Am I Really a Christian?
“You’re not a Christian if you haven’t been Born Again.”
If you have a Bible please open it tonight to 1 Peter 1. I know that some of you are in my 1 Peter class on Sunday mornings, but I just want to start tonight with something that we ended our class on last Sunday. Let’s read verses 3-7.
NASB 1 Peter 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Question: What does Peter say is more precious than gold? What does Peter say is so valuable its worth more than refined, pure gold?
Ill: The current price for gold as of this morning was: $1657.83 per ounce! I could hardly believe that when I saw it this morning! So if you had just one pound of gold it would be worth: $26,525.28.
What’s more valuable than $26,525.28? (Proof of faith-or-proof that your faith is genuine)
Last week we started a new series of messages titled, “Am I really a Christian.” And the goal of this series is that we would come out of these 6-7 weeks (through both our large group teaching time and small group discussions) knowing what it really means to be a Christian and, I pray, by knowing what it means to be a Christian we would know that we truly are Christians. There’s nothing more important in life! And there’s nothing more valuable in life than knowing your faith is genuine.
Ill: Bank Notes- How to spot a counterfeit
One of the ways that we can know if our faith is true is to simply, clearly define what a Christian is…and then compare ourselves and see if what a Christian is describes who we are.
What is a Christian?
So let me ask you guys, “What is a Christian?” The question is important because what our culture says about what means to be a Christian (even church culture) is often skewed from how the Bible describes what a Christian is.
(Ask students for their input)
· Follower of Christ (Antioch- Acts 11)
A Christian is someone who has been born again.
One of the ways the Bible defines what it means to be a Christian is by New Birth. Or in other words:
A Christian is someone who has received the new birth as a free gift from God.[1]
So what is a Christian? A Christian is someone who has been born again.
Now for some of you that term may not be very clear. So what I want to do with our time tonight is to simply ask 5 questions about New Birth. If being a Christian is defined as someone who has received the New Birth it’s important that we know what New Birth is…and I think we can clearly unpack the meaning of New Birth by asking 5 quick questions before we move into our small group time.
1. What is New Birth?
Jesus first talks about New Birth in the third chapter of John’s Gospel. So turn with me to John 3
NASB John 3:1-10 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
1- So who was Nicodemus? He was one of the religious rulers/teachers of Israel. We might compare him with being a pastor/mayor. So he knew his OT well and he was one sought by others for wisdom and instruction and advise and to settle disputes.
2- It makes sense then why Nicodemus came at night. He wasn’t supposed to be the one asking questions. He was supposed to be the one with all the answers. And yet he recognizes that there is something different/unique about Jesus. But listen to what Jesus says to this religious leader in 3.3.
3- Jesus just drops a bomb on Nicodemus and in essence tells him that all of his religion won’t even get him into seeing distance of the kingdom of God. Notice Nicodemus’ response to Jesus’ statement that he must be born again.
4- Nicodemus is puzzled by Jesus because he knows it’s impossible for someone to be physically born a second time.
Ill: Nicole being born again.
But Jesus helps define what New Birth is in His next statement to Nicodemus.
5 &6- New Birth is not a physical act, it is a spiritual act. In other words, being born again is receiving new spiritual life. And Jesus says that new spiritual life is necessary for one to see and enter the Kingdom of God.
So what is New Birth? New Birth is the receiving of new spiritual life.
2. Why is New Birth necessary?
Why do we need new spiritual life?
Jesus doesn’t really tell us why New Birth is necessary in John 3, but what He does do is He gets on Nicodemus’ case for not know himself…doesn’t He? Look with me at John 3.9-10:
NASB John 3:9-10 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
Jesus says to Nicodemus, “You claim to know your OT and yet you don’t know why you must be born again!”
So it seems that Jesus says that the answer as to why we need New Birth is evident in the Scriptures. And certainly there are some passages that teach us why New Birth is necessary:
NASB Psalm 14:2-3 The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Why is New Birth necessary? Because everyone has turned away from God…and in doing so everyone is corrupt…and in this state of corruption Psalm 14 says that no one does good, not even one! So why is New Birth necessary? Because we all have sinned, and because of our sin our nature is corrupt…so corrupt in fact that we cannot do what is good and right…no one can.
The Apostle Paul quotes Psalm 14 in Romans 3.10-13. Listen what he goes on to say in Romans 3.13-18, all of which are quotes from the OT (the OT Nicodemus should have known!):
ESV Romans 3:13-18 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." 14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Paul goes on to conclude in Romans 3:23 that:
NASB Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But the fact that we’ve all sinned is not the whole of our condition, just like Ps 14 states. Later in Romans 8 Paul says that because of our sin our spirits are hard to God:
NASB Romans 8:7-8 The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
So sin has made us hostile to God and unable to please Him. Finally, in Ephesians 2 Paul gives the most devastating diagnosis of our condition because of sin:
NASB Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Why is New Birth necessary? Because sin has made us corrupt (Ps 14.3). And in our corruption we are:
· Blind to God
· Hard to God
· Hostile to God
· Dead to God
3. How do you get the New Birth?
Jesus helps answer this question in John 3:7-8:
NASB John 3:7-8 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?"
7- I think Nicodemus is ‘amazed’ because he’s thinking of how he could make himself born again.
8- So just like the wind blows freely, and we don’t know where it comes from or where it’s going, so too the Spirit of God is free to blow where He wishes and give New Birth to whomever He desires. In other words, New Birth is not something you get, it’s not something you earn, and it’s not something you work for...it’s only something you can receive. New Birth is something the Spirit of God freely gives to whom He wishes. Isn’t this what we read at the beginning of our study tonight in 1 Peter 1:3:
NASB 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
So if you’re here tonight and you’ve been born again, you’ve been born again by the mercy of God.
Now others of you may right now be thinking, “If I must be born again to see and enter heaven, and if New Birth is not something I work to attain…if it’s just the free work of the Holy Spirit then what do I do if I’ve never been born again?”
While it’s true we can’t make ourselves born again…we can’t achieve it…we do know what the Spirit of God uses to cause people to be born again. A few verses later in 1 Peter we read:
NASB 1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
My advice would be to:
· go where the Word of God is taught
· read the Word of God
· pray as you read or listen that God would awaken you to life
So how do you get New Birth? It is the merciful free work of the Spirit of God.
4. What is the Result of New Birth?
It’s here that we’re getting to the heart of tonight’s message. What happens when someone is born again?
The most simple answer is that we are changed! The Bible calls this change conversion.
NASB 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
New Birth changes us! We are now longer:
· Blind to God’s beauty and value and worth and glory to seeing Him for the infinite treasure that He is
· Hard to God. Whereas before we cared very little for God’s will and purposes in the world now we desire more and more to conform our lives to His will and purposes.
· Hostile to God. Whereas before God was an enemy to us, a being out to ruin our fun, now God is our highest joy in life. (Ps 43)
· Dead to God- Whereas before we were the center of the universe, now we see that God is the center of the universe and all things exist for His glory.
Our goals are different; our way of thinking, our world-view, and what we value in life is different! It’s now God-centered and not self-centered.
Now it’s very important to point out that all of these changes do not happen instantaneously..and there are times in which our new and old self wage war with one another…there is no doubt as to the trajectory of those who have been born again…they are bit by bit becoming more and more conformed to Jesus!
At the moment of conversion the Bible says that the very Spirit of God who caused us to be born again takes up residency within us, and the effect of His living within us, are emotions, and conduct, and attitudes, and passions that are in line with those of the Holy Spirit. Paul gives us a list of these attributes in:
NASB Galatians 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
5. How can you tell that you have been Born Again?
Do you see the results of New Birth in your life?
· Is God your treasure in life?
· Do you long for God’s will to be done in you and on Earth?
· Is God your joy in life? Is He your highest good?
· Is God at the center of your life? Do you filter all that you do, or want to do, through Him?
Do you see evidence of the fruits of the spirit exuding from you?
Would you characterize yourself as:
· Being a loving person- do you love your neighbor as yourself, do you love your enemies, do you love the unlovable people at your schools and at work?
· Is your life characterized by joy? Is God your exceeding joy in life? Does your joy in God cause you to rejoice even when circumstances are tough?
· Peace because a sovereign God rules the universe.
· Patience…are you patient towards others, even when they are unjust towards you, because God has been so patient with you.
· Etc.
Guys, the Apostle Paul says in that we should examine ourselves, to test ourselves, to see if our faith is genuine and real. So test yourselves tonight. Is the Spirit of Jesus in you?
After we pray we’re going to go into our small groups, but before we’re dismissed I just say something that I was thinking about as I prepared for tonight’s message. You know, probably the best people you could ask if they see the fruit of the Spirit in you (the fruit of New Birth) is your parents. No one probably knows you as well as your parents do. Let me encourage you (I know this will take some guts), but let me encourage you to share with your parents what we talked about tonight and just ask them, “Do you see the results of New Birth in me?”
Let’s Pray
[1] McKinley, Mike (2011-06-07). Am I Really a Christian? (9marks) (p. 30). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
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