What does it mean to be born again? Billy Graham explains in this 1982 sermon preached in Boise, Idaho.
from our archives the Billy Graham
clankers now I want you to turn with me
tonight
to the 3rd chapter of John’s Gospel
this man Nicodemus came to Jesus by
night probably afraid of criticism or he
had a desire for a private conversation
or maybe he wanted to give some more
thought before committing himself to
Jesus Christ in any event he came and he
asked Jesus some questions about
spiritual life and Jesus looked him up
and down
and Jesus said Nicodemus you need to be
born again in fact he said verily verily
and anytime that Jesus uses that
expression that means that what is going
to follow is very important he said
verily verily I say unto you you must
you have to be born again if you’re to
enter the kingdom of heaven two years
ago when we were touring Poland while we
were there we met a priest a Monsignor
who’s head of one of the largest
theological seminaries in the world and
he said I want to tell you a story he
said I got my PhD degree at the
University of Chicago and one day I was
riding in a bus and sitting behind me
was a black woman and she punched me on
the shoulder and she said sir I beg your
pardon but have you ever been born again
and he said well I suppose I have he
said I’m a priest
she said that’s not the question I asked
you sir I asked you had you been born
again and he said well she said have you
been born again and he said he went back
to his rooms at the home at the
University and got his Bible down and
turned to the 3rd chapter of John and
reread this passage and this passage
spoke to him and he said he got on his
knees and he had an experience with
Christ that he’s never been able to get
away from now he said my theology would
tell me that I was probably born again
at a different period but he said
something happened you can call it
anything you want to commitment or
recommitment conversion whatever
something happened to me now the
question I want to ask you to
ideas has that ever happened to you give
it some other titles some of the name if
you want call it conversion call it
commitment call it repentance call it
faith call it what ever has it ever
happened to you many of you have thought
a long time about religion and
Christianity are you committed are you
committed to Jesus Christ
jesus said you must be born again start
with your hearts be born from above you
can be changed the world could be
changed the country can be changed a
state can be changed a family can be
changed a person can be changed you can
be changed now Nicodemus must have been
stunned when Jesus said that to him
because if Christ had said that to
Zacchaeus who’s a tax collector and they
didn’t like tax collectors then it much
more than they do now
but to say it to Nicodemus one of the
great religious leaders of his time
Nicodemus it says was a ruler that meant
that he was rich he was religious and
yet he was searching for reality how
many of you go to church but you’re
still searching there’s still an empty
place in your heart and something tells
you inside that you’re not really right
with God
you see Nicodemus fasted two days a week
do you know anybody in your church that
does that he spent two hours every day
in prayer how many people do you know
that spend two hours every day in prayer
he ties all his income not many people
even do that these days he was a
professor at the theological School of
Theology and he worked hard at religion
but jesus said Nicodemus that’s not
enough you must be born again
born from above now why did Jesus say
that to Nicodemus because he could read
the heart of Nicodemus he saw what was
in him he saw that he had covered
himself with religion but he had not yet
found the real thing fellowship with God
what causes all of our troubles in the
world lying and cheating and hate and
Prejudice and social inequality and
ultimately war jesus said these things
which proceed out of the mouth come
forth from the heart and they defile the
man he said it’s in our heart he said
our hearts need to be changed
psychologists and sociologists and
psychiatrist all recognizes something
wrong with man there are many words in
Scripture to describe it
fifth I’ll take only three words one is
called a transgression sin is a
transgression of the law
first John 3:4 sin is a transgression of
the law what law the law of Moses the
Ten Commandments have you ever broken
one of those Commandments then you’re
guilty of all it’s also the breaking of
the law of conscience have you ever gone
against your conscience at any time sure
you have and if you go against your
conscience very long your conscience
becomes dull and duller and duller until
after a while it’s a seared conscience
and a dead conscience and your
conscience is no longer a safe guide to
go by it leads you astray because you’ve
gone against it so much and then there’s
another one a commandment law thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and soul and strength in mind and thy
neighbor as thyself have you always done
that no then you’re a sinner in need of
forgiveness in need of being born again
and then another word carries with it
the idea of missing the mark our coming
short of your duty and a failure to do
what you ought to do the Bible says all
unrighteousness is sin all
unrighteousness is sin and yet before
you can get to heaven you must you must
have righteousness God says be perfect
as I’m perfect holy as I’m holy where
are you going to get that perfection you
don’t have it now where are you going to
get that holiness you don’t have it now
but you can’t get the
heaven if you don’t that’s why Christ
died on the cross he died on the cross
and shed his blood to provide the
righteousness for you so that he
provides you with the right kind of
clothing to go to heaven and the clothes
that you must have are called the
clothes of righteousness and that was
provided for you but Christ and then
there’s another word iniquity our
turning aside from the straight path
Isaiah said we’re like sheep we’ve gone
astray we have turned every one to his
own way now here in Idaho I know that I
think this is a sheep State maybe these
sheep State in the United States I
haven’t seen any goats around yet and
maybe you have goods too in New Zealand
they cross the sheep and the goats and
they call them Jeeps that’s a fact and
when we were new zealand i couldn’t get
over the fact of what they were doing
i don’t know whether that improves them
all destroys them i don’t know but some
of you don’t know whether you’re a sheep
or a goat
they say jesus said it the judgment
there’s going to be the goats on this
side and the sheep on this side and the
sheep are going to enter into the
kingdom of God of course there he’s
talking about the judgment of the
nation’s but it could be applied to
individuals or it could be that you’re a
goat and the goats are going to be cast
into outer darkness the Bible says but
one thing you’re not spiritually you’re
not a Jeep you can’t be both you have to
choose which one and if you would like
to make that choice watching by
television pick up that telephone and
call that number that you see on the
screen right now and a counselor
standing by to talk to you and to help
you find Christ as your Lord and Master
help you with your spiritual problems
they’re all over the country so call
right now and if it’s busy call again
they’ll be there all evening if the
lines are tied up keep calling don’t
give up the Bible says wherefore as by
one man sin entered into the world and
death by sin and so death passed upon
all men for all have
sin thus a radical change is needed by
every person we need those sins forgiven
we need to be clothed in the
righteousness of God for the purpose of
finding fulfillment in this life finding
something to commit yourself to what are
you committed to are you a committed
person do you really believe in a cause
do you really believe in a person that
symbolizes that cause why don’t you make
your cause Christ and follow him he’ll
never let you down and then not only to
find complete fulfillment in this life
but also to be acceptable with God to be
acceptable by God now some of you would
ask the question what is the new birth
Nicodemus asked that question he said
how can a man be born when he’s old
you see Nicodemus like you into me he
wanted to understand it he wanted to
understand it now I used an illustration
years ago that I couldn’t understand
because I was born and reared on a dairy
farm and I still wake up at night with
nightmares doing this way because I had
to get up every morning during high
school at 3 o’clock and milk 20 cows and
then when I came home from school I D
milk those same 20 in the afternoon my
father had a small dairy had about 60
cows that we milked and then we would
sell the milk door-to-door have a little
dairy truck that took the milk early in
the morning and that’s all I remember
almost as I was a boy because we worked
hard on that dairy farm but how can a
black cow eat green grass and produce
white milk and yellow butter
I don’t understand that well I’ll tell
you what because I don’t understand it
I’m never gonna drink milk again I’ve
got to understand that before I can
drink milk I almost quit milk when the
cow stepped in the bucket and it just
kept on milking I don’t understand color
television do you know that I am so old
that I can remember when there was no
television now I tell that to one of my
grandchildren they look at me as though
I came out of the ark I can remember
when they were we didn’t have any radio
in fact I remember the first station
that came on there was KDKA in
Pittsburgh and my dad had an old crystal
sket set and he said I think we’ve got
it and got earphones and we’d all stand
around to try to listen the only station
on there in the United States that’s how
old I am
well you can’t imagine a world without
paved highways you ought to seen the two
ruts in front of our house then went
clear to town they were on the two paved
streets in our whole town well suppose I
would say because I don’t understand
television how somebody can be in Rome
all new york a jerusalem or someplace
like that and i can see him
instantaneously on my set I don’t
understand it I’m not going to watch it
now push the button to turn it off I’ve
got to understand it first well you’d
say you’re crazy well of course I don’t
understand these computers I don’t
understand all these things that they’re
developing this whole scientific age has
passed me by we didn’t study that in the
school I went to but I accepted by faith
you see Nicodemus could see only the
physical and the materialistic and Jesus
was talking about the spiritual jesus
said you must be born again now when he
said that he did not mean that you can
inherit it you cannot inherit it which
were born not of blood and of the will
of the flesh and of the will of man but
of God your father and mother can be the
greatest born-again Christians in the
world but
that doesn’t make you a born-again
Christian I can be born in a garage but
that doesn’t make me a motorcar and
there are many people that have the idea
that because they are born in a
Christian home that they’re
automatically Christians will you not
and you cannot work your way alone not
by works of righteousness which we have
done but according to His mercy he saved
us by the washing of regeneration and
the renewing of the Holy Spirit and then
reformation is not enough you can reform
and say I’m going to turn over a new
leaf and I’m going to have new year’s
resolutions and all the rest of it
Isaiah said all our righteousnesses
filthy rags rags in the sight of God if
you take a pig and take him into your
living room and into the bathroom give
him a good bath wash him down with some
Chanel number 5 put a ribbon around his
neck bring him in the living room you
say now I’ve got a new pig he’s he’s
turned into a perfect gentleman look at
him sitting over there you opened the
door let the pig out and see where he
goes his heart hasn’t been changed only
the outside had been changed and that’s
the way with some of us we’ve been
changed some on the outside to conform
to certain social standards or certain
things that are expected of us in our
churches and yet down inside we’ve never
been changed now that’s what Jesus was
talking to Nicodemus about he said
Nicodemus you need changing inside and
only the Holy Spirit can do that you
must be born from above
that’s a supernatural act of God the
Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin
disturbs you about the fact that you’ve
sinned against God and then secondly the
Holy Spirit regenerates you that’s when
you’re born again and then the Holy
Spirit comes to live in your heart to
help you in your daily life you don’t
leave here alone without any help the
Spirit of God goes with you
to give you assurance to give you joy
and to produce fruit in your life and to
teach you the scriptures you can’t
reform that’s not enough and you can’t
imitate you try to imitate Christ they
used to have there was a book Sheldon
wrote called in his steps and people
thought that all you had to do is try to
follow Jesus and try to do the things he
did and you’d get to heaven you can’t do
it we can’t live up to the Sermon on the
Mount you try living up to the Sermon on
the Mount literally you can’t do it you
don’t have that kind of spiritual
strength I told the story that happened
many years ago from a couple in Oklahoma
and they had read about this play in New
York called my fair lady and they told
everybody they were going to New York
and they were going to see my fair lady
what they didn’t know is that he was
sold out four or five months in advance
when they got there they couldn’t buy
any tickets so they said what are we
going to do our friends all back home
I’ll think we saw my fair lady we’re
gonna be embarrassed so they hit upon a
good idea they went over and they bought
one of the books that you could buy for
a dollar they told all about the play
and then they saw people they waited til
people started coming out of the theater
and they saw some of them throwing their
tickets aside that had been cut in half
and so they went over and picked up some
tickets then they began to hum and sing
I could have danced all night or on the
street where she lives or one of those
tunes in my fair lady and when they got
home they were humming the tune they had
the book that told about it and they had
the tickets and everybody thought they’d
been to see my fair lady and that’s the
way you are you know the religious
language you can sing the songs you can
even pray the prayers the only thing is
you haven’t been to the foot of the
cross and been born again
that’s the message Jesus was trying to
get over to this religion
leader now to be born again means in
Ezekiel 36 a new heart also will I give
you and a new spirit will I put within
you in Romans Paul speaks of it as being
alive from the dead in 2nd Corinthians
he calls it being a new creation old
things have passed away behold all
things become new in Peter Peter says /
take us of a divine nature John calls it
passing from death unto life the new
birth brings about a change in the whole
philosophy and manner of living now how
is it accomplished what happens well
there’s a mystery jesus said the wind
blows where it listed and you cannot
tell from whence it cometh the word go
you can see the result now the other day
I did not see when we had that terrible
storm a couple days ago I did not see
the wind did you I saw the effects of it
I so limbs flying by parts of a roof
torn off flying by the dust going by the
will of trees bending over I saw the
results of the wind but I never actually
saw the wind and neither did you you see
the wind blows where it listed Jesus
says there’s a mystery to it and the
analogy of natural birth I think applies
here you see natural birth is the moment
of conception then there’s the nine
months of gestation and then there’s
actual birth now you may be in one of
those stages tonight this may be the
moment of conception for you it may be
another stage of gestation or it may be
actual birth only the Holy Spirit could
answer that question that’s the mystery
of it there is a mystery that I cannot
explain to you and Jesus did not attempt
to explain it to Nicodemus you see
that’s why we’re to come by faith to
Christ we can never understand it our
little finite minds cannot understand
the infinite our finite minds cannot
understand the mighty God
we come by simple childlike faith and
put our faith in Jesus Christ and when
you do you are born again but it happens
this way first there has to be the
reception of the Word of God and I
believe that is conception first feet of
123 being born again not of corruptible
seed but of incorruptible by the Word of
God which liveth and abideth for ever
and then Romans 10 faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God
now tonight you are hearing and you’re
hearing the Word of God and that’s the
first step it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching or declaration
or proclamation to say then that believe
it sounds foolish that men can stand up
and use words out of a Bible and that
has power to penetrate your heart and
change your life but it does because
it’s God’s Holy Word this is not an
ordinary book this is a living book a
Living Word and then there’s the work of
the Holy Spirit as I’ve already
explained he convicts and when he is
come he will reprove the world of sin
and righteousness and judgment and then
he indwells he changes us he changes our
wills our affections our objectives for
living our disposition he gives us a new
purpose and new goals all things pass
away and everything becomes new and then
he indwells know you not that you’re the
temple of God and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you does God the Holy Spirit
live in you if there’s a doubt about it
pick up that telephone if you’re
watching by television and call that
number and a counselor will be there to
help you to make sure that you have been
born again you remember the story in the
Bible of Naaman naman was the general
command and chief of all the armies of
Syria and Syria’s much in the news these
days he was commanded chief he had
everything the king had honored him but
he was a leper and he knew that in a
short time he was going to be thrown out
of the military
and he was going to be just a person
going around with the little bells
saying keep away keep away keep away I’m
a leper I’m a leper I’m a leper and he
heard a little slave girl from Israel
tell about a wonderful man that could
heal him over in Israel and he went to
his King and the king said if anybody in
Israel can heal you please go and he
went and when he finally came to this
man after a number of experiences the
Prophet said go to the Jordan and dip
seven times and on the seventh time you
will be healed told a servant attendant
in fact the Prophet didn’t even come out
to see the general the general was there
and all of his uniform and all of his
men and the Prophet just stayed back in
the kitchen somewhere I didn’t even come
out and grieve just sent word to and the
general turned away and discussed but
one of his captains said to him or one
of his aides said sir if he had told you
a hard thing you’d have done it he said
go to the Jordan he said yeah but the
Jordan River is muddy and our rivers are
clear that Jordan River can’t do
anything he said well why don’t you try
sir you’re a leper
you’ve got to do something so the
general went to the Jordan River and he
dipped himself four or five times and he
said see the leprosy is still there
doesn’t do any good but sir he said
seven times so Naaman went down for the
seventh time and when he came up his
skin was clean hold the thing that had
saved him was the fact that he did what
the Prophet had told him the greatest
prophet of them all is Jesus Christ and
he says you must be born again how do
you become born again repenting of sin
that means you’re willing to change your
way of living and you’ll say to God I’m
a sinner and I’m sorry simple childlike
and then by faith receive him as your
Lord and Master and Savior
and then be willing to follow him and a
new life of obedience in which the Holy
Spirit helps you as you read the Bible
and pray and witness if there’s a doubt
in your mind that you have been born
again I hope you’ll settle it before you
leave here tonight because the Bible
says now is the accepted time today is
the day of salvation the Bible says he
that hardeneth his heart being often
reproved shall sudden to be cut off and
that without remedy you just can’t come
to God anytime you want to you can only
come when the Holy Spirit is drawing and
he’s speaking to you tonight in answer
to the prayers of thousands of people in
Idaho and throughout the country come to
Christ tonight why do I ask people to
come publicly we’ve seen several
thousand people do what I’m going to ask
you to do I asked you to come publicly
because Jesus said if you don’t
acknowledge me before men I’ll not
acknowledge you before my father which
is in heaven
he hung publicly for you on the cross
certainly you can come in front of this
audience in this beautiful stadium and
receive him into your heart I’m going to
ask you to do that right now
if you with friends or relatives they’ll
wait on you but I’m going to ask you to
come and stand here in front of the
platform and this is a symbolic act of
an inward decision that you’re making
and after you’ve all come I’m going to
say a word to you and have a prayer with
you and give you some literature then
you can go back and join your friends
god bless you
it’s wonderful to know that tonight can
be a night of new beginning for you you
say well how take a moment to call that
number on your screen or to write the
milligram tonight or this week and let
him know about your desire and I will
send you some helps through the mails
that will encourage you and help you
make your decision for Jesus Christ if
you just prayed that prayer with my
father or if you have any questions
about a relationship with Jesus Christ
I’ll just call that number that is on
the screen there’ll be someone there to
talk with you pray with you and answer
those questions and remember God loves
you if you would like to commit your
life to Jesus Christ please call us
right now toll free yet one eight seven
seven seven seven two four five five
nine that’s one eight seven seven seven
seven two forty five fifty nine or you
can write to us at Billy Graham 1 Billy
Graham Parkway Department C Charlotte
North Carolina two eight two zero one or
you can contact us on the web 24/7 and
peace with God TV will get the same
helps to you that we give to everyone
who responds at the invitation on behalf
of Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association thank you for
watching and thank you for your prayers
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