THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTIAN BIRTH
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
January 18, 2004
Text: John 3:1-8
All of us who have listened to Christian testimonies over the course of
our faith journey have no doubt heard some very amazing stories of faith.
When a life changes radically and noticeably, people tend to take notice,
especially a friend who knew the person before his or her life changed.
Imagine what Sauls friends thought when they witnessed the change in his
life brought about by his encounter with Jesus. Imagine the amazement of
those who knew John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, before his
conversion to Christianity. Rough and mean-spirited, he became a slave
trader. Yet, well before his life ended, Newton preached the Word of God
as an ordained minister in Olney, England. His change was drastic and
complete and sincere. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a
wretch like me.
Throughout the history of our world, I know of no other force that has
changed the lives of more men and women and children than faith and
belief in Jesus Christ. I dont have a survey or anything like that to
fall back on to prove my claim, but I have no doubt that if someone
disputed my claim, I could easily list many more people whose life had
changed because of faith in Christ than because of any other reason.
Yes, men and women from all kinds of backgrounds have come to know and
accept and believe Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have left
all kinds of sins behind. Saul the persecutor; John Newton the slave
trader; someone else a drug addict; another person a prostitute; gang
member; business cheat; rapist; murderer. If we can name it, someone has
been saved from it by the blood and power of our Lord, Jesus Christ. That
is the miracle of Christian birth - being born again.
One night long ago, Jesus talked about the miracle and mystery of
Christian birth with a man named Nicodemus. This Pharisee, a member of
the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night to learn more about him
and to learn more about himself. The encounter between Jesus and
Nicodemus begins somewhat like that between Jesus and the rich young man,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus is clearly
recognized as someone who stands apart from the typical person, not
because of dress or stature, but because of his teaching and devotion to
God. It appears that Nicodemus, who Biblical scholars tell us was well
off financially and politically, was searching for something that he had
not yet found. So he came to speak with Jesus at night. Many tell us that
he came at night so that he would not be noticed by other members of the
Sanhedrin. This may be true; however, William Barclay adds: "The rabbis
declared that the best time to study the law was at night when a man was
undisturbed... It may well be that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night
because he wanted an absolutely private and completely undisturbed time
with Jesus." (The Gospel of John, vol. 1, p. 112)
Nicodemus certainly gained his private audience. Jesus recognized a
longing that Nicodemus had - probably more than Nicodemus recognized. So
Jesus answered, almost mystically, "I tell you the truth, unless a man is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Imagine being Nicodemus
trying to make sense of that without the benefit of the New Testament or
even the events of the resurrection. Although a man of great learning, he
had nothing to go on.
Jesus spoke of the radical change one undergoes when accepting the
invitation of Christ. Barclay writes, "To be born again is to undergo
such a radical change that it is like a new birth; it is to have
something happen to the soul which can only be described as being born
all over again; and the whole process is not a human achievement, because
it comes from the grace and the power of God." (The Gospel of John, vol.
1, p. 114) It was more than Nicodemus could comprehend, for his next
question was, How can this be?
Having the advantage of hindsight over Nicodemus, we know that through
the gift of Jesus, we have been made as children of God and have been
given eternal life with God. This is how the concept of rebirth enters
the picture. By our own strength, we are quite unable to give to God our
perfect obedience. Only when God shares His gift of grace by taking
possession of us and changing us can we share with God the devotion we
ought to have. As with Nicodemus, it is Jesus Christ who works such a
change in us. Through Jesus we are reborn. He enters in and the change
comes.
When we receive God's gift, we are "born of water and the Spirit." Water
is cleansing. We take baths and showers to clean us from the accumulation
of a day's activities. Jesus uses it here as a symbol of that same
cleansing. When Jesus takes possession of our lives, when we love him
with all our heart, the sins of the past are forgiven and forgotten. "If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
The Spirit is the symbol of power. Not only is our past forgiven and
forgotten, there is also a new power that enters in. With God's power, we
are enabled to do those things which we could never do alone. Water and
the Spirit stand for the cleansing and the strengthening power of Christ,
which wipes out the past and which gives us victory in the future.
In this passage, John shares with us the same great truth of the miracle
of Christian birth that Jesus shared with Nicodemus: that which is born
of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. We,
by ourselves, are flesh, and our power is limited to what the flesh can
do. Sometimes that's not very much. We can be defeated and frustrated.
But the Spirit is different. The Spirit is the power and the life which
extend far beyond human power and human life. When the Spirit takes hold
of us, we are changed from the defeated life of human nature to the
victorious life of God.
This is why testimonies of changed lives are so amazing. Our human side
tends to deny that anyones life can change as dramatically as some have.
We tend to think its a con or something. But we who have received
salvation from God know the life-changing power of the Spirit. We know
that men, women, and children are wonderfully born again and that lives
are radically altered. This is also why and how Christians can embrace
new believers as brothers and sisters in the family of God. The past
sinful life of a person may have brought tragedy to others in the past,
and there may be grief to deal with, but the future never looks brighter
than with each and every new believer.
This is year 31 of the Roe v Wade decision that is the landmark of
legalized abortion in this nation. As terrible as this decision has been,
there are miracles taking place amidst the controversy. As the insert in
todays bulletin informs us, the Roe of Roe v Wade has petitioned the
United States Supreme Court to reverse its 1973 decision. Norma McCorvey,
the Jane Roe plaintiff of more than three decades ago, is a remarkable
example of the miracle of Christian birth. Her complete story is too
involved to retell in a sermon. Much more testimony and information can
be found at http://www.roenomore.org, or in the book Won by Love, the story of
Norma's conversion, published January 1998 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Norma tells in no uncertain terms what she thought of Christians,
especially Christian pro-life activists. When a group from Operation
Rescue, an active Christian pro-life organization, obtained office space
next door to the abortion clinic where she worked, Norma couldnt believe
it. Her encounters with pro-life demonstrators were frequently fierce.
Yet, through this unlikely scenario, Norma came to recognize her
enemies as human instead of holier-than-thou hypocrites. That first
realization came when she made a remark to Pastor Flip Benham, leader of
the Operation Rescue group, that "what you need is to go to a good Beach
Boys concert." According to Norma, Flip answered, Miss Norma, I haven't
been to a Beach Boys concert since 1976. The seemingly innocuous
response shook me to the core. All at once, Flip became human to me.
(http://www.roenomore.org/normas_story/testimony.htm)
Through patience and persistence, this was no overnight conversion, the
members of Operation Rescue who became friends with Norma McCorvey became
the catalysts through whom Norma came to a saving knowledge and presence
of Jesus in her life. Writes Norma, My conversion is one for the ages.
The timing was precise -- [Operation Rescue] was next door to my clinic
for less than a year (Flip has said, "We moved in just long enough to
pick up Miss Norma") -- but it wasn't until I had a regenerated heart
that the truth of what abortion does could find a place in my intellect.
Once that truth took hold, there was no turning back. I'm one hundred
percent sold out to Jesus and one hundred percent pro-life, I like to
say. No exceptions. No compromise.
(http://www.roenomore.org/normas_story/testimony.htm)
What Nicodemus sought, Norma McCorvey received. I tell you the truth, no
one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. It is a sad
shame that Norma became a pawn in the national tragedy of legalized
abortion in the first place. Like our insert says, she never had the
abortion herself. It is a sad shame that Norma continued to demonstrate
for abortion and work in an abortion clinic for several years. She
recognizes this and is sorry for it. But she is not now what she once
was, and she is working to shed the light of truth on all the lies and
cover-ups that have been used - and are still being used - to advocate
for legalized abortion in this nation.
The miracle of Christian birth is available to us all. I know that most
here this morning - maybe all - have received Gods gift of love and are
born again. We praise the Lord for this miracle in our lives. Maybe you
are one, though, who still needs to accept Gods miraculous invitation.
Dont let anything stand in your way - between you and God. No sin, no
past deed, is too great to block Gods love. He has removed every barrier
that stands between you and Him, except one. And that one, last remaining
barrier is your refusal to allow His miracle to work in your life.
Remember what Jesus told Nicodemus. Its not about the flesh. Its not
about our weaknesses and inabilities. Its about Gods power and Gods
love. The Spirit gives birth to spirit. Whether its with Saul or John
Newton or Norma McCorvey or Chuck Layne or with you, the miracle of
Christian birth is real and alive and available right now.
Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN
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