John 3:8; Acts 16:31
Today we continue our look at what it means to be born again. Graham tells the following story in his book, How to Be Born Again. A man was asked at an evangelistic meeting if he was a Christian. Strange question, he thought, putting on his best Sunday school smile he said, "Oh, yes, I think so."
The man, not satisfied with his answer, asked him a second time, "Are you a Christian?"
So the man replied, "Well, I’m trying to be."
"Ever try to be an elephant?" the man asked him.
Grinning at my dumb astonishment, he took me by the arm sat me down in a chair and explained that no amount of trying could ever transform me into a Christian (any more than it could turn me into an elephant). Then he began to explain what New Testament Christianity is about.
This man, like many people today, thought that being a Christian was about trying to be a good person and trying to live a good life as Jesus did. Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Church up near Chicago, describes this misinterpretation of the faith in the following way. It has always helped me to understand our faith better. I hope it helps you. Hybels says that most of us who call ourselves Christian follow a "Do" theology. We try to do the right thing. We try not to do the wrong things. In essence, we try to be a good person. Now this is not a bad thing but it is not what the Christian faith is all about. The problem is that we never can do it all the time. We fail. We fall short. The apostle Paul called this a "works theology" built upon how good we are and all the good things that we accomplish somehow earning our approval with men and with God. Furthermore, Paul tells us that his discovery is that WE CAN’T DO IT. However, Jesus teaches us a "Done" theology and that is that Jesus has done it for us. That Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished for us what we cannot accomplish by all our doing. That Jesus’ death on the cross has done that which was necessary to pay the price for our sins. It is as simple as a "do" versus a "done".
Billy Graham writes, "Jesus made everything so simple and we have made it so complicated. He spoke to the people in short sentences and everyday words, illustrating his messages with parables and stories.
While doing jail time for reaching the Christian faith, Paul told a Philippian jailer who asked what he must do to be saved, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved" (Acts16:31).
It’s so simple that it’s often overlooked. All you have to do to be born again is to repent of you sins and believe in the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You don’t clean up, give up, or turn around yourself. You just come as you are. This is why Graham also sang the hymn, "Just as I am" at the crusades.
So if being born again, coming to Jesus, becoming a Christian is so simple how do we do it and not get lost in all of the stuff on the periphery? I want to look at 2 keys to understanding the whole rebirth that Jesus taught.
First, I want to turn to the story of Pentecost, which gives us some very simple teachings about those first people who became Christian following the resurrection. Peter was asked what must we do to be saved. Here is his answer, "Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19
To many people the word repentance is old-fashioned. It doesn’t seem to have a place in our twenty-first century vocabulary. Repentance simply means recognition of what we are, and a willingness to change our minds toward sin, self, and God. 28027
Repentance involves first of all an acknowledgment of our sin. When we repent we are saying that we recognize that we are sinners and that our sin involves us personally before God. It is not just a corporate guilt of society we are acknowledging it’s so easy to blame the government, the school system, the church, the home, for our own personal guilt. It is taking personal responsibility for our sin and for the sins that we have committed.
Secondly, repentance also involves a genuine sorrow for sin. Sorrow is an emotion which shows that turning to God involves our whole being—our logical side as well as our emotions and feelings, too. It is all a part of our whole self.
With repentance comes a change of purpose, a willing turnaround from sin. Sometimes this involves restitution. If we have stolen, lied, or cheated and hurt other people, we must go and make this right if at all possible.
Graham writes, "I’ve received hundreds of letter from people who have told me that they had had money returned to them that had been stolen by people who claimed to be born again. Many people before their conversion have been shoplifters. Many have felt that they must go back to the store, discuss their wrongdoing with the manager, and make restitution.
One of the most familiar stores told in the bible is about Zaccheus the tax collector who after following Jesus decides, almost on his own, that he must go back and make right all of the people he had cheated over the years and pay them back. It is a natural outcome to becoming a Christian to want to go back and make amends for past sins. It is a true sign of repentance.
So repentance is the first step toward being born again. It involves simple recognition of what we are before God—sinners who fall short of His glory; second, it involves genuine sorrow for sin; third it means our willingness to turn from sin.
Being born again involves turning from our old ways (which is repentance). But being born again is also about turn to something called faith. Faith is first and most about belief—belief that Christ was who He said He was. Second, faith is belief that He can do what he claimed He could do—He can forgive me, and come into my life. Third, faith is trust, an act of commitment, in which I open the door of my heart to Him.
Placing your faith in Christ means that first you must make a choice. (The choice that Brandon Nolan made today, and the other confirmands before him, is such a choice for faith.) The scripture says, "Whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in the name of God’s one and only son" (John 3:18).
The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. But what does it mean to believe? It means to "commit" yourself to Christ, to "surrender" to Him. Believing is your response to God’s offer of mercy, love and forgiveness.
Belief is not just a feeling; it is the assurance of salvation. You may look at yourself I the mirror and say, "But I don’t feel saved—I don’t feel forgiven." But don’t depend on feelings for your assurance. Christ has promise, and He cannot lie. Belief is a deliberate act of committing one’s self to the person of Jesus Christ. It is not a hanging on to some vague idea. It is an act of trust in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Christ is voluntary. A person cannot be coerced, bribed, or tricked into trusting Jesus. God will not force His way into your life. The Holy Spirit will do everything possible to disturb you, draw you, love your—but finally it is your personal decision. As we have said many times before the Bible teaches us that Jesus stands at the door of our life and knocks. We must open the door Jesus is not a thief who enters our life uninvited. We hold the key to unlock the door and let him in.
A final issue of concern: Is there only one way to come to faith, to become a Christian, to find God? Absolutely not! The key word is variety. God looks at each of us differently, because each of us is different. He will relate to you just as you are. He will relate to me just as I am.
For some people rebirth will happen quickly and dramatically for others it will happen over a period of time and rather quietly. Just look at the various examples found in the Bible. Acts 16 records two conversions which were striking contrasts. Lydia was a businesswoman in the city of Philippi. She had shown enough interest in God to be spending time and prayer by the side of a river, where she heard Paul preach. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the gospel message, and she was converted without fanfare or a strong emotional display. She became a host for a church and a leader in the young church.
Then there was the jailer in the city of Philippi where Paul and Silas were imprisoned. An earthquake came and the jailer panicked as he realized his prisoners could escape. He thought the only way out of his crisis was to kill himself. Just as he was drawing his word he heard the Apostle Paul say, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" (Acts 16:28)
The jailer couldn’t believe what he heard! Why hadn’t the prisoner escaped? He was shaking from head to foot, and called for a light. He took one look at Paul and Silas, his prisoner, and fell down at their feet, crying, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul told him to believe in the Lord Jesus Chris and he would be saved, and he was converted right there, in the rubble of the prison.
See how different the two experiences in the same town were? This is the way it is for each one of us—we should not compare ourselves or our faith experiences with others but trust that God has a special way to reach us that is uniquely ours and His way for us.
Jesus described the conversion experience e like the movement of the wind. "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 it is with everyone who is born of the Sprit." (John 3:8)
Wind can be quiet, or it can reach cyclone proportions. "So it is with conversion, sometimes easy and tender, and other times a tornado which alters the entire landscape.
So let’s summarize what we’ve learned today about rebirth and how we can experience rebirth. "First, you must recognize what God did: that He loved you so much He gave His son to die on the cross. Substitute your own name for "the world" and "whoever" in this familiar verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." The son of God loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.
Second, you must repent for your sins. Jesus said "Unless you repent, you will perish" (Luke 13:3). He said, "Repent and believe" (Mark 1:15). It’s not enough to be sorry; repentance is that turnabout from sin that is emphasized.
Third, you must receive Jesus Christ. This means that you cease trying to save yourself and accept Christ as your only Lord and your only savior. Trust Him completely, without reservation.
Finally, you must confess Christ publicly. This confession is a sign that you have been converted. Jesus said, "Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32) Today Brandon Nolan has confessed his faith openly, in public before witnesses. This is important for us to do. In this way we hold one another accountable and perhaps it is our first officially witnessing of our faith in Jesus Christ.
I want to close with a prayer that Graham uses in many of his crusades. If you feel lead to do so I invite you to pray aloud or quietly to yourself with me.
O God, I acknowledge that I have sinned against you. I am sorry for my sins. I am willing to turn from my sins. I openly receive and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my savior. I confess Him as Lord. From this moment on I want to live for Him and serve Him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.