Please open your Bible to the book of 1 Peter chapter one. I trust you will listen closely as I share with you the Word of God. We come today to the most important question facing every man, woman, and child of age. Are you born again? Said another way, are you saved?
Our Lord is clear in John chapter three that a man must be born again, otherwise he cannot enter the kingdom of God. My friend, you must be born again. In the late 1970’s a gospel artist by the name of Evie Tornquist recorded a song entitled, “Born Again.” Part of the words say,
You may think it's foolish what I'm going to say,
I'm not ashamed, no not ashamed,
One day I prayed Jesus, take my sin away,
And that's when I was born again
Born again, there's really been a change in me,
Born again, just like Jesus said,
Born again, and all because of calvary,
I'm glad so glad that I've been born again
Are you born again? Does your heart belong to the Lord Jesus?
Unfortunately, I am afraid there are professing Christians who lack the new birth. Such professed believers are lost, but outwardly they appear to be Christians.
Such is the case with a dear man who recently revealed to his family, friends, the greater Christian community, and the world that he no longer believes in God. This is shocking since this man is the son of a pastor, grew up in a Christian home, and for about the last twenty years has travelled the country presenting Christian music in concerts.
“I’ve been terrified to post this for a while—but it feels like it’s time for me to be honest,” Jon Steingard, the frontman for the band Hawk Nelson, wrote in the caption of a lengthy note on May 20th.
“After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word “Christian” in front of most of the things in my life—I am now finding that I no longer believe in God,” he said.
"When I began to believe that the Bible was simply a book written by people as flawed and imperfect as I am, that was when my belief in God truly began to unravel,” he wrote. “Once I found that I didn't believe the Bible was the perfect Word of God,” Steingard, 36, further wrote, “it didn't take long to realize that I was no longer sure if He was there at all."
Reading further into Steingard’s lengthy confession, the longtime singer-songwriter, also questioned why an “all-loving God” allows evil in the world and why Jesus died for the sins of mankind.
I encourage you to pray for this young man. Perhaps he will yet experience the new birth. I share his struggles with you to illustrate a profoundly important reality. Privilege does not mean a person is born again. Growing up around Christianity and simply fitting in and learning the language of Christian culture does not mean an individual is born again. Remember, Nicodemus outwardly was religious, but he was lost.
One thing is obvious as you listen to this story, despite lengthy interaction with Christianity he lacks depth in his understanding of God’s word. It is not difficult to discern even at age 36 he lacks a basic understanding of the gospel. He did go on to say, “I’m open to the idea that God is there. I’d prefer if he was. I suspect if he is there, he is very different than what I was taught.”
Unfortunately, that sounds like a rejection of the revelation of God in Holy Scripture. Let me just say, the Lord IS there, and no one is free to manufacturer a god to their own liking. The true and living God is revealed in Scripture. He is our Creator and He is our Redeemer in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps several thoughts come to mind as you listen to another professed believer departing from the faith, but let’s not stray from the obvious: this man has never been born-again. Again, I ask you, are you born-again?
You are looking at 1 Peter chapter one. For context, may we begin at verse 13:
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Please look again at verse 22 which says, “seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit,” and now look again at verse 23 which says, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.” And finally, look again at verse 25 which says the word of the Lord endures forever and “this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
These early believers experienced the new birth upon hearing the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They purified their souls upon obeying the truth of the gospel through the Spirit. My friends, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the heart and turns our eyes upon Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches the truth of the gospel as it is proclaimed. As the goodness of God leads us to repentance and teaches us to fully trust the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus for our salvation the new birth occurs.
Please understand this: the new birth is so powerful it is the equivalent of being raised in Christ. Those born of God are now “risen in Christ” (Col. 3:1). Those born again pass from death unto life. Furthermore, those born of God are reconciled to God and have peace with God.
Listen closely: those born of God are no longer in the valley of decision halting between unbelief and belief. Those born of God are born again by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, thus they do not doubt the Word—instead, they rejoice in the word more than any other treasure!
Now, please listen well: spiritually, the new birth occurs when we come to the cross through the witness of the gospel and there we die with Christ. In the depths of a repentant heart the miracle of the new birth transpires. Taught by the Spirit the broken soul grieves over sin and embraces the cross of Christ as his only remedy. There at the cross the old life finds its doom.
Those who die with Christ through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit are then risen in Christ. Subsequently, through the power of the new birth, new life manifests in the believer. Indeed, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
Conclusion
I conclude today with the words of our Lord found in John chapter six:
35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Please note those born of God are taught of God (v45). It is not possible to be born again and remain in darkness. Those taught of God know him and his Son. However, some only nominally follow Jesus. There is no substance to their faith and in time they walk away from Jesus. As you continue reading from John chapter six you find many so called disciples who stopped following Jesus. We read:
60Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
What about you? Will you also go away? (John 6:67). Those born of God do not walk away. They are taught of God and they believe and are sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Are you born again? Have you surrendered your heart to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit? You have a choice to make with eternal consequence. It is Jesus or the world. It is trust in the living God, or it is willful unbelief. I plead with you to yield your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change your heart when you trust him alone for your salvation.
Our Lord is clear in John chapter three that a man must be born again, otherwise he cannot enter the kingdom of God. My friend, you must be born again. In the late 1970’s a gospel artist by the name of Evie Tornquist recorded a song entitled, “Born Again.” Part of the words say,
You may think it's foolish what I'm going to say,
I'm not ashamed, no not ashamed,
One day I prayed Jesus, take my sin away,
And that's when I was born again
Born again, there's really been a change in me,
Born again, just like Jesus said,
Born again, and all because of calvary,
I'm glad so glad that I've been born again
Are you born again? Does your heart belong to the Lord Jesus?
Unfortunately, I am afraid there are professing Christians who lack the new birth. Such professed believers are lost, but outwardly they appear to be Christians.
Such is the case with a dear man who recently revealed to his family, friends, the greater Christian community, and the world that he no longer believes in God. This is shocking since this man is the son of a pastor, grew up in a Christian home, and for about the last twenty years has travelled the country presenting Christian music in concerts.
“I’ve been terrified to post this for a while—but it feels like it’s time for me to be honest,” Jon Steingard, the frontman for the band Hawk Nelson, wrote in the caption of a lengthy note on May 20th.
“After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word “Christian” in front of most of the things in my life—I am now finding that I no longer believe in God,” he said.
"When I began to believe that the Bible was simply a book written by people as flawed and imperfect as I am, that was when my belief in God truly began to unravel,” he wrote. “Once I found that I didn't believe the Bible was the perfect Word of God,” Steingard, 36, further wrote, “it didn't take long to realize that I was no longer sure if He was there at all."
Reading further into Steingard’s lengthy confession, the longtime singer-songwriter, also questioned why an “all-loving God” allows evil in the world and why Jesus died for the sins of mankind.
I encourage you to pray for this young man. Perhaps he will yet experience the new birth. I share his struggles with you to illustrate a profoundly important reality. Privilege does not mean a person is born again. Growing up around Christianity and simply fitting in and learning the language of Christian culture does not mean an individual is born again. Remember, Nicodemus outwardly was religious, but he was lost.
One thing is obvious as you listen to this story, despite lengthy interaction with Christianity he lacks depth in his understanding of God’s word. It is not difficult to discern even at age 36 he lacks a basic understanding of the gospel. He did go on to say, “I’m open to the idea that God is there. I’d prefer if he was. I suspect if he is there, he is very different than what I was taught.”
Unfortunately, that sounds like a rejection of the revelation of God in Holy Scripture. Let me just say, the Lord IS there, and no one is free to manufacturer a god to their own liking. The true and living God is revealed in Scripture. He is our Creator and He is our Redeemer in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps several thoughts come to mind as you listen to another professed believer departing from the faith, but let’s not stray from the obvious: this man has never been born-again. Again, I ask you, are you born-again?
You are looking at 1 Peter chapter one. For context, may we begin at verse 13:
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Please look again at verse 22 which says, “seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit,” and now look again at verse 23 which says, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.” And finally, look again at verse 25 which says the word of the Lord endures forever and “this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
These early believers experienced the new birth upon hearing the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They purified their souls upon obeying the truth of the gospel through the Spirit. My friends, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the heart and turns our eyes upon Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches the truth of the gospel as it is proclaimed. As the goodness of God leads us to repentance and teaches us to fully trust the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus for our salvation the new birth occurs.
Please understand this: the new birth is so powerful it is the equivalent of being raised in Christ. Those born of God are now “risen in Christ” (Col. 3:1). Those born again pass from death unto life. Furthermore, those born of God are reconciled to God and have peace with God.
Listen closely: those born of God are no longer in the valley of decision halting between unbelief and belief. Those born of God are born again by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, thus they do not doubt the Word—instead, they rejoice in the word more than any other treasure!
Now, please listen well: spiritually, the new birth occurs when we come to the cross through the witness of the gospel and there we die with Christ. In the depths of a repentant heart the miracle of the new birth transpires. Taught by the Spirit the broken soul grieves over sin and embraces the cross of Christ as his only remedy. There at the cross the old life finds its doom.
Those who die with Christ through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit are then risen in Christ. Subsequently, through the power of the new birth, new life manifests in the believer. Indeed, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
Conclusion
I conclude today with the words of our Lord found in John chapter six:
35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Please note those born of God are taught of God (v45). It is not possible to be born again and remain in darkness. Those taught of God know him and his Son. However, some only nominally follow Jesus. There is no substance to their faith and in time they walk away from Jesus. As you continue reading from John chapter six you find many so called disciples who stopped following Jesus. We read:
60Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
What about you? Will you also go away? (John 6:67). Those born of God do not walk away. They are taught of God and they believe and are sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Are you born again? Have you surrendered your heart to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit? You have a choice to make with eternal consequence. It is Jesus or the world. It is trust in the living God, or it is willful unbelief. I plead with you to yield your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change your heart when you trust him alone for your salvation.
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