New Life For The New Year

New Life For The New Year

Love Brings Life

John 3:16

February 14, 1999

The Holy Bible, King James Version

John 3:1 through John 3:16
¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ⁸The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? ¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? ¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹²If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? ¹³And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. ¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Today is Valentine's Day. Once a year, this day rolls around, a day that we are supposed to show our love for someone special by giving them candies or flowers. On this day our thoughts turn to love, and to those we love. How fitting then, that our series on New Life for the New Year would take us to a study of the one verse that many would say is the best loved verse in the Bible.

Love is a wonderful thing. A life without love would be a very dismal life indeed, and it is love that gives us our new life.

"No Charge"

My little boy came into the kitchen this evening while I was

fixing supper. And he handed me a piece of paper he'd been

writing on. So, after wiping my hands on my apron, I read it,

and this is what it said:

For mowing the grass, $5.

For making my own bed this week, $1.

For going to the store $.50.

For playing with baby brother while you went shopping, $.25.

For taking out the trash, $1.

For getting a good report card, $5.

And for raking the yard, $2.

Well, I looked at him standing there expectantly, and a

thousand memories flashed through my mind. So, I picked

up the paper, and turning it over, this is what I wrote:

For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me, No Charge.

For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you prayed for you, No charge.

For the time and the tears, and the cost through the years, No Charge.

For the nights filled with dread, and the worries ahead, No Charge.

For advice and the knowledge, and the cost of your college, No Charge.

For the toys, food and clothes, and for wiping your nose, No Charge.

Son, when you add it all up, the full cost of my love is No Charge.

Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes.

And he looked up at me and he said, "Mama, I sure do love you."

Then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote,

PAID IN FULL.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Unknown

This "No Charge" kind of love is precisely the kind of love that we receive from our Lord. His love gives us a fresh start, is given to us freely, and lasts forever.

God's Love Gives A Fresh Start

While Jesus was going through the countryside preaching the message of the Father, a young man snuck up to see him under the cover of darkness. He was a Pharisee, and without doubt a learned man. He had seen many things, and had studied the scriptures probably all of his life, yet he realized that he didn't have everything he needed. Jesus told him something very shocking. He told him that if he wanted to enter into the kingdom of God he must be born again. Being "Born Again" seems to be a catch phrase of recent years, especially since President Jimmy Carter gave this label to himself in an interview in 1976. Yet it seems folks are calling themselves "Born Again Christians". It's amusing to hears the phrase, because this phrase suggests that there is some other form of Christian. On one hand you have the born again Christian, on the other you have just the born Christians. Well, this is not the case, if you are a Christian you are born again. Jesus said you MUST be born again.

A physician said to a pastor, "If you will explain to me the spiritual birth, I will become a Christian." The pastor replied, "If you will explain the natural birth to me, then I will explain the spiritual birth to you." Neither is possible. In both cases we can observe and even cooperate with the processes, but we cannot explain the why, apart from the power of God.

--Herschel H. Hobbs "My Favorite Illustrations" p. 191

We need this new birth because it gives to us a fresh start. A brand new beginning. We receive this new birth in many areas. There is only ONE way to be reborn, and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, but there are many areas that this re-birth affects in our life.

One of these ways we are affected is by redemption. Our life's have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Our sins are washed away and our lives are clean again because we have been reborn.

- Ephesians 1:7
  ⁷In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
  1 Peter 1:18 through 1 Peter 1:19
  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:

Oh what a wonderful way to begin! Without blemish and without spot. God's love gives us this fresh start.

We are also given a fresh start through reception into God's family. When we receive the new birth that Nicodemous was inquiring after we are adopted into God's family. We are not second class subjects, or servants snuck in through the back door, but instead we become children of the King! What happens is that we receive all the rights and privileges accorded to us by being in God's family. What a wonderful way to start new! Going from being a sin-sick pauper to becoming a prince.

We also get a fresh start through reformation. Not just a refreshing, but a changing.

As John Wesley rode across Hounslow Heath late one night, singing a favorite hymn, he was startled by a fierce voice shouting, "Halt," while a firm hand seized the horse’s bridle. Then the man demanded, "Your money or your life."

Wesley obediently emptied his pockets of the few coins they contained and invited the robber to examine his saddlebags which were filled with books. Disappointed at the result, the robber was turning away when evangelist cried, "Stop! I have something more to give you."

The robber, wondering at this strange call, turned back. Then Wesley, bending down toward him, said in solemn tones, "My friend, you may live to regret this sort of a life in which you are engaged. If you ever do, I beseech you to remember this, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’" The robber hurried silently away, and the man of God rode along, praying in his heart that the word spoken might be fixed in the robber’s conscience.

Years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service with the people streaming from the large building, many lingered around the doors to see the aged preacher, John Wesley.

A stranger stepped forward and earnestly begged to speak with Mr. Wesley. What a surprise to find that this was the robber of Hounslow Heath, now a well-to-do tradesman in the city, but better still, a child of God! The words spoken that night long ago had been used of God in his conversion.

Raising the hand of John Wesley to his lips, he affectionately kissed it and said in tones of deep emotion, "To you, dear sir, I owe it all."

Wesley replied softly, "Nay, nay, my friend, not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all sin."

We receive in Christ a new beginning with our new birth.

God's Love is Freely Given

One thing about God's love is its value. Even for the most miserly of us, it represents a great bargain. It is given to us freely as a gift. You might wonder why God is giving to us something so costly, for while it is given freely, it is a rather expensive gift.

God gives us his gift because we need it. In our sinful, carnal state we are bad, and need His love to redeem us.

Romans 3:23
²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

In order to overcome the wages of our sin, which is death, God chose to provide for us a way to "get out of trouble". He gave His only son, to be a substitution for the sins of EVERYONE! Through Christ we have eternal life, and God has given this to us freely.

God's gift of love is given to those who believe. Salvation is explained quite succinctly in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Here is the key to fit the door, and that key is our belief. Salvation is not equal to grace plus our works, plus our faith, instead salvation is equal to 100% grace.

- Ephesians 2:8 through Ephesians 2:9
  ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

God's gift is given to us freely by grace when we believe.

God gift is given to us because He loved us first.

- Romans 5:8
  ⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God gave us this wonderful gift of salvation even before we were aware we needed it. He loved us while we were in effect strangers to Him. The beauty and wonder of this verse is that we don't have to work our way up to perfection to reach God. Instead He Himself has reached down to us to draw us toward perfection.

God's Love is Forever

You have probably seen all the commercials about Diamond's being forever. Well let me tell you a little about Valentine's Day and it's impact upon dating. Our society is increasingly materialistic and Valentine's Day is another shining example. For the young man in love this day is a lose-lose situation. If a young man has a girlfriend he is expected to buy her something. Now guys, when a woman says "Awww…you shouldn't have.." don't believe her. That will get you in trouble really quickly. And the diamond folks really like to push this diamonds are forever advertising. On the other hand, if a young man is without a girlfriend then Valentine's Day is quite depressing, albeit a bit cheaper.

The truth is, diamonds are not forever. They can be stolen, misplaced, or even replaced. God's love on the other hand is eternal. It will last beyond this life, and the material things we so enjoy. God's gift to us is Eternal life.

Sometimes we wonder a bit about what it will be like, or what it looks like, or who will be there. A doctor once told this story: Early in my career as a doctor, I went to see a patient who was just coming out of anesthesia. Far off church chimes were sounding. The woman murmured, "I must be in heaven." Then she saw me. She said, "No, I can’t be, there’s Dr. Campbell."

Well, I don't know if Dr. Campbell will be there, but I do know that eternal life is mine. I know that God has redeemed me, and my place in heaven is secured.

A prominent citizen in town was dying. As he lay in his lovely home, the best doctors surrounding him, he whispered, with a note of despair, "I’m leaving home, I’m leaving home." Across town there lay a solitary figure in surroundings bare. Her modest home contained only the most threadbare of life’s essentials. In her eye was a gleam. Before she died she was heard to say, "I’m going home, I’m going home."
Romans 6:23
²³For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Without God eternity would still be forever, but not nearly as nice. The gift of love that we have been given changes our destination from the agony of hell to the glory of heaven.

So, this Valentine's Day, won't you accept the one Gift that truly does last forever. Accept the gift from the One who loves us more than any other. The gift of life that God has granted to us is the greatest gift that has ever been given. It is a gift that gives to us a fresh start, it is a gift that is given freely, and it is a gift that lasts forever. It is also a gift that is for everyone. Will you claim your gift today?

Charles S. Mims