WEBVTT 00:00:04.689 --> 00:00:07.969 Would you open your Bible with me please to 1 00:00:07.969 --> 00:00:12.169 Peter chapter 1 where we come to our theme for 00:00:12.169 --> 00:00:15.449 today in this text of the Word of God. Blessed 00:00:15.449 --> 00:00:18.329 be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:00:18.329 --> 00:00:25.170 who has caused us to be born again. Can you recall 00:00:25.170 --> 00:00:29.870 your first experience with death as a child perhaps? 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:35.340 I can well remember mine as a child. It left 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:38.939 me with a lot of questions, including, what does 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:44.719 it mean to die? The Bible in James chapter 2 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:48.700 gives us a definition of death. In verse 26 of 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:52.000 that chapter it says, the body without the spirit 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:57.799 is dead. So what is death, physical death? It 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:01.909 is the separation of the immaterial part of a 00:01:01.909 --> 00:01:06.409 person from the material part. It does not mean 00:01:06.409 --> 00:01:10.069 that that person no longer exists, but there 00:01:10.069 --> 00:01:13.829 is rather a separation of the material from the 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:17.069 immaterial. The body without the spirit is dead. 00:01:18.950 --> 00:01:23.969 And it is signified in the physical brain by 00:01:23.969 --> 00:01:27.269 the absence of activity that can be in some way 00:01:27.269 --> 00:01:31.079 measured there. It is signified by a lack of 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:37.540 response in the body to stimuli. There is another 00:01:37.540 --> 00:01:40.400 kind of death which the Bible tells us about 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:46.439 called spiritual death. It too is separation. 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:54.719 It is spiritual separation from God, the creator 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:59.030 and the source of all life. It is a separation 00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:04.450 that is the result of sin in the hearts of human 00:02:04.450 --> 00:02:09.270 beings. It is quite possible for one to be physically 00:02:09.270 --> 00:02:15.129 alive and yet to be spiritually dead or separated 00:02:15.129 --> 00:02:19.889 from God. Spiritual death, like physical death, 00:02:21.009 --> 00:02:26.099 is recognized by lack of response. a lack of 00:02:26.099 --> 00:02:30.900 a positive response toward God, giving Him glory 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:36.879 and honor. It is characterized by an active or 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:43.340 passive rebellion against God and a search, how 00:02:43.340 --> 00:02:48.379 be it in the wrong direction, for spiritual satisfaction. 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:55.060 Just as physical death can be observed, So may 00:02:55.060 --> 00:03:01.740 spiritual death. One of God's good gifts to us 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:06.479 who trust Jesus Christ is the gift of regeneration. 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:14.000 By regeneration, God gives us life in Jesus Christ 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:18.419 so that we are no longer dead toward him, but 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:22.580 rather alive. And our yearning and search for 00:03:22.580 --> 00:03:28.240 spiritual completion is over because of regeneration. 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.379 Beginning this verse, much like the Apostle Paul 00:03:32.379 --> 00:03:37.039 begins Ephesians, Peter says, blessed be God 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:43.379 who has caused us to be born again to a living 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:47.580 hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:55.389 from the dead. and five important words, by His 00:03:55.389 --> 00:04:00.650 abundant mercy He has done that. Not because 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:04.389 we have deserved it, but because He is a merciful 00:04:04.389 --> 00:04:08.689 God. What does it mean to be born again or to 00:04:08.689 --> 00:04:13.449 be regenerated? The Greek word regeneration is 00:04:13.449 --> 00:04:16.110 found actually only two times in the New Testament. 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:20.800 It is found once in Matthew chapter 19 verse 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:23.759 28 where it is used in conjunction with the world 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.720 the physical world in the time of the Messiah 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:30.240 There is a sense in which the world will experience 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:35.319 a new birth a regeneration in that day When the 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:39.839 Messiah comes again It is used in a spiritual 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.139 sense as we're thinking of it this morning however 00:04:42.139 --> 00:04:45.819 in Titus 3 in verse 5 where the apostle writes 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:50.430 of the washing of of regeneration and renewing 00:04:50.430 --> 00:04:55.610 by the Holy Spirit. Dr. Millard Erickson who 00:04:55.610 --> 00:04:59.910 teaches at Bethel Seminary up the road says regarding 00:04:59.910 --> 00:05:04.490 regeneration it is the communication of divine 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:08.769 life to the soul as the impartation of a new 00:05:08.769 --> 00:05:14.410 nature or heart and the production of a new creation. 00:05:15.850 --> 00:05:20.769 In other words, regeneration is very simply God 00:05:20.769 --> 00:05:29.470 imparting new life to a person. It's not exactly 00:05:29.470 --> 00:05:34.250 the same as resurrection, but it's similar to 00:05:34.250 --> 00:05:40.769 that. A better analogy would be birth, as we 00:05:40.769 --> 00:05:45.399 are born once into the physical world, So we 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:49.600 have need of and can experience a second birth, 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:56.180 a supernatural birth or regeneration. It is the 00:05:56.180 --> 00:06:02.879 granting of new life by God in the Spirit. Jesus 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:05.579 talked about it in John 3 when he spoke with 00:06:05.579 --> 00:06:10.240 Nicodemus. He said you must be born from above. 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:15.379 And went on to tell him, that he must be born 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:22.600 of the Spirit as well as of the flesh. Peter 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:26.000 here in our text speaks of it as being born again. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:30.240 And again in verse 23 of this first chapter he 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:34.360 speaks of us being born again by an incorruptible 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:40.360 seed, he says, even the Word of God. One of the 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:43.519 professors that I had in Bible school was Dr. 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:50.379 Charles Horn. Dr. Horn was a gifted intellect, 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:53.980 so gifted that I only took him for one course, 00:06:54.000 --> 00:07:00.800 I was afraid I might flunk out. Dr. Horn taught 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:05.699 theology. God took him home in an early death 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:11.680 from cancer. But Dr. Horn, in his writings, left 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:17.060 behind a little chart that summarizes the contrast 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:20.319 between the first birth and the second birth. 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:23.720 I'd like to just give that to you quickly. The 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.279 contrast between the first birth and the second 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:29.819 birth. In the first place, there's a contrast 00:07:29.819 --> 00:07:33.959 of origin. The first birth originated with parents, 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:40.189 human parents. Our mothers and fathers. The second 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:44.269 birth originates with God. It is He who caused 00:07:44.269 --> 00:07:46.769 us to be born again according to His abundant 00:07:46.769 --> 00:07:51.209 mercy. There is the contrast secondly of means. 00:07:52.389 --> 00:07:55.170 The first birth came through a corruptible seed. 00:07:57.230 --> 00:08:00.569 The second birth comes through an incorruptible 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:05.250 seed. The Word of God that lives and abides forever. 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:11.879 A third contrast is in the nature of it. The 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:17.040 first birth was of the flesh, physical, carnal. 00:08:18.660 --> 00:08:21.699 The second birth, however, is of the spirit, 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:28.660 capital S, and is a spiritual life. There's a 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:31.160 contrast fourthly in the realm of existence. 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:34.679 The first birth brought me into the realm of 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:38.870 Satan's slavery. But the second birth brings 00:08:38.870 --> 00:08:43.490 me into the realm of Christ's freedom, so that 00:08:43.490 --> 00:08:47.629 I am no longer a slave of Satan, but I am Christ's 00:08:47.629 --> 00:08:52.570 free man. And finally, there is the contrast 00:08:52.570 --> 00:08:58.529 of position before God. The first birth caused 00:08:58.529 --> 00:09:02.350 me to be an object of divine wrath because of 00:09:02.350 --> 00:09:06.350 my sin. But the second birth causes me to be 00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:11.429 an object of divine love. And upon these objects 00:09:11.429 --> 00:09:14.690 of divine love, God will throughout eternity 00:09:14.690 --> 00:09:20.110 continue to show his kindness through Jesus Christ. 00:09:22.669 --> 00:09:27.009 As someone has said, it is possible to be born 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:33.870 once only, but you will die twice. die physically 00:09:33.870 --> 00:09:38.549 and die spiritually in hell forever. Or it is 00:09:38.549 --> 00:09:42.909 possible to be born twice and thus only have 00:09:42.909 --> 00:09:47.009 to die once and that's physically. For the new 00:09:47.009 --> 00:09:52.309 birth delivers us from death. We have already 00:09:52.309 --> 00:09:56.970 passed from death into life when we place our 00:09:56.970 --> 00:10:01.450 faith in Jesus Christ. Regeneration or the giving 00:10:01.450 --> 00:10:04.090 of this life is solely the work of God. There 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:07.450 is nothing that you and I can do to merit it. 00:10:08.110 --> 00:10:11.870 He instantaneously gives it to us, gives life 00:10:11.870 --> 00:10:18.710 to us, as an act of divine grace. Chronologically, 00:10:19.610 --> 00:10:23.350 this act of giving us life occurs at the same 00:10:23.350 --> 00:10:28.500 instant that we place our faith in Christ. Being 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:31.580 born again and believing on Christ are two different 00:10:31.580 --> 00:10:33.500 things. They're distinct from each other, but 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:38.519 they occur simultaneously. But on the other hand, 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:43.820 logically speaking, logically speaking, regeneration 00:10:43.820 --> 00:10:48.559 has to come before faith. Why is that? Because 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:52.360 the heart that is dead in trespasses and sins 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:56.940 cannot respond to God until it is given life. 00:10:58.180 --> 00:11:01.480 Logically speaking, God gives us life in Jesus 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:05.059 Christ, and as a result of that spark of life, 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:09.720 we believe in the Son of God and the saving of 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:14.080 our souls. Apart from the bestowing of this life, 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:18.679 the dead and sinful heart of the sinner would 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:23.039 not and could not respond to the command to believe 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:27.350 in Jesus Christ. And so you see it is completely 00:11:27.350 --> 00:11:31.389 a work of God's grace. There is nothing that 00:11:31.389 --> 00:11:36.090 we do to merit or earn it. We do not initiate 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:39.610 it. It is God who causes us to be born again, 00:11:40.230 --> 00:11:44.409 to be regenerated to this living hope that we 00:11:44.409 --> 00:11:49.289 have in Christ. Now that's the meaning of regeneration, 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:51.809 this good gift of God, but I want to move ahead 00:11:51.809 --> 00:11:55.779 this morning to talk more about the implications 00:11:55.779 --> 00:12:00.399 of regeneration. Because when you and I understand 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:02.879 what this gift is from God, it doesn't leave 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:10.759 us the same. It makes us to understand a new 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:14.559 sense of destiny, a new sense of hope and purpose, 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:21.639 a new sense of responsibility. Those who have 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:27.419 been regenerated are Christians. Christians thus 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:34.179 have a new life and a new nature. By the word 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:36.519 nature, I'm talking about who we essentially 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:41.480 are, our essential being. Because we have been 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:45.580 born again, we have new life. We have a new nature. 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:49.730 Thus we are commanded to put on the new man which 00:12:49.730 --> 00:12:53.289 after God or in the likeness of God is created 00:12:53.289 --> 00:13:00.169 in righteousness and true holiness. If any man 00:13:00.169 --> 00:13:03.269 be in Christ, old things have passed away in 00:13:03.269 --> 00:13:08.309 one act. They're done. The old is gone. And all 00:13:08.309 --> 00:13:14.830 things have become new. We are new creatures. 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:22.299 with new life, a new nature. Before we were saved, 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:25.139 we had a sinful nature which was inherited from 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:30.139 Adam. But now that we have trusted in Jesus Christ, 00:13:30.139 --> 00:13:34.059 having been regenerated, we have a holy nature 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:39.519 which is given to us through Christ. Regeneration, 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:44.049 you see, initiates transformation. The two cannot 00:13:44.049 --> 00:13:49.129 be separated. Regeneration initiates transformation. 00:13:52.330 --> 00:13:54.409 The story is told of an English clergyman who 00:13:54.409 --> 00:13:58.409 was visiting a century ago in the South Sea Islands 00:13:58.409 --> 00:14:02.470 in a mission field. He was very impressed by 00:14:02.470 --> 00:14:07.950 the spiritual concern of the students, by the 00:14:07.950 --> 00:14:11.049 art that decorated their buildings, even by their 00:14:11.049 --> 00:14:15.350 personal hygiene. which was in such sharp contrast 00:14:15.350 --> 00:14:20.210 to the culture on that island. The highlight 00:14:20.210 --> 00:14:22.370 of the trip, however, for him occurred as he 00:14:22.370 --> 00:14:24.730 was getting back on his ship to return to England. 00:14:25.750 --> 00:14:28.610 The girls from the school lined up in two rows 00:14:28.610 --> 00:14:33.210 and as he walked on the ship, they enthusiastically 00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:38.289 sang, what a wonderful change in my life has 00:14:38.289 --> 00:14:42.899 been wrought since Jesus. came into my heart. 00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:47.580 The clergyman was deeply touched as he heard 00:14:47.580 --> 00:14:50.600 these words and saw the evidence in their lives. 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:53.899 And then one of the mission leaders whispered 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:57.460 in his ear, I want you to know that every one 00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:00.639 of those girls singing out there is either the 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:03.679 daughter or the granddaughter of a cannibal. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:10.600 You see, regeneration brings transformation. 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:15.799 A new nature, a new life. What does that involve? 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:21.039 Well, at least three things. It involves a mind 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:28.759 to know God, a heart to love God, and a will 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:34.399 to obey God. One who has not been born again 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:39.820 has none of those things. Only one who has received 00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:45.500 new life from Jesus Christ has a new nature, 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:51.059 a new life which involves a mind to know God, 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:57.500 a heart to love God, and a will to obey God. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.840 Now it's not that Christians don't struggle with 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:04.679 sin because all of us know better than that. 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:10.980 We have a new nature and a new life, but we still 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:16.779 face temptation. We still struggle with sin that 00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:19.460 dwells in our mortal beings. Paul writes about 00:16:19.460 --> 00:16:24.659 it very transparently in Romans chapter 7. Even 00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:29.120 he, the great apostle, struggled with sin inside 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:33.940 of himself as a new creature in Christ. He says, 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:36.259 where is the victory? And then he says, it is 00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:38.700 through Jesus Christ. And then in chapter 8, 00:16:38.980 --> 00:16:41.039 he goes on to talk more about it, living in the 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:46.720 life of the Spirit. Christians struggle with 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:51.299 sin. Christians have a fight with Satan. Christians 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:54.480 face the snares of the world around us. But Christians 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:58.240 are different because we've been given a new 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:02.720 life and a new nature. It is said that the great 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:07.579 Saint Augustine, when he was still without God 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:12.839 and without hope, a pagan, was convicted of his 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:17.660 sin by Paul's words in Romans 13 and 14 where 00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:22.440 he says, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:26.279 make not provision for the flesh to fulfill its 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:32.839 lusts. Augustine was a man who was consumed with 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:38.240 his lusts. It was that verse that God caused 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:42.059 to be planted in his heart as an incorruptible 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:47.720 seed and it brought forth new life and Augustine 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:51.319 believed in Jesus Christ and received new life 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:57.150 and a new nature. Sometime later in his work, 00:17:57.210 --> 00:18:01.250 he was caused to go back to the old haunts in 00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:07.089 Rome where he had lived before and carried out 00:18:07.089 --> 00:18:11.990 his activity before. As he walked along the road, 00:18:13.569 --> 00:18:16.990 a former companion saw him and said, Augustine, 00:18:17.069 --> 00:18:21.809 Augustine, it is I. He turned to look and there 00:18:21.809 --> 00:18:24.730 was a woman, a disrepute that he had in fact 00:18:24.730 --> 00:18:28.319 known before. and whose company he had enjoyed. 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:32.359 A shudder went through his body as he looked 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:37.339 at her. And reminding himself of his new position 00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:41.500 in Jesus Christ, he turned and ran and shouted 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:45.720 over his shoulder, It is not I! It is not I! 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:52.559 What did he mean by that? Was he denying that 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:57.140 it was Augustine? No. But it wasn't the same 00:18:57.140 --> 00:19:02.940 Augustine that she had known. That's what the 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:07.519 apostle means in Galatians when he says, I am 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:11.619 crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:21.579 live, the old I. Augustine recognized that he 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:25.180 was a new man, a new creature in Jesus Christ. 00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:30.720 Some of us would do well to practice what Augustine 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:36.640 did, to flee temptation, shouting over our shoulders, 00:19:36.900 --> 00:19:41.900 it is no longer the old I. I'm a new person. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:49.140 None of us is perfect. Thank God that he understands 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:51.640 and is quite aware of the fact that we are in 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:57.059 a process in this world. The truth is that every 00:19:57.059 --> 00:20:00.019 one of us, every one of us this morning is in 00:20:00.019 --> 00:20:03.640 a battle. A battle with sin, with Satan, with 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:07.400 the world. And there are times that we walk in 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:10.519 victory and there are other times when we are 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:15.180 defeated. But the fact is that in Jesus Christ 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:19.500 we are new creatures. And when we are defeated, 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.559 because of our newness, we confess our sins. 00:20:25.029 --> 00:20:27.690 We get up and we walk on in the direction that 00:20:27.690 --> 00:20:32.369 God is leading. That brings me to a second implication 00:20:32.369 --> 00:20:35.809 of regeneration. The first is that as Christians 00:20:35.809 --> 00:20:39.509 we have a new nature, a new life. But the second 00:20:39.509 --> 00:20:44.049 is that we also have a new destiny. Peter speaks 00:20:44.049 --> 00:20:46.029 of it here in our text when he says that we are 00:20:46.029 --> 00:20:51.029 born again to a living hope, which he describes 00:20:51.029 --> 00:20:56.289 as an inheritance that we've obtained. An inheritance 00:20:56.289 --> 00:21:00.089 that is being reserved in heaven for us. What 00:21:00.089 --> 00:21:03.549 does he mean? Well, he has more in mind than 00:21:03.549 --> 00:21:08.130 our reward for our service. That may be part 00:21:08.130 --> 00:21:12.049 of it. But what he really has in mind here is 00:21:12.049 --> 00:21:18.269 the final culmination of our salvation. That 00:21:18.269 --> 00:21:21.730 final step of glory when we will be transformed 00:21:21.730 --> 00:21:24.710 into the very likeness of Christ in every respect. 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:30.160 That is being reserved for us who are being shielded, 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:32.839 I think is how the text read this morning as 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:35.000 it was read earlier in the service, and I like 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:38.779 that. Who are being shielded by the power of 00:21:38.779 --> 00:21:43.779 God until that day that we arrive home to receive 00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:48.680 that inheritance. We have a new destiny. Before 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:53.019 our destiny was hell. The destiny of all those. 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:57.059 who are separated from God and who have never 00:21:57.059 --> 00:22:02.480 been born from above. But having been born again 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:05.660 or regenerated by the grace and mercy of God, 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:09.880 we have a new destiny, the destiny of heaven, 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:14.460 eternal life, and being like Christ. I hope that's 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:18.220 a destiny that you share with us this morning. 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:23.769 But a third implication must be addressed It's 00:22:23.769 --> 00:22:26.170 the implication that is found in 2 Corinthians 00:22:26.170 --> 00:22:29.029 5, and I invite you to turn to that text with 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:33.529 me, where the apostle speaks of us as new creatures 00:22:33.529 --> 00:22:37.910 in Christ. And he goes ahead immediately to tell 00:22:37.910 --> 00:22:46.410 us the implications of that. Christians have 00:22:46.410 --> 00:22:50.089 a new life and nature. Christians have a new 00:22:50.089 --> 00:22:55.740 destiny. And Christians have a new mission in 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:59.799 the world. We have been given a purpose that 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.480 is almost unbelievable if God himself hadn't 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:06.640 said it. Verse 17 is the verse that speaks of 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:10.180 our newness. And then he goes on to say, now 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:13.099 all these things are from God who reconciled 00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:17.319 us to himself through Christ and gave us the 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:21.349 ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God 00:23:21.349 --> 00:23:24.049 was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, 00:23:24.349 --> 00:23:27.990 not counting their trespasses against them, and 00:23:27.990 --> 00:23:32.710 he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 00:23:34.150 --> 00:23:38.529 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. What 00:23:38.529 --> 00:23:41.329 does that mean? Well, it's as though God were 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:45.640 entreating through us. And so he writes to the 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:48.880 Corinthians, we beg you on behalf of Christ be 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:51.759 reconciled to God. Ladies and gentlemen, I say 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:54.200 to you today that that is our mission in the 00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:58.819 world right there. We have been regenerated as 00:23:58.819 --> 00:24:02.740 a people for God. That we might be the ambassadors 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:08.779 of Jesus Christ in our world. That we might stand 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:12.359 in the place as it were of Christ himself begging 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:17.559 men and women around us to come to God, to be 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:22.599 reconciled to God, for he was in Christ when 00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:27.380 Christ died for our sins and reconciliation to 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:31.460 him is possible. And you and I have that word, 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:36.500 that message to declare to others. What a wonderful 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:40.299 thing God has done for us in causing us to be 00:24:40.299 --> 00:24:44.619 born again. What a gift this is for ourselves 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:49.740 to have new life, to have a new nature, to have 00:24:49.740 --> 00:24:54.240 a hope that is alive because of Christ's resurrection, 00:24:55.980 --> 00:24:58.640 to have a mission and a purpose in this world 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:01.359 that goes beyond the time card that we punch 00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:05.230 on Mondays. that goes beyond the things that 00:25:05.230 --> 00:25:09.269 we schedule to do in our routines of life. A 00:25:09.269 --> 00:25:12.289 mission that invades every day of our lives, 00:25:12.589 --> 00:25:15.809 every place that we go, everything that we do. 00:25:17.009 --> 00:25:21.190 A mission that calls for fulfillment. A mission 00:25:21.190 --> 00:25:31.309 to speak to others about Christ. We no longer 00:25:31.549 --> 00:25:36.470 may live for ourselves. We must live for our 00:25:36.470 --> 00:25:41.930 Savior as His ambassadors. If you're a child 00:25:41.930 --> 00:25:44.369 of God, I hope today you will thank God for this 00:25:44.369 --> 00:25:50.670 gift, which has transformed who you are, where 00:25:50.670 --> 00:25:54.809 you're going, what you're doing in the world. 00:25:58.210 --> 00:26:02.390 But may I ask, are you a child of God? Have you 00:26:02.390 --> 00:26:04.970 experienced this birth from above that we've 00:26:04.970 --> 00:26:11.269 talked about? George Whitefield Great preacher 00:26:11.269 --> 00:26:14.470 revivalist of another century at the age of 16 00:26:14.470 --> 00:26:19.269 Became deeply convicted of his sin So he tried 00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:21.410 everything he could think of as a young teenager 00:26:21.410 --> 00:26:26.549 to erase his sin He himself wrote about those 00:26:26.549 --> 00:26:31.859 days. He said I fasted for 36 hours, twice a 00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:38.160 week. That's how serious he was. I prayed formal 00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:42.039 prayers several times a day and almost starved 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:45.440 myself to death during Lent, but only felt more 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:50.000 miserable. Then, by God's grace, I met Charles 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.099 Wesley, who put a book in my hand which showed 00:26:53.099 --> 00:26:56.299 me from the Scriptures that I must be born again. 00:26:56.839 --> 00:27:02.960 or be eternally lost. God's work came to culmination 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:05.539 in his heart, and believing those words in John 00:27:05.539 --> 00:27:09.779 chapter 3, Whitefield was born again. And during 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:12.900 his ministry, at least a thousand times he preached 00:27:12.900 --> 00:27:19.140 on that text, ye must be born again. Dear friend, 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:23.740 you must be born again, whoever you are. By our 00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:30.220 natural birth, We are born into sin and spiritual 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:35.400 death which is separation from God By the new 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:40.140 birth we are born into a relationship with God 00:27:40.140 --> 00:27:47.119 Which will last for all of eternity And if you 00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:49.500 are a child of God and you've experienced that 00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:53.609 new birth, how do you think that that? gift from 00:27:53.609 --> 00:27:58.589 God is going to affect you this week? Will it 00:27:58.589 --> 00:28:02.670 make you more compassionate for sinners? Sometimes 00:28:02.670 --> 00:28:05.130 we get so upset with sinners because they sin. 00:28:06.690 --> 00:28:11.549 What do we expect sinners to do? How do you expect 00:28:11.549 --> 00:28:13.809 your boss who's not a Christian to treat you? 00:28:16.609 --> 00:28:25.099 How do you expect that neighbor to live? Will 00:28:25.099 --> 00:28:27.079 it make you more compassionate with sinners to 00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:29.380 recognize that they're in spiritual death and 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:34.240 separated from God? Will it give you more compassion 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:39.640 for them to witness to them? I hope it will. 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:43.700 And I hope that you will ask God to use you this 00:28:43.700 --> 00:28:46.660 week to be an implanter of incorruptible seed 00:28:46.660 --> 00:28:49.900 in the hearts of other people that by the work 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:52.619 of the Spirit through that seed that you would 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:56.819 plant. someone else might be born again to new 00:28:56.819 --> 00:29:00.940 life in Christ. That's our mission. Let's go 00:29:00.940 --> 00:29:04.960 after it this week. Let's bow our heads, and 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:11.559 would you stand with me please? As we close the 00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:18.460 service, would you say in your heart, God, I 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:23.240 would be an ambassador of the Good News? Lord, 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:29.279 bring across my path this week people that need 00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:34.779 and are prepared for the word of reconciliation. 00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:38.680 Would you pray that? Just where you are in your 00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:42.220 heart. And then ask God to give you the courage 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:47.180 to speak that word, to plant that word of testimony, 00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:54.329 that word from God. Father, I pray that we will 00:29:54.329 --> 00:29:58.849 be good ambassadors of Jesus Christ, standing 00:29:58.849 --> 00:30:04.369 in His place in the offices, in the homes, in 00:30:04.369 --> 00:30:09.329 the marketplaces where we do our business. As 00:30:09.329 --> 00:30:14.430 ambassadors of this wonderful gospel, may we 00:30:14.430 --> 00:30:16.710 share it with others who also need to be born 00:30:16.710 --> 00:30:21.920 again. God, give us compassion. as people who 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:27.460 are the objects of mercy for those who are still 00:30:27.460 --> 00:30:32.140 in spiritual death. May we walk this week in 00:30:32.140 --> 00:30:34.940 the joy of our life in Christ and in the victory 00:30:34.940 --> 00:30:41.180 that that life brings us in Him. Let's sing together 00:30:41.180 --> 00:30:47.269 this chorus as our closing prayer. Seek ye first 00:30:47.269 --> 00:31:00.789 the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and 00:31:00.789 --> 00:31:16.599 all these things shall be added unto you. Amen. 00:31:16.859 --> 00:31:19.440 Be about the kingdom's work this week, ambassadors 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:21.839 of God. Amen.