Transcript: 7 Steps to Heaven: Born Again and Seeing the Kingdom of God

Thank you. Thank you. Alright, now we started just last week to begin a whole long series of the biblical principles of what it talks about when it says to mature in the faith, become a Christian. We designed this layout to kind of give you a physical visual of what we're saying. The Bible from 1 John gives us some clear teaching. First of all, it tells us in chapter 2 of 1 John that there are actually four phases of being a Christian. Four phases. He talks about it as being an infant. He talks about it as being a boy or a child. He then talks about being a young man. And then he talks about being what they call a father, or in other words, a wise leader. Four phases. And he's very specific. And then when you tie it into the teachings out of the book of Hebrew and also 2 Peter chapter 1, we find some very clear instructions of what this means. And so we kind of gave an overview of what we're talking about. Now this week we're going to just begin the teachings on level 1, what it means. So when we talk about level 1 and we see a baby, we have to initiate it by the idea of what it means to be born again. Remember, in John 3, well, start with verse 3, but a whole portion of John 3, Jesus has a private conversation with a man named Nicodemus. He's a religious leader. He's a Jewish leader. He knows the Word of God from the Old Testament teachings. We call it Old Testament. Obviously, it was the book of the law he knew. And yet, he was baffled by what Jesus talked about. Because Jesus talked about being born again, and that was absolutely new to the Jews. They didn't understand what he was talking about at all. And so he said to this man, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, lots of people think they're Christians in America. A lot of people think they're going to heaven. The more you talk to people... In fact, I don't know if you saw on the news this week, they had a whole thing about this guy from... I think he's from Miami or whatever. He says he's Jesus. Now, he is an ex-criminal from prison. He got enlightened by God when he was in prison, he claims, and that he is Jesus. He has not just a singular thing. He's saying this. He has hundreds of thousands to millions of followers already. Already. He openly commits sin against God. he said since Paul wrote the Bible he said there's no more sin no more sin he said you mean to tell me and here's the secular news guy talking to him saying you mean to tell me that if you murder somebody that's not sin not sin what is it? it's a crime but it's not sin how stupid can you get? but he says no it's not sin there is no sin anymore nobody goes to hell anymore You follow me, you go to heaven. And you don't have to change, you just follow me. And he openly is just outright lying to the people, but the people love it. They interview these people. Hey, we love it, this guy's positive. We're not negative. The same old baloney you hear from our culture. I'm going to heaven, I just follow Jesus. He says, and here he is so I can see him. and I'm telling you these people are only the beginnings of what the Jesus warned in the scripture when he said that in the last days there's going to be confusion in the church they won't understand the truth and the world and many will follow deceptive ways and they're going to follow even to the point where finally at the end of time it's going to be what we call the Antichrist but the spirit of Antichrist is people who replace on his shirt he had the numbers 666 on there. He openly puts it on there. Just blatantly and yet millions of these people give him money like crazy. They interviewed a millionaire. He gave them $2 million. Now can you imagine? I'd like to have somebody give $2 million to our church. We'd shake the city up, wouldn't we? For the truth. But they gave him $2 million and he goes around and has fun. I don't know what he does with the money. He doesn't answer to anybody. and he's off jet setting and doing what he feels like and whatever. But literally, literally, this is the kind of thing that's going on in our culture right now. So it takes very important for us to make sure we get it. And I want you to make sure you understand what it means to be born again. That word is used loosely in our culture now and it's very confusing to people because they don't really follow the truth on it. So I want you to look further in John 3 and look at how Nicodemus interacts with Jesus. Now, when Jesus gave that statement of saying, you must be born again, he right away, and remember, this guy's a well-educated and intellectual man. He goes, well, how can a man be born when he's old? What are you talking about, he's saying, basically. Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? That's right, go ahead and kill your mother. You can't do that, you know. What are you talking about? See, he's only blocked in his mind. He thinks there's nothing but physical. He's saying, you can't do that. You're already confusing me, Jesus. What are you talking about? And then Jesus answered him and says Most assuredly he said get it This is very essential Nicodemus Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of water in other words physical and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. You're not going to go to heaven, Nicodemus, unless you're born again. Okay. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. In other words, that's why we can see the water things talking about physically. He said that's what's born of the flesh is flesh. I'm not talking about you going back up into your mother. flesh deal. I'm saying what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel or be confused that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes. You can't see the wind. And you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone that's born of the Spirit. You can't see God. He's invisible. But you're going to see a change just as wind changes things around us. Think of the wind of the hurricane that changes things around Florida doesn't it but he says think about that so is everyone who's born by the spirit there's going to be a massive change in their life if they're truly born again so we get a hint here what it means to be born again also we got to then go step by step to make sure truth is really on your side and here's why there's a lot of warnings in scripture that Jesus said there's going to be so many people that think they're going to heaven. Remember in Matthew 7 at the end of his Sermon on the Mount, he kept talking about that. It says, many will say to him, Lord, Lord, haven't we done mighty works in your name? These people are astounded to think that they're not going to heaven when they're the major players in the church of the last days. We've done mighty works. We've done miracles. We've even cast demons out of people. We've preached all over the place. We've done all kinds of spiritual things. And he'll say, depart from me. I never knew you. So the confusion of our day is what was warned in Scripture. We have the confusion, so we have to make sure we cut through it. Well, remember what I'm going to tell you about level one then. First of all, what level one is, it says here that the freedom from sin is the essential point. That's why you get the word salvation, right? Salvation means you're saved from something. Well, most people think they're saved from hell you know you say you know if you're saved they'll say yeah i'm going to heaven it's nothing about salvation is not the initial thing about being saved from hell the point of being saved according to matthew the first beginnings when it said they told remember the angel told mary to name her son jesus it says because he will save his people from hell No, it didn't say it. What did it say? From sin. Salvation has clearly got to do with one thing. Sin. Being removed, delivered, freed from sin. Not hell. Sin is the issue. So that's what we have to look and see then. So when we talk about being born again or saved, we have to see that when you're born again, that you become a new creature in Christ. you become a different being in relationship spiritually to the invisible thing that you don't see inside people. We're not talking about becoming a new face and a new body. We're talking about having a new inside. And the key is being saved from sin. Alright, everybody with me so far? And that's a radical thing. So look at when you think of 1 John. Remember, John wrote the book of John, but he also wrote his letters at the end of the New Testament called 1, 2, 3 John. And in there he says, I write to you little children because your sins are forgiven. See the point? Sins is what he's talking about. The thing that you are when you become born again is that your sins are forgiven for his namesake. Sin is the issue. Forgiveness is the beginning. Being born again is the whole point. Now, if we look at it very carefully, then we have to ask two basic questions. How do you get your sins forgiven? Culturally, there's a lot of answers to that question. It doesn't matter what culture says, right? Who matters when it comes to how to get your sins forgiven? Whose opinion matters? Who? Christ? Yeah. My opinion doesn't matter. Your opinion doesn't matter. What you think doesn't matter. It's only what Christ says matters. And if you got the wrong idea, your sins aren't forgiven. That leaves you in your sins. You could be the best church member or the greatest follower of Christ you think, but that's what happened in that warning that Jesus gave. These people that went to hell at Judgment Day really thought in their minds they were the greatest followers Jesus ever had. Right? That's what they're saying. They're bragging, we've done all this work for you. How could you dare throw us out? We are your greatest disciples you've ever had. and they couldn't believe that they were cast into darkness according to his warning, right? So this is why you have to be clear. And the second question then is, and how do you know when you're born again? How do you know how to get your sins forgiven? And then how do you know when you've got it? How do you know when you're born again? It's not something just in your brain, is it? Because brain is mental opinion. This has nothing to do with what you think. It has everything to do with who you are and what you do. Make sure you get the difference. Remember in James, James warned about people. He said, listen, the demons believe and they do what? Tremble. They do action. He said, you say you believe in God, who cares? The demons believe in God too. So what's the difference between you and demons if you just have belief? It all has to do with what you do with your belief, right? That's what he's saying here. Believing isn't any big deal. The devil believes in Jesus. He believes he died on the cross. He believes he was raised from the dead. He believes everything you believe. But he doesn obey Christ He defies Him The difference between the devil and you has to be the difference between whether you obey God or whether they disobey God That's the only difference. It has nothing to do with what you believe in your brain. It's not a brain thing. What Christ already did is fine. That leaves us to this place where we can take action. But the action is the key. Now remember last week we looked at Hebrews 6.1 for just a second. Let me pull you back there so you can see it. Number one, you cannot get forgiveness by just asking for it. I grew up in the church, and we were told to go to heaven, just ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins. Do you remember those terms? That was what I was told from the time I was a little kid. All you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, and you go to heaven. Isn't that right? Is that what you heard? That's what my mama, she lied and told me that. That is not what the Bible teaches. But this is such a lie, it's pervasive in good churches. They keep telling you, you believe that Jesus died on the cross, so did the devil, and you just ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and you're in. That is not what it tells. And I'm going to show you this. And this is the key why we have so many people that are not Christians who think they are, and they actually are good people, but they're not Christian. And this is dangerous, dangerous practice. Now look what it says here. If you look at Hebrews 6.1, if you can't see it here, open your Bible and look at it, because you need to see this. It's very significant. Therefore, let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ the Messiah, advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance. The baby basics are laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works and of the faith by which you turned to God. The key for forgiveness is not asking Jesus to forgive you. It is the word, what? R-E, repent. Repent. Remember that's what he says. let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance. The key to your eternal life is the word repent. Don't forget it. I don't care how many times you've heard a lie, skip the lie now. The word that you must attach your hope in forever is the word repent. Have I pointed my finger strong enough at you to get you to think this and hear this? This is significant because it's not normally what you hear. It states here, and I'm going to reinforce it with a number of things from Jesus. For example, Matthew 18. Jesus is speaking. He says, Truly I say to you, unless you believe, ask Jesus in your heart, ask for forgiveness. No. What's He say? He says repent. Now whose opinion is important? Jesus. He's here telling you that the key to your eternal life has nothing to do with asking forgiveness. It is unless you repent, change, turn about, become like little children, which are like trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving kids, you can never enter the kingdom of heaven at all. Repentance is the key that unlocks heaven's door. Repentance is the only way that you will get to heaven. Jesus said it, not me, right? Not my opinion. Not my professional opinion. Not my interpretation. Is that why I'm reading it right out of the Bible? You agree with me? It's not my opinion here. Unless you repent, you can never enter the kingdom of heaven at all. Whoever will humble himself before and become like this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Repentance. Repentance. Repentance is the key to your hope forever. Okay. Now, let's go a little further. Luke 13, another example. And again, I want you to show this is not one thing I pulled out. I could actually spend days and weeks on this if I spent all the Scripture on this. I just want to give you a few to make sure you understand that what you hear actually so often in America is an outright heretical lie that pervades in the churches across America, even the ones that are supposed to be good. Hear me clearly. Luke 13. Just at that time, there arrived some people who informed Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Now, first of all, what that means is simply this. While these Jews from Galilee were worshiping God, literally Pilate sent soldiers into their worship center and killed them on the spot right there, executed them. So they fell over dead. Their blood came out of their bodies and mixed and corrupted the sacrifice they were giving as they sacrificed lambs or animals to God in the temple. He literally sent them in and killed them on the spot. That's what it's saying. Now, that's pretty horrid death. So with that kind of report coming, and the news just came to Jesus while he's in the middle of talking to people, Jesus stops and he says, he replied to them by saying, Do you think that these Galileans were greater sinners than all the other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? Do you think they were greater sinners because God let them be struck down dead right in the middle of worship? Can you imagine us being here and all of a sudden you get struck down? Boom! In the middle of worship. That's kind of a scary feeling. They thought they were in a safe place and they're worshiping God. And next thing they're done, they're killed by the sword and dropped dead in the middle of their worship. It says, I tell you no. But, and here's the term. Unless you repent, change your mind for the better, and heartily amend your ways with adhorrence of your past sins, you will all likewise perish and be lost forever, eternally. Unless you ask Jesus to forgive you? Unless you say, Dear Jesus, come in my heart? No. Unless you repent again is the key otherwise you will be lost eternally Two times Christ is clearly stating repent is the key to everything we talk about here Now Acts 2 the disciples also agree They got it. So they come along and say, like Peter, here the church just gets stirred up. After Christ was resurrected from the dead, He left them. They didn't know what to do, so they gathered together and they prayed for God to send the Holy Spirit, remember, to come upon them. He comes upon them, and this is reported that once the people gathered around the building and started looking at what was going on, a whole crowd gathered around the house they were in. Peter got out and addressed them and started talking to them. Two times in his message to these people by the thousands that were there, he told them that they murdered the Messiah. He took the law, threw it right in their face and said, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. No, that's not what he said. He said, you folks here have rejected God. you rejected his message, and now that you murdered the Messiah, Jesus. He told them that twice. Finally, after the second time that he threw this at their faces, they actually got convicted, and some of them were starting to verbally interrupt his message and say, what should we do to be saved? They stopped them from talking because they were so concerned about what he said. Here's his response. How are they going to be forgiven? Ask Jesus to forgive them? No, look what he says. Peter answered them, what's the word? Repent. Third time. Repent. Change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it. And be baptized. Every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness. How do you get forgiveness from God? Asking Him to forgive you? No. What's he say? How do you get forgiveness from God? Right here. Is that what it says? See, how long have you heard, ask Jesus to forgive you and He'll forgive you? Peter says the way you're forgiven is you repent. He doesn't say you go ask Him. It sounds real logical to ask God to forgive you. But asking is not the same as repenting. Is it? I can slug you in the face and say, sorry, or I can do more than that. Because if I hit you again, oh, sorry, hit you again, sorry, hit you again, sorry, hit you again, sorry, are you going to keep saying you're forgiven if I keep busting your chops? What you want from me is to repent. Stop hitting you in the face. Right? And that's in a court of law. Can you go to a court of law and say, Judge, yes, I robbed the bank. Sorry. Now, go out of the courtroom and go to the bank across the street and rob it. They drag you back over to the court and you say, Judge, sorry. It doesn't work that way, does it? No. First of all, you have to be punished for your sin. And you definitely have to stop what you're doing. They don't let people out of prison who go right back and do anything because they drag them right back and throw them back in prison. You keep going back to prison. That's not forgiveness or deliverance or whatever. Repentance is the issue that you must do. And you have so much religious thoughts in your mind, you've got so much religious ideas, a lot of times you haven't truly repented, but in your mind you think you have. Just because you asked Jesus to forgive you. Repentance is action, not thinking. Right? For example, you can think you're married, but if you don't have a spouse, you're not married. You can think about it all day long. You can truly believe you are. In fact, a lot of people are in those sanitariums because they think things. They think they're President Bush. They think they're Jesus. They think they're things they're not. It's a delusion. Thinking isn't the issue. Acting out and doing it is the key. Repentance is truly the doing thing. Right? Right? So we say, repent and be baptized. Now, before you jump to it, baptism isn't magic. Why does he say repent and be baptized? It's the turning from sin and surrendering to Jesus. Remember, when you get married, you get a ring on your hand. But you can go to any store and buy a ring. You put it on your finger. Does that make you married? Of course not. It's a symbol. It's a reality showing an inward reality or an outward. In that case, you're married and you show it. Baptism is the emergence into the body of Christ, showing I left this world physically. I joined the church. I got baptized into Christ. And here I am, part of the group. I'm in a new family. I've left the old ways and I'm into the new one. I'm gone from the old to the new. And he says, you do that. You stop being Jews in a sense. You go ahead and take the persecution and leave in your group and come in and join in our group. I dare you. I mean, he was rough on them. You repent of all your sin. Stop murdering Christians and the followers of Jesus like you murdered Messiah. You get over here and you join us. And he says in the name of Jesus to be baptized for the forgiveness of sin and the release from your sins. So the whole core of infancy of being born again is the idea of being released, delivered and repenting and turning from sin. Constant and complete and total and thorough. Right? And it says you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That's the other part we're talking about. What does it mean when you're born again? To get the forgiveness, you don't just ask, you repent. And when you do repent, something happens radically to you. Stand up and shout it if you love my Lord.