn't apply to Gentiles, only to Jews, as in this case, christians. You can make anything you want to believe believable from the Bible. If you want to, you can twist yourself into myriad knots and pretzels and convince yourself to believe anything that is not true. To say that you must be born again, as Jesus said, only applies to Jews is simply asinine. It is a baseless interpretation, a foolish interpretation, and it does everything to undermine the faith of those who believe that they must be born again in order to be saved. It's astounding that I have to sit here and explain something that should be Christianity 101. Basic Christianity, basic To be born again.
Speaker 1:Now this guy, wade, says that this only applies to Jews and not to the rest of us. So let's look at the verse to begin with. John, chapter 3, verse 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, talking to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now Christ says Verily, verily, I say to you, except a man be born again, a man. He's not addressing the Pharisees, he's not addressing, he's not excluding the Pharisees. He's not addressing he's not excluding the Pharisees, he's not excluding the Gentiles, he's not excluding the apostles, he's not excluding anyone. He simply makes a simple statement, except a man, which tells us that he is not speaking to just Jews. He is speaking to Jews, but he is also speaking to everyone, because he says except a man be born again, except a man. Not the man, but a man. Not the man but a man, not this people or that people, but a man. Christ clearly says except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Speaker 1:For the life of me, I don't understand how these people come to these conclusions where they say the dumbest things and in this case, that this verse about being born again only applies to Jews. Because if we want to be strict, if we want to be really strict, Christ was only talking to Nicodemus. So if you wanted to make an argument that this verse about being born again is only applied to Nicodemus, you can make that argument. It would be wrong, but you can make that argument from the context. If you want to be strictly contextual, you can make the argument that Christ is only talking to and about Nicodemus, and you would be wrong. Jesus also said.
Speaker 1:Jesus said except a man be born again. Jesus said except a man be born again. If you want to be strict to what you believe the context is talking about, jesus says except a man be born again. So does that mean he is not talking to women or children? No, he says except a man, and he takes man to be all people, all humans, all those who are a part of humanity. That is what he's talking about. Man is taking for the universal whole of the created intelligent existence. If you wanted to make an argument that he's only talking about men, you can make an argument if you wanted to, because Christ says except a man be born again, not a woman, not a child, but man.
Speaker 1:When Christ says except a man be born again, he is talking to all and about all mankind, not just the Jews. My friend Wade the Wadester, he's got it wrong, like he has so many things wrong. He is so wrong on so many different things it is hard to enumerate and it gives me whiplash to think about. Jesus said except a man, meaning any human being, any man, any woman, any person, any age, of any ethnicity. I don't know why this is so confusing. It's only a few short verses later where Christ says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. So when Christ says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, who is the world. We're in the same context. We're in the same chapter. Who is he talking about? Was Jesus Christ just saying that he loved only the Jews? When he said the world, was it just the Jews? Was it just the people who were on earth at that time, or is it the entire world? Except a man be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1:What is my next point here? Born again, the word born again. We know what born means. Born again, the word born again again. We know what born means. Born means the origin of new life or the birth of a new life. To be born is to have a new life, a new existence. But he goes on to say life, a new existence. But he goes on to say except a man, be born again. Now the word again. The word again.
Speaker 1:For those of you who are students of the word of God and I want you to all challenge me on this Anyone who questions what I'm saying, anyone who questions what I'm saying, anyone who questions what I'm saying, please go check out what I'm saying and see if it's correct. Go ask your pastor. Go look at your interlinear or your concordance or whatever it is you look at. You ask anyone you want, look it up on Google, look it up anywhere you want Look at, ask your favorite theologian, who earned his doctorate degree and coined a Greek the word again.
Speaker 1:When Christ says born again is the word above. It means above, and what Jesus is saying is accept, except a man be born from above. Now you might ask well, why does it say born again? Well, I think the translators were dealing with the issue of the fact that he's speaking to people who are alive. They may not be spiritually alive, but they are alive spiritually alive, but they are alive. And so what he is saying simply is this is that there is the necessity of a new birth or a second birth or an afterbirth in order for you to be able to see the kingdom of God.
Speaker 1:The translation made a lot of sense when the translation was made, but the really truly best way to understand what this passage is saying is if you interpret the word again as it really means in koine greek, which is from above. So what jesus is saying? This, except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He cannot see the kingdom of God, so he must be born from above. From above, meaning that there is a birth that we have here below and that birth is a natural birth. It is a physical, natural birth.
Speaker 1:Somebody looked up the word above, but now what Christ is really saying Birth. Somebody looked up the word Above, but now what Christ is really saying is that, accepted man be born from above. So that means that the origin of your new birth, the origin of the Christian birth, takes place from above, above us, and this birth is not a natural birth, it is a supernatural birth. It's not a natural birth. It is a supernatural birth. It takes place outside of the realm of human nature, nature. It is a birth that takes place outside of the copulation between a man and a woman. This spiritual birth takes place by the Holy Spirit making a change within us and renewing us, regenerating us.
Speaker 1:Now to move on, christ says except a man, any man, except a man be born from above, as I just established. Except a man be born from above. Christ then just established except a man be born from above. Christ then goes on to say that unless this happens, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He cannot see the kingdom of God. And one brother or sister got it right Regeneration logically precedes faith. And this is so true, so true. Christ says that unless a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. It's impossible, can't do it, it's impossible.
Speaker 1:So for all of you who like to argue with me and other people like me who argue adamantly against the notion of a free will, my question to you now is this Christ says that in order to see the kingdom of God, you must be born from above. And if you are not born from above, then you cannot see the kingdom of God. It's impossible, it is an impossibility. So my question for you, those of you who love to argue, the case of your free will. And we're in john, chapter 3, verse 3.
Speaker 1:Christ says accepted man be born from above, he cannot enter the kingdom of god. What is the goal of the believer? To enter into the kingdom of god. Seek ye first the kingdom of the believer. To enter into the kingdom of God. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. And all these other things will be added unto you. So if Christ says that something is impossible or there's something you cannot do, this is something you should need to pay attention to, because when he says something is impossible or something can't be done. It means that there is no amount of effort on the will or the part of a man that will enable him to get that which he is saying is impossible or cannot be laid hold of. It can't be done. Look at what Christ says in John 3, verse 3. He says, except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Meaning that there is no amount of effort on your part in any way, there's nothing you can do. There is no decision that you can make, there is no acceptance of Christ that you can offer, because Christ says that the only way that a man can see the kingdom of God is to be born from above. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
Speaker 1:Somebody asked if I'm agnostic. No, I'm not. God asked if I'm monastic. No, I'm not. God is within, yes, god is, and God is above. And those of us who are born and who are able to see the kingdom of God, those of us who are renewed, are renewed by the Holy Spirit of God, who enters in to the soul of the man and that makes him a new creation, a new creature. Folks, if you are a Christian, this ought not to be hard. This should be very simple. It should be very easy if you are really a Christian. So Christ says you cannot see the kingdom of God. So the only way, the only way that you can see the kingdom of God is to be born again or born from above.
Speaker 1:And you, if you are not alive, you cannot choose to be born. I had no choice in the matter when I was born, just like all of you. Anyone who's listening. No one consulted you when it came to your birth. No one came to you because you didn't exist and asked you what you thought about it. No one asked you if you would like to be born to your mother or to your father and to your family. No one asked you if you wanted to be born in whatever country you were born in. No one asked you if you wanted to be. What was your choice in where you would like to be born and to whom you'd like to be born to, and in which hospital you would like to be born at and in what conditions of life that you wanted to be born? No one asked you. I always have a problem saying the word ask, but in any case, my point is when you were born, what choice. And what say did you have in the matter? None, you had none.
Speaker 1:Anyone who claims to be a Christian must know this. If you don't, something is wrong with your understanding. Christ made it very clear To get into the kingdom of heaven, there is a requirement. The requirement of getting into the kingdom of heaven is to be born from above. Otherwise you can't get in. If this were a nightclub or one of these luxury stores, nowadays, there's a red carpet. There's a red carpet into the kingdom of heaven. There's a red carpet that leads into the kingdom of heaven, and you cannot get there unless you have a pass, and there's only one pass. You don't have it, you can't make it, you can't manufacture it, you can't buy it, because the past is originated and made by the one, the only one, who can give it, and that is this God, the Holy Spirit, which says this. If you would see the kingdom of heaven. If you want to enter into the kingdom of heaven, you must be born from above. This goes for everyone, everyone, not just the Jews.
Speaker 1:Like this guy. The wager says he's wrong, he doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm reluctant to recall him a liar, because I actually believe that he thinks he knows what he's talking about, but he doesn't, as in most cases he doesn't. To say that to be born again only applies to the Jews means that none of us who are not Jews by natural descent, none of us are saved. None of us are saved, none of us are christians. But he will say that's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying that that you're not christians. Well, if you're not, then you're implying that there's another way of being saved other than to be born again, which would be impossible, because christ just said in john 3 that the only way a person can see the kingdom of God is to be born again, to be born from above. That's the only way. And if that's the only way, it must apply to everybody, jew and Gentile alike. Otherwise, only believing Jews are born again and none of us are saved are born again and none of us are saved.
Speaker 1:I'm hoping my friend Mr Wadester hears this. I would add him, but I don't want to be looked upon as one who is harassing anybody. You can't have a constructive discussion these days about things, and it ought not to be so. We should be able to have a conversation amongst ourselves, meaning the body of christ, about things that he teaches us now. So let me move on. Christ says an accepted man be born. He cannot see the kingdom of God, which, by implication, means that if you have been born from above, you can now see the kingdom of God because you would be born into it. You would be born into it. You would be born into it. Let me bring this home in a different way. Let me see if I can make this make sense in another way.
Speaker 1:I, like many of you who may be listening, but all of us, everyone who was born, was born in some country. I was born in America. Now, most of us who may be listening were born in America. If you're born in America, you were born a naturalized citizen. You were born here. You have all the rights. You have all the rights. You have all the rights that a citizen of America has All the rights. You're a naturalized citizen.
Speaker 1:Remember when Paul was being arrested and he appealed to Rome because he was a Roman citizen, it made everybody kind of take a step back and said wait a minute, let's be careful how we treat this guy. He's a Roman citizen. We need to tread lightly. Paul was a Roman citizen. He was born in Rome. I was born in America, having all the rights that an American has. Who was born here.
Speaker 1:Now let's say that you are a. Let's say you are Indian. You're an Indian person born in India and you decide you want to move to America. Now, in our current climate of politics, immigration is at the forefront. Immigration is at the forefront. Immigration is at the forefront of our politics and you have all these people saying in government we're fine with people coming here as long as they come here legally. We've all heard this. You're fine with whoever comes here as long as they come here legally.
Speaker 1:Now hear me out. You could be somebody from India, an Indian person, and you could say listen, I dress like an American, I learned to speak English like an American. You know you have a lot of American people that are always telling people speak English, speak English. So let's say you dress like an American, you speak like an American, you do business like the 1% of Americans you do. You filed for your or your ability to come here and be a resident here. Basically, what I'm saying is this you can do all these things. You can do all these things that require you to become a citizen of this country, but no matter what you do, no matter what you do, you are not a natural citizen. You're not a natural citizen. You are not subject to the same things that a naturalized, born American has. Americans have rights that no other person outside of America has when they come here, even if they become citizens. There are certain things that, even though you are not, even though you came from somewhere else, you can't do, for instance, run for president. So now let me make my point.
Speaker 1:Christ says that except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. What he is saying is that it is required for you to be born from above by the Spirit, and then, and only then, use to become a citizen. He is saying. What Jesus is saying is that the only way you can become a citizen of God's kingdom, the only way, is to be born from above. That is the only way. That's the only way. That's the only way. You must have a natural or I should say a supernatural birth in order to enter into the kingdom of God. Otherwise, there is no other way, no matter how much you desire to see God's kingdom, no matter how much you desire to see God's kingdom, no matter how much you desire to exist in that kingdom, no matter how much you put on Christian lingo, no matter how many services you attend during the week, no matter how many Bible studies you sit in, no matter what seminary you went to, no matter how many alms how much in alms you give to the poor, if you are not born from above, you are not a member or a citizen of the kingdom of God, period. It doesn't matter how many books you read, it doesn't matter how many of them you understand, it doesn't matter how many times you read the Bible from start to finish, it doesn't matter how many years you were a gospel preacher. If you were not born from above, you are not a citizen of God's kingdom. Now let me add on to this a little bit, because Christ says in John 3, verse 3, that except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Which means that if you are born from above, then you are able to see the kingdom of God, to enter into God's kingdom. Which means that the only way you can be born from above is to be alive in this gospel era prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Which means that in order for you to be born from above, which is required to enter into the kingdom of God. If you are born from above, that means you have entered into the kingdom of God. If you are born from above, that means you have entered into the kingdom of God, which means the kingdom of God is here right now, today.
Speaker 1:Now, I know a lot of you are going to have a problem with this, because when you read Revelation, chapter 20, when it talks about the millennium or the 1,000 year period, what are we talking about if it's not, if it's not talking about the kingdom of God? In fact, when you read in the scriptures, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the kingdom of all these things refer to the same exact thing, the same thing Christ's kingdom. And because we are saved inwardly, because we are born inwardly, the kingdom of God is inward. And those of us who have been made participants and have been made citizens of the kingdom of God, we are united by this birth. We are united by this birth. And this guy is saying that the new birth is only for Jews. That's stupid. The new birth is for anyone, anyone, any man, and the way you know that they have been born is that they have repented from their sins and they have turned to Christ, and they have turned to him in faith and they follow him, whether or so ever he goes. The kingdom of God is an existence. It is a place where we enter into spiritually today. The kingdom of God is here right now.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of you have to say something completely different so that it can line up with your view of eschatology. But if the kingdom of God, if we are not in that kingdom right now, then what kingdom were we born into? Because Jesus Christ says that to be born again is to be able to see the kingdom of God. I'm just saying In verse 6 of John, chapter 3, jesus says that which is born of flesh is flesh. That's all of us, every human being on earth is born of flesh. And he says that which is born of the flesh is flesh. But then he says that which is born of the spirit is spirit. And that means all of those who were born in the flesh who now believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation of their souls. These are those who were born of the spirit. They are no longer citizens of the flesh. They are no longer a part of the flesh, they are no longer a part of this world. They live here in these bodies, but their souls are not the same as the one they were born with.
Speaker 1:If you have been born from above, the soul that you have now is not the soul you were born with. That sounds so good. I got to say it again. If you are a Christian, the soul, if you are a true Christian, the soul that you have right now is not the same soul you were born with, is not the same soul you were born with. You were given a new soul by the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit in your life. You were changed, you were made new, you were transformed and then therefore conformed to the image of God's Son, whereby we were redeemed and sealed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, all of this makes sense, because it is true. I'm not wrong here. Unless you are born from above, you cannot see the kingdom of God. So if you are born from above, you cannot see the kingdom of God. So if you are born from above, you are now in the kingdom of God. That is where you live and move and have your being. So every one of us is either in the kingdom of God or we are not. You are either in the kingdom of God or you are not. You are either in the spirit or you are in the flesh. Now, how do I know this?
Speaker 1:My friend said that the guy who said that, uh, the guy who prompted this message I'm doing right now he said that being born again was only for the jews and not for us. And he said and he made his argument, which was kind of a silly argument he was saying that because paul never talked about it or never said you must be born again, that therefore, since he was a, an apostle to the gentiles, I suppose that that because paul never said you must be born again and he's a, an apostle to the gentiles, then therefore being born again only applies to jews and not to gentiles. But I already made the case that christ said except a man be born again. He didn't say except a jew be born again. He said except a man be born again. He said except a man be born again. And if you want it to be strict, then he can't talk about, he's not talking about women, because he said a man, he's not talking about children. Because he said a man, he's not talking about everything in between. Because he says except a man, be born again.
Speaker 1:So I don't understand how people come to these conclusions, let alone teach them and propagate those weird, that weird understanding. But listen to what? Listen to what Paul says in second Corinthians, chapter two, I'm sorry, chapter five, 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. Paul says in verse 17, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. He's a new creature and old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. Give me one second. I want to close this shade because the sun is shining down on my face here, my apologies. So now Paul says therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away.
Speaker 1:Now listen, if you are a believer, and let's say you're in your 20s or your 30s, your 40s, when you come to Christ, you will notice that you've been changed. You know you've been changed, but your body hasn't changed. It's the soul in you that has changed. That is different. That is different. You've been given a new soul. You've been born again. The person you were has died, and the person that you are now, as a believer has eternal life, has eternal life. Paul says you are a new creature.
Speaker 1:Now let's look at what he says here, because when he says, when he says here, that if any man be in Christ he's a new creature, we need to understand what he means when he says creature, a new creature. Because what is a creature? A creature is something that was created. Created means that that which exists did not exist always or previously. So when Paul says if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, paul is saying that he is a new creation. And what is a creation? Something that was brought into existence ex nihilo, meaning something that was brought into existence out of nothing. So when Jesus Christ says you must be born from above in order to see the kingdom of God, that means that you need a complete. It's not just, it's not a makeover. It's not a makeover. It's not a makeover. The old you has been tossed and the new you was formed. You're a new creature, a new creation brought into existence when you did not exist before.
Speaker 1:Before, as paul tells us over and over again, we were born dead in sin and trespasses. Born dead is is bewildering having to explain to people on a daily basis what it means to be born dead. There's a camp of Christians who believe that, no, you're not dead, you're just sick. And if you just reach out for salvation with your hand, you can reach out and you can grab it. If you just choose to be saved, you can be saved because there's still a will in you. Then why does Paul say you must be a new creation? If the old person could choose to be renewed, they would, but they can't. You know why but they can't. You know why Because they're dead we are.
Speaker 1:Before we come to Christ, we were dead, our souls were dead. Does that mean that we couldn't talk, that we cannot animate these bodies? No, it means that we cannot do anything pleasing to God to warrant salvation. We cannot be saved. We are dead, we are dead and we are as good as dead. We are dead and we are as good as dead. I hope that makes sense, because what will? What will does a dead person have? What choices do dead people make? What desires do dead souls have?
Speaker 1:To be spiritually dead means that, when it comes to salvation, there is nothing you can do to obtain it, nothing. Spiritually dead means just what death sounds like you get confused, so many of you, because you think that, because you are breathing, because you are walking in that shell that is housing the carcass of that soul of yours, that dead carcass that is driving your body, you think that means you're alive. You are alive in a natural sense, but you are not supernaturally sustained. You are not a supernatural being, and if you would enter into the kingdom of God, it requires you to become a supernatural being. And to become a supernatural being Means you must be born from above, which means that it has nothing to do with you, Because you did not exist. If you were a believer until the new birth came, you were dead. The sword of God hung over your head. The only thing that was lacking was the death of your body. The only thing that was lacking was the death of your body.
Speaker 1:Paul says in Galatians 6.15,. Galatians 6.15,. He says In Christ, in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. Paul says in Galatians again it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or if you're not a Jew. That's what he means when he says neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything. In other words, whether you are a Jew or whether you are not a Jew, it doesn't matter. What matters for you to be in Christ, which is synonymous with being in the kingdom of God, is that you become a new creature, created ex nihilo, made from nothing, Given life, regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, sealed until the day of redemption.
Speaker 1:In Ephesians 4, verse 23, paul says and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Paul is talking about renewal in the sense of a change, which means that the creaturehood that you have now must be abandoned and forsaken in lieu of a new creaturehood which comes from above. You must be renewed in the image of God. When Adam sinned, the image of God was lost. He vacated the image of God. He escaped from it, seeking to be God.
Speaker 1:And the problem with men today, unbeknownst to most of them, especially those who believe that everything is left up to their own wills and desires the problem that man has is that he wants to be God. This was Eve's sin and this was Adam's sin. This was Satan's sin. They wanted to be God. This is the sin of celebrities today, who believe they are God or God-like or God-esque, whatever you want to call it. The number one sin of man is that they want and they desire to be God. They want to be God, they want to be divine, and humans are content with just being perceived that way, even if they know they're not. They want to be perceived that way and God will not have it. God will not have it. God will not have it. He is not sharing his glory with anyone. He shares his glory with no one.
Speaker 1:In Ephesians 4, verse 24, paul continues to say, after he says be renewed in the spirit of your mind. He says and that you put on the new man. You put on the new man which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. If we would see the kingdom of God, we must put on the new man which, after God is created in righteousness Remember created means made to exist from nothing, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. Peter in 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 2, peter says as newborn babes newborn as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Peter acknowledges that there must be a new birth In order for us to be able to desire the sincere milk of the word and to grow thereby.
Speaker 1:In Matthew, christ says Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. So there is a spiritual birth and a spiritual youth that is necessary in order for you to enter into the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ All the same. But what is essential to enter into that kingdom, his kingdom, what is essential is that a man must be born again, and the better translation is a man must be born from above. And if he is not born from above, if he's not born from above, christ himself says he cannot see the kingdom of God. He cannot. It is an utter and absolute impossibility. He cannot.
Speaker 1:So if you are unconverted, if a person that you know is unconverted, not a believer, not been born from above, what do you tell them? Because you're talking to a carcass. Spiritually you are talking to a carcass, and so many of us get frustrated when people don't embrace what we've come to embrace. And we urge them and we do what we can to provoke them and to persuade them, which is my motto. But we try to get them to understand and to believe what we have been able what we've come to believe. But sometimes we forget how obstinate we were. We forget how obstinate we were, how stiff-necked we were, how stubborn we were. We forget how obstinate we were, how stiff-necked we were, how stubborn we were Before we came to Christ, when others were trying to convince us of the very same things I'm trying to convince many of you of.
Speaker 1:Christ is saying this in John 3, verse 3. He is saying if we put this in human terms, bear with me a little bit, because I'm going to put this in human terms first to try to make it, to try to bring it home to you. Christ is saying make it, to try to bring it home to you. Christ is saying what, frankly? What a lot of people in this country would like to say. But what Christ is saying is this If you want to see the kingdom of God, if you want to live in that kingdom, if you want to be a citizen of God's kingdom, there's only one way there.
Speaker 1:It is by birth, and that birth is a spiritual birth. If you so, christ is saying there is no, there is no provisions to immigrate to the kingdom of God. The only way to enter into his kingdom is to be born into it. That is the only way. Being born a Jew will not get you into his kingdom. Being born black will not get you into his kingdom. Being born yellow or red or brown or whatever colors that we are using to name people these days, none of those things will get you access to the kingdom of god. None of it. You must be born from above.
Speaker 1:There is no pathway into the kingdom of God, although many people have tried. There are many people. There are many people who say they are Christian and they pretend to be Christian, just like there are many people who exist in this country and in other countries who pretend to be citizens and they try to live as though they are natural citizens, but they're not. But they're not. If the laws were followed strictly in all these countries, all of those people who were not born there would be outed, be sent back to their own countries. You have ruthless souls in this country that want to kick these people out, kick all these other kinds of people out, and they may have grounds for it in many cases, and in many cases they may not, and they have also had allowed many people to come over here, people that they like to come here. We all know the story.
Speaker 1:But to get into God's kingdom there's only one way you must be born into it. You must be born into it. There is no other way. You can't, you can't. You can look like a Christian all you want. Like I said earlier, you can look like a Christian all you want. You can quote scriptures, you can carry a Bible. You can go to the Wednesday night study, the Sunday morning service. You can go to the Sunday night prayer meeting. You can take communion, you can be baptized. You can go speak in these crazy tongues which people babble about and think they're speaking to God. You can do all these wonderful things. You can go and pretend to cast out demons. You can go and you can give all your money, but none of these things make you a Christian and none of these things give you any hope of being in the kingdom of God. The only way that you can enter into the kingdom of God is to be born from above. There is a birthright. You must be born from above. There is a birthright, you must be born into it. Our bodies aren't born into it, our souls are born into it. So when you look at a person before they were saved, you see the person that you know, but when that person has been born from above, you're not seeing the same person. You're seeing the same body but you're not seeing the same person.
Speaker 1:You got so many Christians who pretend to be Christian. They call themselves Christians, they go to church on Sunday, they worship and they make use of all the means of grace, they do all the things that are outwardly right. But man, oh man, wait till Monday morning comes. They go right back to being two-fold, the child of the devil that they always were Destined for. Hell can't wait to get there on that slippery slope all their lives and they think that if they convince you or I and convince other peoples by the visuals, by the visual display, by the performance, that somehow that's going to justify and ratify their position in the kingdom of heaven. But it won't.
Speaker 1:Christians, look, this is something that even I have to tell myself. This message I'm telling you, I have to tell myself. We always have to question ourselves, to ask ourselves are we being hypocritical, are we being sincere? Does our Monday morning look like our Sunday morning? Does our Tuesday morning look like our Sunday morning? Some people don't even make it to Monday morning. They go to church on Sunday morning and they come back right after Sunday service and they're watching all the games on TV, not giving God his glory and giving God his due. They want to watch the games and they want to go to their friend's house and they want to go do all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying watching a game is a sin or evil. I'm not saying that. Don't put words into my mouth. What I am saying is this People will give to other things and to other people what they will never give to God. But the Christian loves his Lord, the Christian loves her Lord and would rather be at his feet than to be at a Taylor Swift concert or at the football game or the basketball game or watching some show on Netflix. Listen, I like a good football game or a basketball game. I like a good musician. I like good things.
Speaker 1:But what I'm saying, what we're talking about, has to do with a lifestyle, has to do with a lifestyle. It has to do with a lifestyle. It has to do with who we are. We must be born again if we will see the kingdom of God. And when we are born again, we know it.
Speaker 1:The true Christian knows that he belongs to God. The true Christian knows that Jesus Christ is their shepherd and they are one of his lambs. They know his voice and they will follow him wherever he goes. They will never compromise. They will speak up, they will resist sin and in their private, quiet time they acknowledge the Lord. They seek his face when no one's around. They don't just pray publicly so that other people can see them praying. You will never see me on a social media platform like such as this one and see me praying to show people how holy I am. I am just like you. I struggle just like you. We all share the same struggles.
Speaker 1:We all are required to examine ourselves daily to see whether we are in the faith. My sister says I question myself daily. So do I. I question myself daily. But here's the thing that needs to be understood Unbelievers don't question themselves daily.
Speaker 1:True believers do. The crazy thing is, those of us who believe are always the ones questioning ourselves. The unbelievers don't question themselves. They love their sin. They know what they're doing in secret. They know what they're doing. They don't make their confessions to God. They don't seek the help of others. They don't go to the word of God, to delve into it and to see what they can glean in order to help them deal with the sin that they have in their lives. We all every true believer is going to question themselves, some more than others. We commit sin that we don't even realize that we're doing. That's why, in the Old Testament, they had to offer sacrifices for sins that were committed in ignorance. Just because you sin and don't know it's a sin doesn't mean you're not accountable for that sin. I hope that makes sense. The reason why it needs to make sense is because God is holy and God cannot look upon sin, so it doesn't matter the source of sin. It doesn't matter what the condition or the state of mind that the person is when committing it. Sin to him is sin and there are no variables that will allow him to embrace it or to accept it, or to allow it or to give anyone a pass.
Speaker 1:One thing that we're going to see one thing, christians, that we're going to see is that when the Lord comes back, we're going to see what absolute justice looks like In our society. We see so many people daily not getting justice. We see so many people getting away with breaking the law, getting away with killing people, getting away with doing horrible things to people. So many people get away with it and the justice system allows it. Away with it, and the justice system allows it. So what we're going to see when the Lord comes back is absolute justice.
Speaker 1:If you do not know Christ and you get caught dying, closing your eyes in this life, going to see him in an unsaved condition, if you pass here, if you die here, and you go see him and you are unconverted, you are going to see what absolute justice Looks like. If Christ Taking on God and receiving From his, at the hand of his father, the justice that was due To sinners, and you choose not to accept him as having gone in your place, if choose not to accept him as having gone in your place, if you refuse to accept him as your substitute, you are going to experience absolute, pure justice. And let me make sure you understand one thing His justice, his condemnation, the penalty of rejecting him and embracing your sin is going to be forever. It is going to be perpetual. It doesn't matter if you like it, laugh at me now Because one thing that this world is missing, especially this nation we don't worship a God that is sovereign and we don't worship a God.
Speaker 1:That is just what people worship today is a Santa Claus-like figure who doesn't condemn sin, who doesn't call out sin, who doesn't make people pay the penalty of sin. But I can assure you there is a lake of fire that has already been prepared for the devil and his angels. And his angels aren, and his angels Aren't just talking about the supernatural angels, because Satan has angels On this earth right now, because what, after all, is an angel? But a messenger? A messenger Conveying a message From their master To everyone else the lake of fire, a place of eternal, perpetual condemnation, where there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, where the worm of conscience does not die and those who are lost will be the fuel in that flame that shall never be put out, because every one of you who rejects christ and chooses to live in your sin is going to have to live with that eternity forever.
Speaker 1:And my question is why would you have that? Why would you die? Why you don't need to. It's senseless, you don't have to. All you have to do is to turn from your sin. All you have to do is turn from your sin.
Speaker 1:How do you do that? Look at God's holy law. It reveals to you that you were a sinner. It shows you that you were a sinner. Do you honor your parents? Do you commit adultery? Do you fornicate? Do you covet? Do you steal? Are you envious? Are you a jealous person? Do you not have God you envious? Are you a jealous person? Do you not have God in all your thoughts? Do you not falsely swear? I mean, we can go through all these commandments, but at the end of the day, we all know that we fall short of it. Do you commit murder? Do you slander your brother or your sister and your friends? It goes on and on. There is no escaping these things.
Speaker 1:If you can say you do all those things, then welcome to the club, because you belong into a club that only Christ belongs to. But if not, you are a fallen creature like all the rest of us. You are a fallen creature like all the rest of us and you need to turn from your sins. Now listen, telling people to repent and turn from their sins may sound archaic to you, but it never grows old with the one who never grows old. God is not a day older. He's never been a day younger. He always is. He is the perpetual one, the eternal one, having no beginning, having no end. He's uncreated, he's created. It is he with whom we have to do, and if you sin against him and you fail to turn To him For salvation, then the penalty Is eternal. The consequences Are eternal, just like the consequences of believing In faithfulness to him Are eternal, and we call that eternity Life, eternal life. But to those those who reject the son and choose to cling to their sin, they too will live forever in condemnation.
Speaker 1:Now I know that it seems to be popular. Now I can't believe how many Christians that I see on these platforms. You know spending hours going live telling people that there is no hell. There's a guy on here I can't remember his name. He loves to tell his whole message to the world every day, every time that I turn on his live, he's always saying the same thing there is no hell. Hell is a myth, hell isn't for real. If you want to believe that, go right ahead. Go right ahead, because it is not up to me to change your mind. The only one that can change you is God.
Speaker 1:This whole message began out of John, chapter three, verse three, when Christ says except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And if the man who is not born again cannot see the kingdom of God, he also can't see hell. So when somebody tells you there is no hell, it's easy for you to believe that. Roy G, that's the guy's name, roy G, he loves to preach about how there is no hell. And I'm telling you something right now Hell awaits those who teach that there is no hell. That is the outcome for those who teach that there isn't one.
Speaker 1:But hey, what we're teaching now is fairy tales. It's not real, real, it's all fake. Jesus isn't real. The bible isn't real. Salvation isn't a thing. Resurrection isn't real. Hell is not real.
Speaker 1:So why are all these people so anxious to stamp out the bible? Why have they tried to get rid of the bible, get rid of christianity and of Christianity and get rid of these things that we talk about in the Bible? Why don't they like the Bible so much? Why do they hate the Bible so much if it's just a fairy tale and fiction? Why, well, because man knows. Man knows who God is and he know he exists. They all know.
Speaker 1:You know there's a verse, and I'm doing another message on this another day, you know, because I usually keep multiple notes going. But there's a popular passage and I'll close up here. But there's a popular passage where the Bible tells us in Psalms and Proverbs that the fool says in his heart that there is no God, that there is no God. Now, one thing that I've always maintained, because Paul teaches it in the book of Romans, is that there is no such thing as an atheist. There's no such thing as an atheist. Every man Knows he was created and that there is a creator. Every single man on earth. They all know there's something above them that is intelligent and that has created all of us.
Speaker 1:But we are told plainly in the scriptures that men suppress righteousness. Men suppress the righteousness of God by their unrighteousness of God, by their unrighteousness. They suppress the righteousness of God by their unrighteousness, meaning they're trying to hold it down. They don't want it to come out, they don't want to be accountable, they don't want to be responsible for these truths that they know constantly resounds in their ears, in their conscience, in the depths of their souls. They want to squash it, they want to hold it down, they don't want it to bubble up. And so the writer of Proverbs and Psalms tells us that the fool says in their heart there is no God. But I'm going to tell you what that really means, because it doesn't mean what most people think that it means, even though what people think it means is true, because most people think that it's just the expression of an atheist saying the fool.
Speaker 1:Or when the Bible says the fool says in his heart there is no God. But that's not what it's saying. Hear me out here for a second, I'm almost done. Hear me out. So when the Bible says the fool says in his heart there is no God, what it actually means, what it actually, what's actually being said, is this the fool says in his heart no to god. You follow me. The fool says in his heart no to god. See, the bible has established that men know who god is and that he exists, but they want to suppress that truth.
Speaker 1:So when the Bible says that the fool says in his heart there is no God, it is not an indictment. It is not an indictment about somebody being an atheist. What he is saying is that the fool says in his heart no to God. That's what it actually means. That's what it actually means when you read that passage.
Speaker 1:So it's sort of like this because most of us I'm sure a lot of you are parents, and if you're not, you will be and you'll know what this means. But when you go and you tell your child to go clean your room or to finish eating your spinach or whatever, and that child says no, that's what that verse means. The fool says in his heart no to God. A child that says no to his parent is a foolish child. It needs to be corrected. So I hope you see the difference. So I hope you see the difference now. If a person says they're an atheist and they say they're no God, they're a fool too. So that interpretation is not wrong or coming to that conclusion. It's not a wrong conclusion, it's just not properly interpreting that passage.
Speaker 1:But the fool says in his heart no to God. In other words, I hear you, god, but no, I hear what you're telling me to do, but no, I won't be doing that. At such time God says okay, fine, fine, you will be in front of me soon enough. And this is what God tells to every soul who is not born again. The only way for you to see the kingdom of God, as Christ says, is to be born from above Salvation. Salvation is a matter of birth. You must be born into Christianity to be saved. You must be born to be saved, and if you are not, you'll be condemned. I'm telling you now. If you didn't know, you're hearing it now. Be provoked and be persuaded.