Have You Ever Been Born Again?

I remember one time when I asked a man in a Kroger’s parking lot if he had ever been “born again.”  By the confused look on his face, as he pondered the question, I knew that he hadn’t.  That is a question that only those who have experienced it can respond with a yes.  In John 3:3 (read John 3:1-16), Jesus tells Nicodemus, a leader of Israel, “NO ONE can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again!” In other words, nobody can go to heaven unless he has been “born again.” 

Let me ask the same question to you, have you ever been born again? If you were to die today, would you go to heaven? Today there were thousands of people who got out of bed, tied their shoes and left the house not realizing that it would be their last day to live.  I wonder how many were truly at peace with God or “born again.”  Some of you might be asking, what does it mean to be “born again?” Well let’s look at that for a moment together.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” We can thank our earliest forefathers, Adam and Eve for that! The fact is, they brought sin and death into the world.    When they sinned against God by their disobedience, they brought spiritual death into the human race, which means me and you! However, I personally have done enough sinning myself and I know that I couldn’t blame anyone for my own sin. You are probably saying the same thing. I mean let’s be honest; none of us have been perfect angels. Yet, that really doesn’t matter, the fact is, we ALL need a savior and that Savior we ALL need is Jesus Christ!

God said that there must be punishment for sin. That punishment is the shedding of blood. That’s why in the Old Testament, they sacrificed lambs (1^st born male Lamb without blemish) and placed the blood on the Altar of God. However, the blood of an animal could never pay for the sins of the human race.  But in John 3:16, the Bible says that God SO LOVED THE WORLD (people in the world) that He gave HIS ONLY SON, to be the blood sacrifice, to pay the price for our sin. That is why Jesus is called the, “lamb (sacrifice) of God.  That’s why Jesus had to die and shed His Blood on the Cross. He died for our sin! He took our place and died for our sin!  WOW!! THANK YOU SO MUCH JESUS!!!!  There is an old song that I still sing from time to time that goes like this, He paid a debt He did not owe and I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away.

After Jesus died, three days later (Easter Sunday), He rose from the dead with a  glorified body and ascended to heaven where He is right now.  He bought life back for us. We can now have our spiritual life back. We don’t have to be separated from God any longer. We can now be “BORN AGAIN.”  Before Jesus died and paid the price for our sin, God’s Spirit lived in temples. But now, He lives in the souls of every one that has been saved or “Born again.”  In fact the Bible says that we now are the TEMPLE OF GOD!  PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!  God’s Holy Spirit can now live on the inside of us.  We can be forgiven of our sins and have the assurance that if we were to die today, we would go to Heaven.  So, be sure that when you celebrate Easter this Sunday, you honor God’s precious Gift and go to church! Easter is so much more than a bunny and coloring eggs. Hopefully your kids know more about Easter than coloring eggs!

Ok, now, how do you become born again? How do you receive life back into your spirit or how can you be reunited with God and His Spirit dwelling in your soul? That is simple.  The Bible says that whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved!  In Romans 10:9 it says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED (born again)!  That is it! Let me say it this way, all you have to do Is confess to God you are a sinner, that you have sinned, ask Him to forgive you. Then, ask Jesus to come into your heart and live. Tell him, Jesus I want to be born again! I want to receive your precious gift that you paid for by dying in my place on the cross. If you pray that prayer, you will be born again! Jesus will come into your soul and bring life and healing into your being.

Obviously there is much more to be said on the subject, that’s why we all should find a good Bible preaching church and attend faithfully.  I became born again on July 10, 1988, That was the greatest day of my life. The old me died!  And the New me is now living for God!  I’m no longer the same! I don’t live the same way, do the same things or go to the same places!  The Bible says I am a NEW CREATION, the old is passed away and the NEW has come.   Ask anybody that knew me before I was born again and they will tell you that person is no longer alive; the Spirit of God lives in me and talks with me. I am possessed by God’s Spirit!

There are hundreds of other religions out there but NONE OF THEM can lead you to God. Only one person died for you. The Bible says there is only one name under heaven by which a man can be saved, that name is Jesus Christ!

Well I hope that reading this blog has blessed your soul as much as it has blessed mine writing it!  This Easter Sunday, Let’s not just stay home and color eggs. Go to church and honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Easter is a special day. It’s a day the Devil hates, but a day that God loves!  Be looking for my next Blog! I will be writing about, “The Signs of The Times.” You won’t want to miss it! Until next time, become “BORN AGAIN!”

In God’s Love and Mine – Pastor Rick