What if the title is not born again?
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22. Therefore you shall say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD, O house of Israel, I have not done this for you, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have defiled in the nations into which you have entered.
23. I will sanctify my great name, which you have profaned among the nations, and I will sanctify you in their sight, and the nations will know that I am the LORD, saith the Sovereign LORD.
24. I will take you out of the nations, gather you from the nations, and bring you to your homeland.
25. I will sprinkle you with clean water to cleanse you; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all idolatry.
26. And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove the heart of hardness from your flesh and give you a heart of softness.
27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my ordinances, and you shall keep my ordinances and do them.
28. You will dwell in the land I gave to your ancestors, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.
29. I will save you from all filthiness, and I will enrich you with grain, so that famine will not come upon you.
30. And I will make the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field abound, so that you will never again suffer the reproach of the famine from the nations.
31. At that time you will remember your evil ways and your unrighteous deeds, and you will hate yourselves for all your iniquities and abominations.
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1. Among the Pharisees there was a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2. He came to Jesus by night and said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with you
3. Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4. Nicodemus said, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into a second mother's womb and be born?
5. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. Do not marvel when I tell you that you must be born again.
8. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. This is what all who are born of the Spirit are.
9. Nicodemus answered and said, How can these things be?
10. Jesus said to them, You are a teacher in Israel, and do you not know these things?
11. Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know and testify what we have seen; yet you do not accept our testimony.
12. If I tell you earthly things and you do not believe, how much more will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13. No one has ascended into heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man.
14. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
15. That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Content
Subject: What if I am not born again?
Text: Ezekiel 36:22-31, John 3:1-15
It was the Chuseok holiday. It is the season to visit home, to bury the ancestors, and to meet relatives. It will be an opportunity to find their roots, meet nests and branches, and confirm their identities and relationships once more. Hometown is not just a physical hometown. There is also the home of the soul. Just as the hometown of the body comes from birth, the hometown of the soul must also have birth. These are the words of the Lord to Nicodemus (the conqueror of the people) who came to Jesus at night. “Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Of course, Nicodemus was perplexed. It was because he was a Jewish ruler, but he had no soul home yet. He was a man in need of rebirth.
These are the words of the Lord who searched the heart of Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus' interest was in the 'Kingdom of God'. Judging from Nicodemus' attitude that night (John 3:1-21) and his words and deeds at the Sanhedrin (John 7:51), he was a man of great character for his time. Nevertheless, what Jesus said to him puzzled him. Because it was said that you cannot participate in the kingdom of God with the image of Nicodemus. In ‘unless you are born again’, ‘again’ (hui, ‘anoden’) means ‘new from God’. At that time, Jews believed that Gentiles would become God's people only if they converted to Judaism in accordance with the legal process. But Jesus fundamentally denied this understanding. Because He is saying, “What if I am not born again?”
“How can a man be born when he is old? Can you enter the second mother's womb and be born?" (John 3:4). Although he was familiar with the law and was religiously and morally unique, he was “Not Yet” in spiritual insight (Philippians 3:13). The expression “truly, truly” (verses 3, 5) is a call to attention. The expression “Kingdom of God” appears only three times in the Gospel of John. Twice in today's text (verses 3 and 5) and once in Pilate's court (John 18:36). In verse 3, ‘see’ (hui, ‘eidon’) means ‘experience’, ‘participate’, and ‘recognize’. It means that experience and participation are impossible. Not being able to own it means not being able to taste it. “Being born of water and the Spirit” (verse 5) is another expression of “born again.” It means being renewed through the Word (1 Peter 1:23) and the Holy Spirit. The fruit of being born again is eternal life (John 3:16). It is the result of awakening to God's love through Jesus Christ.
Today's Old Testament text (Ezekiel 36:22-31) is the promise of the Israelites' return. It is the end of captivity, the promise of return and recovery. It is history through the thorough involvement of God. “I will take you out of the nations, I will gather you from among the nations, and bring you to your homeland, and I will cleanse you with pure water... and I will put a new spirit, a new heart... Keep the ordinances and do them” (Ezekiel 36:24-27). God's absolute involvement is the key. The teaching that the Lord gave to Nicodemus that night (John 3:1-21) is necessary for all of us. “Unless one is born again,” “unless one is born of water and the Spirit,” there is no home for the soul. It has nothing to do with the kingdom of God. Let's think about the spiritual condition of our hometown relatives as well as reflection on our own spiritual reality. ‘Are you born again?’