Would you open your Bible with me please to 1
Peter chapter 1 where we come to our theme for
today in this text of the Word of God. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has caused us to be born again. Can you recall
your first experience with death as a child perhaps?
I can well remember mine as a child. It left
me with a lot of questions, including, what does
it mean to die? The Bible in James chapter 2
gives us a definition of death. In verse 26 of
that chapter it says, the body without the spirit
is dead. So what is death, physical death? It
is the separation of the immaterial part of a
person from the material part. It does not mean
that that person no longer exists, but there
is rather a separation of the material from the
immaterial. The body without the spirit is dead.
And it is signified in the physical brain by
the absence of activity that can be in some way
measured there. It is signified by a lack of
response in the body to stimuli. There is another
kind of death which the Bible tells us about
called spiritual death. It too is separation.
It is spiritual separation from God, the creator
and the source of all life. It is a separation
that is the result of sin in the hearts of human
beings. It is quite possible for one to be physically
alive and yet to be spiritually dead or separated
from God. Spiritual death, like physical death,
is recognized by lack of response. a lack of
a positive response toward God, giving Him glory
and honor. It is characterized by an active or
passive rebellion against God and a search, how
be it in the wrong direction, for spiritual satisfaction.
Just as physical death can be observed, So may
spiritual death. One of God's good gifts to us
who trust Jesus Christ is the gift of regeneration.
By regeneration, God gives us life in Jesus Christ
so that we are no longer dead toward him, but
rather alive. And our yearning and search for
spiritual completion is over because of regeneration.
Beginning this verse, much like the Apostle Paul
begins Ephesians, Peter says, blessed be God
who has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead. and five important words, by His
abundant mercy He has done that. Not because
we have deserved it, but because He is a merciful
God. What does it mean to be born again or to
be regenerated? The Greek word regeneration is
found actually only two times in the New Testament.
It is found once in Matthew chapter 19 verse
28 where it is used in conjunction with the world
the physical world in the time of the Messiah
There is a sense in which the world will experience
a new birth a regeneration in that day When the
Messiah comes again It is used in a spiritual
sense as we're thinking of it this morning however
in Titus 3 in verse 5 where the apostle writes
of the washing of of regeneration and renewing
by the Holy Spirit. Dr. Millard Erickson who
teaches at Bethel Seminary up the road says regarding
regeneration it is the communication of divine
life to the soul as the impartation of a new
nature or heart and the production of a new creation.
In other words, regeneration is very simply God
imparting new life to a person. It's not exactly
the same as resurrection, but it's similar to
that. A better analogy would be birth, as we
are born once into the physical world, So we
have need of and can experience a second birth,
a supernatural birth or regeneration. It is the
granting of new life by God in the Spirit. Jesus
talked about it in John 3 when he spoke with
Nicodemus. He said you must be born from above.
And went on to tell him, that he must be born
of the Spirit as well as of the flesh. Peter
here in our text speaks of it as being born again.
And again in verse 23 of this first chapter he
speaks of us being born again by an incorruptible
seed, he says, even the Word of God. One of the
professors that I had in Bible school was Dr.
Charles Horn. Dr. Horn was a gifted intellect,
so gifted that I only took him for one course,
I was afraid I might flunk out. Dr. Horn taught
theology. God took him home in an early death
from cancer. But Dr. Horn, in his writings, left
behind a little chart that summarizes the contrast
between the first birth and the second birth.
I'd like to just give that to you quickly. The
contrast between the first birth and the second
birth. In the first place, there's a contrast
of origin. The first birth originated with parents,
human parents. Our mothers and fathers. The second
birth originates with God. It is He who caused
us to be born again according to His abundant
mercy. There is the contrast secondly of means.
The first birth came through a corruptible seed.
The second birth comes through an incorruptible
seed. The Word of God that lives and abides forever.
A third contrast is in the nature of it. The
first birth was of the flesh, physical, carnal.
The second birth, however, is of the spirit,
capital S, and is a spiritual life. There's a
contrast fourthly in the realm of existence.
The first birth brought me into the realm of
Satan's slavery. But the second birth brings
me into the realm of Christ's freedom, so that
I am no longer a slave of Satan, but I am Christ's
free man. And finally, there is the contrast
of position before God. The first birth caused
me to be an object of divine wrath because of
my sin. But the second birth causes me to be
an object of divine love. And upon these objects
of divine love, God will throughout eternity
continue to show his kindness through Jesus Christ.
As someone has said, it is possible to be born
once only, but you will die twice. die physically
and die spiritually in hell forever. Or it is
possible to be born twice and thus only have
to die once and that's physically. For the new
birth delivers us from death. We have already
passed from death into life when we place our
faith in Jesus Christ. Regeneration or the giving
of this life is solely the work of God. There
is nothing that you and I can do to merit it.
He instantaneously gives it to us, gives life
to us, as an act of divine grace. Chronologically,
this act of giving us life occurs at the same
instant that we place our faith in Christ. Being
born again and believing on Christ are two different
things. They're distinct from each other, but
they occur simultaneously. But on the other hand,
logically speaking, logically speaking, regeneration
has to come before faith. Why is that? Because
the heart that is dead in trespasses and sins
cannot respond to God until it is given life.
Logically speaking, God gives us life in Jesus
Christ, and as a result of that spark of life,
we believe in the Son of God and the saving of
our souls. Apart from the bestowing of this life,
the dead and sinful heart of the sinner would
not and could not respond to the command to believe
in Jesus Christ. And so you see it is completely
a work of God's grace. There is nothing that
we do to merit or earn it. We do not initiate
it. It is God who causes us to be born again,
to be regenerated to this living hope that we
have in Christ. Now that's the meaning of regeneration,
this good gift of God, but I want to move ahead
this morning to talk more about the implications
of regeneration. Because when you and I understand
what this gift is from God, it doesn't leave
us the same. It makes us to understand a new
sense of destiny, a new sense of hope and purpose,
a new sense of responsibility. Those who have
been regenerated are Christians. Christians thus
have a new life and a new nature. By the word
nature, I'm talking about who we essentially
are, our essential being. Because we have been
born again, we have new life. We have a new nature.
Thus we are commanded to put on the new man which
after God or in the likeness of God is created
in righteousness and true holiness. If any man
be in Christ, old things have passed away in
one act. They're done. The old is gone. And all
things have become new. We are new creatures.
with new life, a new nature. Before we were saved,
we had a sinful nature which was inherited from
Adam. But now that we have trusted in Jesus Christ,
having been regenerated, we have a holy nature
which is given to us through Christ. Regeneration,
you see, initiates transformation. The two cannot
be separated. Regeneration initiates transformation.
The story is told of an English clergyman who
was visiting a century ago in the South Sea Islands
in a mission field. He was very impressed by
the spiritual concern of the students, by the
art that decorated their buildings, even by their
personal hygiene. which was in such sharp contrast
to the culture on that island. The highlight
of the trip, however, for him occurred as he
was getting back on his ship to return to England.
The girls from the school lined up in two rows
and as he walked on the ship, they enthusiastically
sang, what a wonderful change in my life has
been wrought since Jesus. came into my heart.
The clergyman was deeply touched as he heard
these words and saw the evidence in their lives.
And then one of the mission leaders whispered
in his ear, I want you to know that every one
of those girls singing out there is either the
daughter or the granddaughter of a cannibal.
You see, regeneration brings transformation.
A new nature, a new life. What does that involve?
Well, at least three things. It involves a mind
to know God, a heart to love God, and a will
to obey God. One who has not been born again
has none of those things. Only one who has received
new life from Jesus Christ has a new nature,
a new life which involves a mind to know God,
a heart to love God, and a will to obey God.
Now it's not that Christians don't struggle with
sin because all of us know better than that.
We have a new nature and a new life, but we still
face temptation. We still struggle with sin that
dwells in our mortal beings. Paul writes about
it very transparently in Romans chapter 7. Even
he, the great apostle, struggled with sin inside
of himself as a new creature in Christ. He says,
where is the victory? And then he says, it is
through Jesus Christ. And then in chapter 8,
he goes on to talk more about it, living in the
life of the Spirit. Christians struggle with
sin. Christians have a fight with Satan. Christians
face the snares of the world around us. But Christians
are different because we've been given a new
life and a new nature. It is said that the great
Saint Augustine, when he was still without God
and without hope, a pagan, was convicted of his
sin by Paul's words in Romans 13 and 14 where
he says, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and
make not provision for the flesh to fulfill its
lusts. Augustine was a man who was consumed with
his lusts. It was that verse that God caused
to be planted in his heart as an incorruptible
seed and it brought forth new life and Augustine
believed in Jesus Christ and received new life
and a new nature. Sometime later in his work,
he was caused to go back to the old haunts in
Rome where he had lived before and carried out
his activity before. As he walked along the road,
a former companion saw him and said, Augustine,
Augustine, it is I. He turned to look and there
was a woman, a disrepute that he had in fact
known before. and whose company he had enjoyed.
A shudder went through his body as he looked
at her. And reminding himself of his new position
in Jesus Christ, he turned and ran and shouted
over his shoulder, It is not I! It is not I!
What did he mean by that? Was he denying that
it was Augustine? No. But it wasn't the same
Augustine that she had known. That's what the
apostle means in Galatians when he says, I am
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who
live, the old I. Augustine recognized that he
was a new man, a new creature in Jesus Christ.
Some of us would do well to practice what Augustine
did, to flee temptation, shouting over our shoulders,
it is no longer the old I. I'm a new person.
None of us is perfect. Thank God that he understands
and is quite aware of the fact that we are in
a process in this world. The truth is that every
one of us, every one of us this morning is in
a battle. A battle with sin, with Satan, with
the world. And there are times that we walk in
victory and there are other times when we are
defeated. But the fact is that in Jesus Christ
we are new creatures. And when we are defeated,
because of our newness, we confess our sins.
We get up and we walk on in the direction that
God is leading. That brings me to a second implication
of regeneration. The first is that as Christians
we have a new nature, a new life. But the second
is that we also have a new destiny. Peter speaks
of it here in our text when he says that we are
born again to a living hope, which he describes
as an inheritance that we've obtained. An inheritance
that is being reserved in heaven for us. What
does he mean? Well, he has more in mind than
our reward for our service. That may be part
of it. But what he really has in mind here is
the final culmination of our salvation. That
final step of glory when we will be transformed
into the very likeness of Christ in every respect.
That is being reserved for us who are being shielded,
I think is how the text read this morning as
it was read earlier in the service, and I like
that. Who are being shielded by the power of
God until that day that we arrive home to receive
that inheritance. We have a new destiny. Before
our destiny was hell. The destiny of all those.
who are separated from God and who have never
been born from above. But having been born again
or regenerated by the grace and mercy of God,
we have a new destiny, the destiny of heaven,
eternal life, and being like Christ. I hope that's
a destiny that you share with us this morning.
But a third implication must be addressed It's
the implication that is found in 2 Corinthians
5, and I invite you to turn to that text with
me, where the apostle speaks of us as new creatures
in Christ. And he goes ahead immediately to tell
us the implications of that. Christians have
a new life and nature. Christians have a new
destiny. And Christians have a new mission in
the world. We have been given a purpose that
is almost unbelievable if God himself hadn't
said it. Verse 17 is the verse that speaks of
our newness. And then he goes on to say, now
all these things are from God who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself,
not counting their trespasses against them, and
he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. What
does that mean? Well, it's as though God were
entreating through us. And so he writes to the
Corinthians, we beg you on behalf of Christ be
reconciled to God. Ladies and gentlemen, I say
to you today that that is our mission in the
world right there. We have been regenerated as
a people for God. That we might be the ambassadors
of Jesus Christ in our world. That we might stand
in the place as it were of Christ himself begging
men and women around us to come to God, to be
reconciled to God, for he was in Christ when
Christ died for our sins and reconciliation to
him is possible. And you and I have that word,
that message to declare to others. What a wonderful
thing God has done for us in causing us to be
born again. What a gift this is for ourselves
to have new life, to have a new nature, to have
a hope that is alive because of Christ's resurrection,
to have a mission and a purpose in this world
that goes beyond the time card that we punch
on Mondays. that goes beyond the things that
we schedule to do in our routines of life. A
mission that invades every day of our lives,
every place that we go, everything that we do.
A mission that calls for fulfillment. A mission
to speak to others about Christ. We no longer
may live for ourselves. We must live for our
Savior as His ambassadors. If you're a child
of God, I hope today you will thank God for this
gift, which has transformed who you are, where
you're going, what you're doing in the world.
But may I ask, are you a child of God? Have you
experienced this birth from above that we've
talked about? George Whitefield Great preacher
revivalist of another century at the age of 16
Became deeply convicted of his sin So he tried
everything he could think of as a young teenager
to erase his sin He himself wrote about those
days. He said I fasted for 36 hours, twice a
week. That's how serious he was. I prayed formal
prayers several times a day and almost starved
myself to death during Lent, but only felt more
miserable. Then, by God's grace, I met Charles
Wesley, who put a book in my hand which showed
me from the Scriptures that I must be born again.
or be eternally lost. God's work came to culmination
in his heart, and believing those words in John
chapter 3, Whitefield was born again. And during
his ministry, at least a thousand times he preached
on that text, ye must be born again. Dear friend,
you must be born again, whoever you are. By our
natural birth, We are born into sin and spiritual
death which is separation from God By the new
birth we are born into a relationship with God
Which will last for all of eternity And if you
are a child of God and you've experienced that
new birth, how do you think that that? gift from
God is going to affect you this week? Will it
make you more compassionate for sinners? Sometimes
we get so upset with sinners because they sin.
What do we expect sinners to do? How do you expect
your boss who's not a Christian to treat you?
How do you expect that neighbor to live? Will
it make you more compassionate with sinners to
recognize that they're in spiritual death and
separated from God? Will it give you more compassion
for them to witness to them? I hope it will.
And I hope that you will ask God to use you this
week to be an implanter of incorruptible seed
in the hearts of other people that by the work
of the Spirit through that seed that you would
plant. someone else might be born again to new
life in Christ. That's our mission. Let's go
after it this week. Let's bow our heads, and
would you stand with me please? As we close the
service, would you say in your heart, God, I
would be an ambassador of the Good News? Lord,
bring across my path this week people that need
and are prepared for the word of reconciliation.
Would you pray that? Just where you are in your
heart. And then ask God to give you the courage
to speak that word, to plant that word of testimony,
that word from God. Father, I pray that we will
be good ambassadors of Jesus Christ, standing
in His place in the offices, in the homes, in
the marketplaces where we do our business. As
ambassadors of this wonderful gospel, may we
share it with others who also need to be born
again. God, give us compassion. as people who
are the objects of mercy for those who are still
in spiritual death. May we walk this week in
the joy of our life in Christ and in the victory
that that life brings us in Him. Let's sing together
this chorus as our closing prayer. Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added unto you. Amen.
Be about the kingdom's work this week, ambassadors
of God. Amen.