I don’t know what your picture of a Christian looks like. Do you see a Christian as someone who used to believe one way who now believes another? Do you see a Christian as a person who has learned how to live a better life? Do you see a Christian as someone who goes to church and does all the religious things? If any of those are your picture of a Christian, though you are partly right, you have missed the real picture.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. That is the picture God has of the Christian. He or she is not a remake of the old, he is a new creation. The apostle Paul said, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

What do you think of when you think of a new creation? One picture that comes to my mind is a baby. I love visiting the hospitals when a mother has a child. They are so small. Their red skin is wrinkled. They usually have more hair than I do. And to think that one sperm connected with one egg and here is this explosion of cells that work together is incredible. What a miracle!

And you are a miracle, if you know Christ. You are a new creation! The old is gone, the new has come!

This is so important for us to understand. Something has happened in your life if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. But this thing that has happened is hard to explain. One reason that it is hard to explain is because you are at a loss for words to explain what has happened. For many of us, we don’t know the Bible real well. So this morning, I want to talk to you about how the Bible views the change that has taken place in your life.

To do so, we turn to John 2:23.

“Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”” John 2:23-3:8, NIV.

First, we look at the setting. You are familiar with this setting, for it may have taken place in your living room or at work or at a Little League game. For Nicodemus, it took place in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast.

Jesus did some miracles. When people was what Jesus had done, some, and I emphasize some, believed in his name.

The fact that some believed indicates that some did not. There were differences of opinion as to who Jesus was, what he could do, and whether or not he was a good or bad person. You may have heard the conversations. “I don’t know what happened to Pete, but he is a changed man.” “I heard he got religion.” “Good for him. He can believe, but don’t talk to me about that stuff.”

The “Pete’s” believe in Jesus, but others did not. Jesus didn’t need people to tell him what was in people, because he knew. This is proved when Nicodemus came to him.

Nicodemus was a member of the Pharisees. They were a group of people who had definite spiritual solutions to their nation’s spiritual problem. They believed that Israel was under the thumb of Rome because Israel broke God’s law. Therefore, the solution was to keep God’s law, a project they attacked with zeal. They went overboard, which is why Jesus is in such conflict with them.

But Nicodemus comes to him at night. Probably this was a secret meeting. The same controversy that surrounded Jesus would also engulf Nicodemus if his friends saw him visiting Jesus.

Nicodemus learns some lessons about regeneration, a theological term we use to describe what happens to a person when they believe.

First, Nicodemus is being drawn to God. 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Something is drawing Nicodemus to Jesus. He does not know it yet, but the Holy Spirit of God is drawing him. He has seen the miracles and come to the conclusion that God was in some way with Jesus. He has not yet resolved the debate that is going on. He has not yet believed in Jesus. But he will say that Jesus is a good teacher, a man of God. He just doesn’t trust Jesus yet.

Jesus’ answer is startling. Verse 3

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Jesus knows what goes on in people. He jumps right straight to Nicodemus’ heart. In effect he is saying this, “Nicodemus, you cannot understand because you have not been born again.” The word “see” is not the one we use to describe looking at a sunset or at a beautiful snow-covered mountain. It is more of the things we see with our minds or our hearts. It speaks of our perception. It’s like when someone shows you how to do algebra. You say, “I see!” You are not talking about what is written, but you now understand with your mind how to factor numbers.

Nicodemus is not getting it because he is not born again.

So this raises a question,4. “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

This confirms what Jesus said. He is not spiritually aware. He thinks that being born again means to jump back in and come out a second time, something that is impossible. Why doesn’t he understand? Because he is not born again.

Jesus goes on to explain what it means to be born again.

5. Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

Jesus says, “There are two births. You must be born again assumes that there is one birth. Here in verse 5 we find two births given again, water and the Spirit. In verse 6 we have two births, physical and spiritual, flesh and spirit. In verse 5 then, being born of water is a physical birth, being born of the Spirit is a spiritual birth. Verse 7 concludes this by saying, “don’t be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.”

We now understand that there are two births, a physical and a spiritual birth.

This spiritual birth is what we call, regeneration. When we become believers, we receive spiritual RIBS. The “R” in ribs is regeneration.

What is regeneration? Regeneration is when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and gives us a new life. The first life is physical, the second life is spiritual. And the second life is spiritual because the Holy Spirit comes into your heart and life.

So what is the result? How do you know that you have been born again?

First, we can move ahead to John 3:16. We are born again when we receive Jesus. At that instant, the Holy Spirit enters our life and give us new life. We may not know the exact time and place, but we know there was a before and after.

C.S. Lewis described his conversion this way, “I know very well when, but hardly how, the final step was taken. I was driven to Whipsnade one sunny morning. When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did. Yet I had not exactly spent the journey in thought. Nor in great emotion.” (Surprised by Joy, p. 237).

If I were not a Christian, I would say of C. S. Lewis, “Strange guy.” But as a Christian I say, “This is of God.”

But then, and we see this in verse 8, unexplainable things happen to us.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”” John 2:23-3:8, NIV.

Some people have erroneously said that the wind here is the Holy Spirit. But the verse says that the wind is “everyone born of the Spirit.” You cannot tell where they are coming from or where they are going.

Why not? Because the people who can’t tell have not been born again. And second, if they have, they may not know about the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, in giving new life.

But those who have do know. Something happened that they have a hard time explaining.

As a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as a result of this new life he brings, certain things may happen to you.

As Wayne Grudem says, the results of the presence of the Spirit, the results of this new life, the results of regeneration “can usually be seen at once—a heartfelt trusting in Christ for salvation, an assurance of sins forgiven, a desire to read the Bible and pray (and a sense that these are meaningful spiritual activities), a delight in worship, a desire for Christain fellowship, a sincere desire to be obedient to God’s Word in Scripture, and a desire to tells others about Christ.”

So we find things that we didn’t understand start coming together for us. This is because of the Holy Spirit in you. We find that things we did, we don’t want to do them anymore. This is the Holy Spirit working a new life in you. We find that places we used to go don’t quite fit us anymore. The Holy Spirit is working this new life and making us uncomfortable with the old. We swear or tell an off color joke. It used to be natural, but now we realize that it doesn’t fit on our lips. The Holy Spirit is working that new life in you.

Have you been born again? Did you trust Christ as your Savior? Are you trusting in Jesus and Him alone for your salvation?

Did anything change inside or outside in your life when you did? Have you noticed a sensitivity to sin that you didn’t have before? Are you more interested and can you understand the Bible better? Are you drawn to Christian radio, TV or music? Do you find that you identify with other Christians?

Let me take it one step further. Does this message resonate with you? Do you find that you are saying to yourself, “Yes, I have changed. I couldn’t explain the changes, but they took place!” If so, be assured that by the blood of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you have been born again by the Spirit of God.

Rejoice in this. Selah!