John 3:1-8

The New Birth

 

1 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 are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

 

 

 

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

 

 

 

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

 

 

 

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 marvel 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 cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

 

 

 

Jesus told Nicodemus:   You must be born again!  

       

 

The Difference Between Generational Sin and Original Sin

 

 

Inherited sin, or original sin, is a cornerstone of Christian doctrine, tracing back to Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Eden.

 

 

This act of rebellion against God introduced sin to humanity, tainting all generations thereafter.

 

 

Christians believe that this original sin is inherited at birth; whether you want it or not, you have inherited sin!

 

 

Our sin called for Divine intervention for redemption.

 

 

 

Inherited sin brings temptations for sins never acted on before. People say, “I have never done anything like this before, I have never opened this door, but I’m tempted by these sins.”

 

 

Romans 3:23    

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 

 

You have sinned; it is inherited. You can’t divorce it, you can deny it, but it’s still there.

 

 

You can hide it, but it’s still there. You can fool a lot of people, but it’s still there.

 

 

 

Just because you are tempted doesn’t mean you sinned against God. The devil prophesies, he tempts you with sin to provoke you to open the door. 

 

 

 

You say it’s not fair; the devil never plays fair. He wants to kill you and enslave you to the lust of the flesh.

 

 

When God sent Jesus, it was divine intervention. Jesus condemned sin in the flesh.

 

God walked in the body man walked in, yet never surrendered to the lust of the flesh.

 

 

 

We couldn’t overcome sin or remove its penalty, its power being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit].

 

 

God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh, subdued it, and overcame it in the person of His own Son.

 

 

 

       Divine Intervention

No matter what or how you got to where you are, Jesus is your Divine Intervention.

 


Why did Jesus send us the Holy Spirit? To stop the generational sin, to stop inherited sin, to end our run with original sin. God dealt with our sin through Jesus.

 

 

But Jesus didn’t just stop our sin in its tracks; He completely removed the penalty for our sins.

  James 1:15    

KJV: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  

 

 

ESV: Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

 

 

 

You need to be filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Take the fire into your bosom; some just come into the presence but never allow the presence to come into them.

 

 

 

A fire for every head and a fire for the heart.

 

HOLLAND PCG