 It still amazes me that preachers and teachers still misunderstand this. Make mistakes on is John 3. Jesus is speaking about something very important. It's the heart of the entire matter of the book of the Bible, all of it. And yet still people still misunderstand it. So let's go to it real briefly and then let's give a background story to see what Jesus is trying to convey. And I think you're going to see how easy and how obvious it is what God is trying to convey to us. So in John 3 here we see verse one Nicodemus the Pharisee comes to Jesus and he says this man came to Jesus verse two by night and said to him Rabbi we know that you come from God as a teacher. Now who's the we obviously he and other Pharisees indicating that they know full well that he is of God that his power comes from God that he is and eventually going to even realize that he is God. He tells Jesus that we know that because no one can do these signs unless God is with him. And so Jesus says truly truly I said he that unless one is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Now it seems odd that Jesus would take what he says and then turn around and make this statement as though the two don't really go together but they do because Jesus is trying to make the greater point understand or try to get him to understand why he actually does the things that he does. And so what people kind of mess up on is this understanding of what it means to be born again. It does not mean to be saved that it's not what Jesus just said born again does not mean being saved however it is the first step in being saved. Notice how he puts the chronology that unless one is born again he cannot answer there's a chronology first be born again secondly then the person can enter or see the kingdom of God. Now Nicodemus is thoroughly confused Nicodemus is thinking that Jesus is saying that you have to be born a second time. Notice what he says he says how can a man be born when he is old how can he enter into a second time into his mother's womb and Jesus says no that's not what I'm talking about. He says verse five unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. And here in lives the problem because there are those that are just completely missing not just the theme of what's being spoken of and why Jesus is actually saying this but really literally the theme of the entire Bible. Guys this is vitally important that we get this this is not a new concept that Jesus is introducing this is not the first time that this has been spoken of or heard of in the Bible we may have forgotten about it or overlooked it or just didn't pay attention to it what have you but this needs to be dealt with Jesus is not. Let me say what he again as clear as I can he is not speaking about water baptism that is not in play here the concept of it is not being talked about here that's not his point anywhere in this chapter nor is he speaking of being born of a woman some mistake that this being born of water refers to being born of or through the the imbiotic fluids of a woman no that is not what's at play here either that's not even brought up he says unless one is born of water and spirit this is what we call exegetical in the Greek where we separate two words from a chi or the and mean that they're stating the same thing it's really two ways of saying the same thing and so a person is born of water and the spirit you must be born of water and the spirit in order to the end of the kingdom of God well he just called it before that he called that being born again so being born again is the same as being born of water and spirit and Jesus is going to get on Nicodemus so to speak because Nicodemus should know these things that Jesus calls this being born again being born of water in the spirit and being born of spirit we're going to come back to this again but notice what he says to Nicodemus he says to him in verse 10 he says Jesus answered him and said are you a teacher of Israel and do not understand these things therein lies the problem and the truth be told those who want to teach the bible be a pastor teacher preacher what have you and don't get this you are failing in a fundamental understanding of the scriptures why is that because this issue that Jesus is talking about is an old issue this is an issue that's being that's been plaguing man from the very beginning after the fall the bible tells us something about the heart and this is what Jesus is getting to he said the bible tells in in Jeremiah 17 9 the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick or some of us may say desperately wicked so what's the problem with mankind the heart be it a Jew be it a Gentile whoever it is young old wealthy poor male female our heart is the issue how do we know so well in Deuteronomy 10 16 before they're getting ready to go into the land God has already told them that they're going to be taken out of the land because of their sin their heart hardness their stiff neck it's going to cause them to be taken out of the land they brought back but God tells them in Deuteronomy 10 16 he says so circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer so God tells them to circumcise their heart but we've got a problem they don't they can't or at least they can't do so consistently their heart is the issue the heart is the problem above all else it is wicked desperately sick as we're told so what is God's remedy God states that in Deuteronomy 30 not even after the book is written before the book can be written God comes back and tells them through through Moses moreover the Lord your God verse 6 of chapter 30 the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants why here's the reason why to do what to love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live where have we heard that before if we're just reading the New Testament well the question was asked of Jesus what's the greatest command he says that you would love your God the Lord your God with all your heart with all your mind with all your soul now by the way the word for heart in the Greek as well as a Hebrew Levov or Lev or in the Greek cardiac it's not necessarily referring to it now it can also refer to the actual heart organ it can but in many cases especially in this case it's speaking of the mind the whole the whole internal process that you go through just who you are your being so it refers to we call it the heart but it's just kind of you right and so you should love him with all of you with your heart and don't go ahead and use heart because that's the issue with mankind we've got a bad heart and our heart wants to do what it wants to do our heart wants to serve our needs and when we get in trouble our heart calls out to God to fix the trouble just so we can go back and do what we want to do but that's the issue so God says that I will circumcise your heart I'm asking you to do it but you're not going to be able to do it and so God says that what he's going to do is in the future he is going to circumcise their heart and he even tells the reason why now though we're speaking of just Israel we're going to find out that it's not just Israel whose heart he is going to deal with and so he brings us up also in Ezekiel 11 chapter 19 he says and I will give them one heart to speak of Israel and put a new spirit within them and I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk why is it why it's gonna happen he's stating that they or so that they may walk in my statues and keep my ordinances and to do them then they will be my people and I shall be their God so what is he doing this for to keep them to be obedient to walk after him to obey him to keep his ordinances and statues that's the problem that was a problem from the beginning that was a problem then and that is the problem now be Jew or Gentile will deal with the Gentile portion in a second because yes he is speaking to the Jews in Israel but it's going to apply to more than just them notice what he also says in later on in Ezekiel 36 he says then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean now by the way in John 3 we see the two elements water and spirit what are we going to see here in Ezekiel and throughout the old test we're going to see the same two elements show up water and spirit then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean is he speaking about actual physical water no he's not he's not going to put physical water on them in their heart but he's speaking of what the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit oftentimes will be identified as water synonymous with water how do we know so in John 4 he speaks to the woman the well about this well spring of living water coming up in you and so the same thing is is iterated first here in the old testament here he says I will sprinkle you with clean water and you will be clean and I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols moreover I will give you a new heart and put my and put a new spirit within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh and so what is he saying he's using these two elements that we see in John 3 water and spirit because they are synonymous they're they're used ep exegetically in John 3 where does that come from in is I mean in Ezekiel verse 27 I will put my spirit within you and do what cause you to walk in my statues and you will be careful to observe my ordinances which is what he stated in Deuteronomy which is what he stated earlier in an earlier part of Ezekiel so this is God stating what he is going to do as a matter of fact that's not the only place that he states that as well in Jeremiah 31 we have the promise of the new covenant to Israel notice what he says behold days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not like the covenant that I made with their fathers in that day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt my covenant which they broke although I was a husband to them declares the Lord but this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the Lord look what he says I will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it and I will be their God and they shall be my people so he's reiterating this to them again he is telling them that they are going to he's going to put his spirit in them and I will be their God he says to them and they will be my people and they won't have there won't be any more concern about them walking after him and obeying him now he makes this statement obviously about Israel the question is does it refer also to the Gentiles well before we go to discover that it's also includes with the Gentiles let's go back to John 3 this is why he says you a teacher of Israel don't understand these things why what is Jesus's whole point in John 3 well John 3 covers the world's most famous passage John 3 16 what's the issue so God is going to show his love in this way that he's going to give his only begotten the only one of his kind his son to those who are believing in order that the believing ones in him shall not perish the issue with the believing ones how do you become a believing one and he uses the present active participle the ing those that have entered into a state of continual believing those people shall never perish how do you get to become a believing one well the heart remember in Luke 8 Jesus talks about the parable of the sower and the soils he states that the seed is the word of God and different people can hear it he even states that there are those that believe but then stop believing but those whose seeds fell on good soil what's the soil that is the heart as he explains they have to receive it with a good heart where does the good heart come from this is what Jesus is talking about in John 3 this is what God was speaking of in Deuteronomy this is what he was speaking of in Ezekiel in Jeremiah in other parts of the Old Testament the heart needs to be fixed first to sow good seed on bad soil does no good and that's the problem the seed is good the word of God is good it's just the soil and he's asked us to fix our heart but we cannot that's why he said in order to first see the kingdom of God the first that's happening is you have to be born from above the word it's getting at the end of them which means to be born from above you have to be born of the spirit is that something that you can do no you cannot initiate this this is of God how do we know so he says in verse 7 do not be amazed that I said that you must be born again and at the end of them born from above and we know it's not being born a second time so the only other option is to be born from above don't be amazed I said that why because the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but you don't know where it's coming from or where it's going so it is of everyone who is born of the spirit so now just like you don't know where it's coming from where it's going so too is those are those who are born of from above you don't know where it's going to who is going to be that is an act of God that is not an act that you do you don't make yourself to be born you don't cause yourself to be born we'll deal with that in a second but this is clearly a work of God how do we know because what was the what were the predecessors versus regarding this that Jesus says you a teacher of Israel should know this in Ezekiel in Jeremiah and do right all these are the pastors in the Old Testament that a teacher of Israel should know even more so that a teacher of the Bible today that has the entire word of God on display that you should know also and so if you're teaching this and you don't know this you need to know this do not teach people this whole process of being born again without understanding this this passage didn't just pop up out of thin air there's a reason why Jesus rebukes Nicodemus for not knowing this he's a teacher of Israel you're supposed to know this how because it was already written and so any teacher should know this now he makes a statement uh at the latter part of verse eight he says so it is of everyone who is born of the spirit and this word for everyone so it is um past ha gege name and us those who are have been born so past all the all the ones that have been born of ectus anumatus ex who have been born out of or from or of the spirit so everyone so it is of everyone who is born of the spirit the past includes who is it just the Jews or does it include Jews and Gentiles well it it includes everyone who was born which is why it makes a statement everyone in chapter one verse 12 he says but as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God even to those even to those who believe this is the those who are believing this is a present active part of i'm sorry this is a present yet present active part of simple so these are those who are believing in his name look what he says who were born not of the blood of not of blood nor of the will of flesh nor of the will of man but of God now this but of God i want you to notice how it's written over here out ex feu agonite the son which is but of God they were born so you were born of God the will of God is how you're born not of yourself you did not cause yourself to be born again God does so Peter stays so in first Peter 1 3 says bless it be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again he has caused us to be born again and it's made of those two words that's made of two words Anna and then Genomai the Genomai we've been seeing before the genothe best to be born but the Anna is up from above so being born above or again so it's up-burning again it's kind of a rough way of putting it but so that you can kind of understand what's being said so this Anna Genesis which is to be born again God caused us to be born again this is why this is why Paul makes a statement in Titus 3 5 he says he saved us not on the basis of what we did you didn't do it he did it which we have which we have done in righteousness he didn't save us based on that but according to his mercy how so by the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit this word regeneration is two words Palin genesis genosias which is genesis has come from the same word which is genomai to be born and then Palin again so by us being born again so this word regeneration refers to being born again and we've been told that God is the one that caused it why is that important why is this of utmost importance because our salvation is predicated on that your heart is the issue you can't fix it try as you might try as you hope to you matter of fact even if you hope to after a while you'll stop you'll stop hoping for your heart to be changed but it's God who does that work in you first to give you the ability to continuously believe that's why he refers to us as the believing ones and now John 3 16 makes even more sense he died in order that the believing ones in him would never ever ever perish and that my friends is the beauty and the importance of that passage that entire passage or a string passage in John 3 to know that one is God that's done this work you have this confidence that you will never ever ever perish because you are believing in him and what causes you to be the believing God's work in you amen