Sunday, May 21, 2006
April 23, 2006--Born Again
Note--Post is taken from loose outline notes of the Pastor. Actual delivered sermon may have differed. No recording available. Sorry!
Text: John 3:1-8
We often times banty about the term born again. We have talked about it here from time to time. However, I think many misunderstand what it means, where it comes from, as well as the true nature of being born again. I think it is a topic that we need to revisit from time to time, and I think that it is a topic we need to cover frequently and correctly.
When Adam disobeyed the Lord, he became dead to God. He died to God. Dead to God is total separation from Him and the Divine Presence. We can see the proof of Adam's separation with God in Genesis. When God called out for Adam and Eve after they sinned, they had completely forgotten the loving nature of God. They had forgotten the love He had showed them and they hid in the trees.
In Adam, all died. Even the unborn. Every human since has been born into this life spiritually deficient, in some cases dead to God. While there may be a recognition of a higher power, it is not coherent and clear. Our human nature is forever corrupted by Adam's sin. We are all born separated in a great deal from God. This forms the basis of being born again. This notion of being born again was not a foreign concept to Israelites and the Jews. When someone converted to Judiasm, they were said to be born again to the faith.
There is no explanation of how it is done, philosophically, physically. There is no anatomy of this process. It is a mystery. It is something that must be taken on faith. There is no explanation for how the spirit works in the Soul. However it does have to do with the melting of the old heart and the birth of a new one. Another thing we do know is that while this is a spiritual not physical birth, it does have some similarities to natural birth and the birthing process.
Like the unborn child, we before our rebirth have eyes but don't see exactly. We have ears, but they are dulled. We have an imperfect use of the senses in the womb. Likewise, in our worldly, pre-Born again phase, we see and hear things which are spiritual, with some understanding of something more there. However, we do not fully see. We do not fully understand. As soon as we are born from the womb, in a physical sense, we see light and objects. We hear sounds clearer. Our eyes and ears are opened. Likewise, when we are born again, our spiritual eyes and ears are opened, and those muffled sounds become the beautiful noises and sounds of God and the Spirit. Our eyes and senses of spirtual understanding are opened. Are ears are opened to hear the Good News fully.
This is the essence of being born again. This is what Christ means when he tells us about being born again. This is what we all need to feel like, the newborn babes, cleaned off from the womb, ready to grow in the Spirit and teaching of Christ, when our new hearts, our new essence, comes bursting from the old heavy heart of the world. I pray if we have not found that new birth, that it would come for us soon. I pray that we will choose to deal with the birthing pains of being born again, of discernment, of study, of being ridiculed, of going through all of this and more, because the rewards are so worth it, just as the reward of going through labor is the new life of a beautiful baby, likewise what we get is a beautiful child of God, waiting to grow into a fully formed Christian. The great part is that that will happen when we are reunited with Christ eternally, and He will lead us and teach us Himself. I pray we accept the gift of a new life, of a new chance. It is the only way to live eternally, or we will once again be as Adam after the Fall, dead to and separated from God. And that is so lonely a place, so dreadful. The alternative is so much better and beautiful, growing up as God's loved ones, as His children, being nurtured and protected by God as children are by parents. Please, I implore you if you haven't, seek to be born again! It is the only way....
Text: John 3:1-8
We often times banty about the term born again. We have talked about it here from time to time. However, I think many misunderstand what it means, where it comes from, as well as the true nature of being born again. I think it is a topic that we need to revisit from time to time, and I think that it is a topic we need to cover frequently and correctly.
When Adam disobeyed the Lord, he became dead to God. He died to God. Dead to God is total separation from Him and the Divine Presence. We can see the proof of Adam's separation with God in Genesis. When God called out for Adam and Eve after they sinned, they had completely forgotten the loving nature of God. They had forgotten the love He had showed them and they hid in the trees.
In Adam, all died. Even the unborn. Every human since has been born into this life spiritually deficient, in some cases dead to God. While there may be a recognition of a higher power, it is not coherent and clear. Our human nature is forever corrupted by Adam's sin. We are all born separated in a great deal from God. This forms the basis of being born again. This notion of being born again was not a foreign concept to Israelites and the Jews. When someone converted to Judiasm, they were said to be born again to the faith.
There is no explanation of how it is done, philosophically, physically. There is no anatomy of this process. It is a mystery. It is something that must be taken on faith. There is no explanation for how the spirit works in the Soul. However it does have to do with the melting of the old heart and the birth of a new one. Another thing we do know is that while this is a spiritual not physical birth, it does have some similarities to natural birth and the birthing process.
Like the unborn child, we before our rebirth have eyes but don't see exactly. We have ears, but they are dulled. We have an imperfect use of the senses in the womb. Likewise, in our worldly, pre-Born again phase, we see and hear things which are spiritual, with some understanding of something more there. However, we do not fully see. We do not fully understand. As soon as we are born from the womb, in a physical sense, we see light and objects. We hear sounds clearer. Our eyes and ears are opened. Likewise, when we are born again, our spiritual eyes and ears are opened, and those muffled sounds become the beautiful noises and sounds of God and the Spirit. Our eyes and senses of spirtual understanding are opened. Are ears are opened to hear the Good News fully.
This is the essence of being born again. This is what Christ means when he tells us about being born again. This is what we all need to feel like, the newborn babes, cleaned off from the womb, ready to grow in the Spirit and teaching of Christ, when our new hearts, our new essence, comes bursting from the old heavy heart of the world. I pray if we have not found that new birth, that it would come for us soon. I pray that we will choose to deal with the birthing pains of being born again, of discernment, of study, of being ridiculed, of going through all of this and more, because the rewards are so worth it, just as the reward of going through labor is the new life of a beautiful baby, likewise what we get is a beautiful child of God, waiting to grow into a fully formed Christian. The great part is that that will happen when we are reunited with Christ eternally, and He will lead us and teach us Himself. I pray we accept the gift of a new life, of a new chance. It is the only way to live eternally, or we will once again be as Adam after the Fall, dead to and separated from God. And that is so lonely a place, so dreadful. The alternative is so much better and beautiful, growing up as God's loved ones, as His children, being nurtured and protected by God as children are by parents. Please, I implore you if you haven't, seek to be born again! It is the only way....
# posted by Mark : 12:35 PM
