Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
INDEX TO WHOLE SERIES
READ: JAMES 1:17-27 TEXT: v18 OF HIS OWN WILL BEGAT HE US
mp3 Sermon here
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
The night was dark when Nicodemus stepped out of the shadows to speak with the Lord Jesus
Several reasons have been advanced as to why a night time interview was deemed to be necessary:
[i] Nicodemus was a shy individual and somewhat embarrassed
[ii] Nicodemus was afraid at this stage to be openly seen with Christ
[iii] Or (as it has been put) Nicodemus simply could not wait till morning!
Whatever…the meeting did not go as Nicodemus had anticipated
To his polite, opening statement: 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. (John 3:2) our Lord Jesus simply replied:
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
This new birth experience is at the very heart of the gospel
It is the necessary ingredient to enter the Kingdom of God
The Lord Jesus made that abundantly clear, following up with
Marvel not…ye must be born again (John 3:7)
In our text, we get a look at 3 things about the new birth
We must be careful not to lift this verse out of context
In v17, James assures his readers that every good and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father of Lights
This, in itself, is a reference back to a erroneous view that had taken
hold in some quarters i.e. (v13-16) that when men fell into sin, it was
due the sovereignty of God
While it is true that God allows temptations to come our way, when he
could have prevented them (v2-3) yet we cannot load the blame unto God
if we fall into sin
The gifts which God gives are good and perfect gifts
Not least (text) the gift of the new birth into His Kingdom
As said: 3 things our texts tells us about the New Birth
1) THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF OUR NEW BIRTH:
A/ There are many questions re: this issue that we simply cannot answer
Might think back again to Nicodemus: How can these things be?
Might remember too the Saviour's analogy of the mystery of the wind
But because we cannot answer each/every question re: new birth does not mean that we should turn away from it
We don't do that anywhere else i.e. refuse medicine, electricity etc.,
B/ But there are some things revealed to us which we can grasp
This text, in line with others, gives us enough information for us not
only to know that we need the new birth, but where it is sourced and
why we should thank God continually that it is sourced in Him
C/ What is the New Birth?
It is the work of the Spirit of God giving us a new living heart to replace the old sin-dead heart of stone
Described elsewhere as a passing from death unto life (John 5:24)
Effects the whole man so that the new-born soul really is a new creature
D/ Question might be asked…Can man regenerate himself?
Is he the ultimate cause or even a contributing factor: his own rebirth?
There are those who argue and say "yes"
One early heretic who took this line was a British monk called Pelagius
A later heretic, strangely admired/some quarters, was Charles G. Finney
Non Calvinist Christians believe that man (at least) contributes to his new birth, but Pelagius/Finney went that step further
E/ Yet, a closer inspection of the Bible shows that this is not the case
[i] In John 3, the agent of the New Birth (next point) is the Holy Spirit
[ii] In John 1:12-13 the receiving of Christ as Saviour (v12) is traced back to the New Birth (v13)
It is distinctly said not to be by the will of man, but of God
No amount of arguing can make it to be so
Salvation is not of him that runneth nor of him that willeth, but of
God that showeth mercy (Romans 9:16) Again…these things are
clear
F/ Our text tells us that the Divine Will is the source/New Birth
God's will is a sovereign will - influenced by none outside of Himself
God cannot be coerced into anything through intimidation/bullying
God cannot be emotionally blackmailed/embarrassed into anything
God's will alone is a free will - free to act in accordance with his own desires, free from outside influences/forces
G/ It is not necessary for us to go down the road of linking the New
Birth of anyone back to the Sovereign choices which God made
When you consider that not every one receives the New Birth, then this
thought does arise, but we only mention it in passing here, because any
thoughts along the lines of being begotten again by the will of
God will soon land us into the glorious doctrine of sovereign
election
H/ This leads to all kinds of further questions:
Are we entirely passive/ New birth?
What can a man who can do nothing (because of his chosen sin) do to
even contribute to the necessary means/entry into the Kingdom?
Is anyone warranted to just sit back and wait for divine movement?
This leads us unto our second point:
2) THE SOLE AGENT OF OUR NEW BIRTH:
He begat us with the word of truth
A/ Again, God is not only the source of the new birth - but the one who (in a hands on approach) brings it about
Therefore we are said to be born from above ("anothen") in John 3:3/7
We are said in John 1:12 to be "born of God"
Same words i.e. "Born of God" is used several times in 1 John
More particularly, we are born of the Spirit of God (John 3:5)
He alone, without any human aid, regenerates sinful men, enabling them
to receive Christ and so become the sons of God (John 1:12-13)
B/ How does the Holy Spirit effect the New Birth so that we are begotten of God?
Text declares: It is with the word of truth
This is a reference to the Bible ("Scriptures/Truth" Daniel 10:21)
This tells me something about a parallel truth in this matter
Queried: Can the sinner do anything to secure the New Birth?
Yes! At least, he is not to sit back and just wait until he is regenerated
C/ Reference to the word/truth relates: two groups are responsible:
[i] The people/God are responsible: the spread/preaching of the Bible
A Sovereign God can work without means, but ordinarily He uses them
He has told His people to go forth and spread the word/God
He has ordained a specific gospel preaching ministry: Evangelists
These are men who distinctly proclaim the gospel from the word of God
They take certain texts, passages etc., from the Bible and centre on
those great truths likely to awaken souls to their need/Saviour
They not only preach the word, but they will use other legitimate
means/evangelism - personal evangelism, literature etc., but all with
this great aim: Bringing men into the Kingdom/God through the New Birth
Knowing the terror/Lord, we persuade men (2 Corinthians 5:11)
And God uses such means, as actively engaged in by His evangelising
people, to the great end such was intended to effect: The New Birth
Do your best, child/God, to spread the word and pray too that it will
be blessed of God in bringing many through the rebirth into God's
Kingdom
If God's people sit still and do nothing, then they need not complain that they are not being used in the plan/purposes of God
[ii] But the sinner himself has a great responsibility i.e. to seek for
and get under the sound of this regenerating word which the Spirit uses
No man can sit and glibly say that he will await the movement/Spirit
It is for the sinner to hasten with the greatest desire to those places
where the Bible is preached and to cry out for the New Birth
A word about such praying:
Is the sinner willing to repent of his sins?
If not, such praying for the New Birth will be almost if not altogether a blasphemy
Sin lovers are not regenerated, but sin haters
The sinner need not reform before he is regenerate, but if there is a
love for sin, then we may conclude: there is no evidence/the New Birth
Is the sinner ready to cast his all upon the work/Christ?
If not, and he wants to keep his creature righteousness, then again
such crying out must be in vain - No New Birth for stubborn merit
mongers
Let the sinner not be stubborn any more and cleave to his sins
Let him hasten to the Cross of Jesus and there cast his soul upon the great/finished work wrought there 2,000 years ago
When that is done, we may say that his sins are forgiven him and that
the New Birth has taken place and the one counselled is Heaven bound
D/ Let these great truths encourage everyone who hears them
[i] Can we evangelise without them? A powerless God who must await
man's fickle approval and smile is no use to an evangelising Christian
I suppose it could be done, but without any real encouragement
[ii] Let them encourage the sinner
Although God can/does withhold the New Birth as He sees fit, yet He has
also promised to impart salvation to whosoever asks for it
Let the promises of God which are clear (as opposed to the decrees of
God which are partially hidden) be your guiding star and ask in faith
and receive salvation
3) THE GREAT PURPOSE OF OUR NEW BIRTH:
that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures
A/ This language was well known to the Jews to whom James wrote (1:1)
The first fruits were the best - the offering made unto God
Many varied interpretations of these words among the commentators
But they all agree on this: God is glorified in the regeneration/sinners
B/ Think of it! Men who were enslaved in the very dungeons/Satan, dead
in trespasses/sins, guilty of the vilest sins reborn into the family/God
New creatures in Christ Jesus
What havoc (his own words) did Saul/Tarsus wrought among the saints
None were spared on account of age/sex/weakness
Stephen was stoned at his command - Truly the chief of sinners
But Saul was regenerated by the power/God in Acts 9
Was he not a kind of first fruit - bringing glory to God?
But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now
preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in
me
C/ God is always glorified when men are born again into God's family
[i] The angels in glory rejoice when one sinner repenteth (Luke 15:7)
Why is this? Repentance is an evidence that the soul has been reborn
Unregenerate men do not repent
The old deceitful heart is still holding on to its sins but repentance
flows from a heart renewed by divine grace and brought to a willingness
to render evangelical obedience to the gospel
[ii] Christians rejoice too: When they heard these things, they held
their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the
Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:18)
Let us according to our responsibility feed upon these words
THE END