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Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
THE EFFECT OF THE NEW BIRTH
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." JOH 3:6
Fourth is the new character found in the new birth - a new nature: a new "spirit," or a new mental disposition. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (JOH 3:6) But what is the new birth? What is the great difference between one who is dead in trespasses and sins, and one who is passed from death unto life? Where is the great difference? See JOH 5:24. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." "He that heareth my word": with a spiritual ear to hear, and a spiritual understanding. When someone starts hearing the Word as it comes with power and with authority, he "hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
Tell the average person that he must be born again, and he thinks that you mean he must reform his manner of life, but the trouble is within the heart. The Pharisees had reformed their lives to the point that they could go no further, and they were still sepulchres filled with dead men’s bones in the Lord’s view. The new birth is that which is in the heart; it is the mental disposition, the mental attitude. I can hear of your sitting at church on a Sunday, in a straitjacket: you don’t move a muscle, and still you have not rested on the Sabbath day. Do you know why? Your heart wasn’t there. The Lord has no pleasure in your serving Him out of compulsion; the Lord’s only pleasure is when we serve Him from the heart.
"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. [He’s talking there to the children of Israel who are weary of rebellion after having been cast into captivity.] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you [He’s talking about how the work of regeneration takes place.], and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [That work of regeneration is where He cleans up our attitude, He cleans up our act.] A new heart also will I give you [Now we have new desires and new affections. We have a new attitude.], and a new spirit [a new mental disposition. This ‘new spirit,’ I want you to notice, is not with a capital ‘s’: ‘new spirit,’ a new attitude, a new mental disposition] will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (EZE 36:24-27)
Do you see the effect of the new birth? Do you see where our evidence lies, that we have the new birth? "And I will…cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." There’s your evidence. We start with the authority of God’s Word.
Those who have received a new heart have a new attitude, new desires, and new affections (that is, the new man of the heart), but that old man of sin is still well and alive. That’s one of the most positive ways to identify the work of God in our heart. Do I recognize that spiritual warfare? Do I see that old man of sin, that ugly monstrous self still always wanting to raise up his ugly head? I have a new desire to put him down, a new desire to crucify that old man of sin and to walk in His statutes and to do His will, and yet there’s that ugly monster of sin that still sticks up its ugly head. That’s a spiritual warfare. That new man of the heart has been created within, but that old man of sin must be crucified daily.
Therefore Jesus says in LUK 9:23, "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." That means every day you live. Why is that? That ugly monster "self" is still so well and alive. It needs to be cut down day after day, hour after hour, and minute after minute. We are in constant warfare to continuously cut down that old man of sin. Our highest command is found in JOH 15:12. "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
I want to ask you a question. Let one of your brethren step on your toe, especially if you happen to have a corn, immediately you must conquer that old bitterness that you’ve got within. There’s that spiritual warfare. Now be on guard that the old man of sin doesn’t just jump right back out of your heart. He’ll take another swing at you. Crucify yourself daily.
So what is our best evidence that we have experienced the new birth? 1JO 3:14-16 says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." If you are claiming that you have passed from death unto life, you may have had rich experiences, you may really think that you have been born again, yet you have a heart full of bitterness and hatred not only for your brother (one you call a brother), but for your fellow man, including those who are totally outside of grace - I mean for the neighbor that lives down the block.
Are we to love one another as He loved us? Here now we know that because He laid down His life for us, we ought to lay down our life for the brethren. The new birth is the new nature imparted by the Holy Spirit as we see in 2PE 1:3-4. "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
Being made partakers of that Divine nature reveals itself by its fruit, which is set forth in 2PE 1:5-9. "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." Amen
Strange and mysterious is my life;
What opposites I feel within!
A stable peace, a constant strife;
The rule of grace, the power of sin;
Too often I am captive led,
Yet often triumph in my Head.
I prize the privilege of prayer,
But O what backwardness to pray!
Though on the Lord I cast my care,
I feel its burden every day;
I’d seek his will in all I do,
Yet find my own is working too.
I call the promises my own,
And prize them more than mine of gold;
Yet though their sweetness I have known,
They leave me unimpressed and cold;
One hour upon the truth I feed,
The next I know not what I read.
Thus different powers within me strive,
And grace and sin by turns prevail;
I grieve, rejoice, decline, revive,
And victory hangs in doubtful scale;
But Jesus has his promise passed
That grace shall overcome at last.
Author: Newton
Our sermons and devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion and sermon notes on-line. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.