This Message is for All Times, for All People, and for All Places! Jesus Informs Nicodemus:"You Must Be Born Again!"

Pastor Fredrick Russell: How to Be “Born Again” 

 

 

THREE STEPS TO SALVATION

 

Pastor Fredrick Russell officiated over the quarterly Communion Service at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta today. Last week’s sermon, due to its urgency, provoked me to suppress my penchant for digression and marginalia. This week’s sermon distills the essence of Christianity into 26 minutes of concentrated wisdom. Last week’s sermon cited the eternal (Christ’s everlasting kingdom) as an anodyne for difficulties in the temporal realm (the current political climate). This week’s message, centered on Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, “you must be born again,” represents an eternal solution to difficulties that plague us in the personal realm. The solution is a personal Savior. Pastor Russell’s jewel-like presentation requires only the simplest of settings. Again, I will strive to remain in the background as I provide a brief summary at the bottom of this post. Here (as usual) is a link to the ENTIRE SERVICE. Today’s untitled, but unforgettable sermon resides in the YouTube video from time markers 1:22:46 to 1:49:13.

No notes were provided for today’s sermon, as it was lodged in a framework so short and simple that it could be easily committed to memory. Here are the three short steps to be taken in order to be “born again:”

• Repent (of specific sins, and not just in a general manner)
• Turn to Christ
• Join the Family of God

“Christ and Nicodemus” by Rembrandt, pen and wash.

NO ONE CAN SEE THE KINDOM OF GOD UNLESS THEY ARE “BORN AGAIN”

Pastor Russell began his talk, one based on John 3 (Jesus speaking with Nicodemus in the night) by confessing that he is a “lover of amusement parks.” While attending a meeting in Florida two weeks ago, he was presented with an opportunity to pay a visit to Busch Gardens. He styled himself a “roller coaster aficionado,” but had not ridden one for twenty years. He and the group he was with were determined to ride all four big coasters at the park. They approached the first of these, hopeful that they would be able to sit in the front. Pastor Russell said “the greatest thrill is to sit in the front seat.” He was assume this coveted berth, and described the experience of “slowly ascending to the top,” a stately prelude that serves to build anticipation. As the cars paused at the top of the ascent, Pastor Russell wondered what he may have been thinking, to place himself, voluntarily, in such a perilous condition. He was staring into the abyss. “What was I trying to prove by all of this?” But his pride was on the line. He closed his eyes, whispered a prayer, and began to sing, “Lord, I’m Coming Home.”

The thrills commenced, and during the tumultuous passage the pastor thought to himself, typically, “I’ll never get on one of these things again!” But when the ride was over, he was eager to ride again. “Where’s the second one,” he intrepidly asked. His group patronized another thrill ride, one called “The Drop.” He was raised a few hundred feet, preparatory to a swift descent. The seats of “The Drop” leaned forward, giving the riders a clear view of the pavement below, a viewpoint not designed to comfort them. A description of these two thrill rides, products of man’s ingenuity, proved to be only a preface for a description of a much more significant thrill.

“About 1:30 the other morning,” Pastor Russell said, “the Lord woke me up.” The pastor was overwhelmed that he was poised at the top of metaphorical “roller coaster.” “All I could see was where this world is going to go,” he informed us. He opened his Bible to Daniel 2:21 [And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding]. After a few hours of pre-dawn worship, the pastor “officially” woke up. He was led by the spirit to the third chapter of John. “Bring this word…” was God’s instruction to the preacher. Nicodemus, a subject of this chapter, is becoming more open to Jesus, but desires a private (and crucial) conversation with Him. Nicodemus testifies to Jesus in regard to his faith in the Lord’s divinity. Nicodemus assays to engage Jesus in an intellectual discourse, but Pastor Russell revealed that this is not our Lord’s didactic technique. “He never matches intellect to intellect,” Pastor Russell revealed, “He [instead] cuts right to the chase.” The chase is this proclamation: “You must be born again.” The pastor now proceeded to inform his listeners of the three-step method whereby we may be “born again.”

“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt

THE FIRST STEP: “REPENTENCE”

The pastor reached out not only to those who had not yet been “born again.” but also to those who had already experienced this essential transformation, yet had grown “flabby” over the course of time. The pastor elaborated upon step one. “When you are confessing your sins, you don’t confess them in broad generalities. You begin to name exactly what that sin is.” We vaguely pray to the Lord that our sins be forgiven. “Which ones?” might be his rejoinder. “When you don’t name clearly what your sin is,” Pastor Russell declared, you may be conspiring to “paper over” transgressions.

THE SECOND STEP: “TURNING TO CHRIST FOR SALVATION”

“There is no way out of this world, there is no way you can be saved other than through a connection and experience of receiving Jesus Christ into your life. It is never Jesus plus a million other things. It is always Jesus plus nothing. There is no way out, other than Jesus!”

THE THIRD STEP: “WE BECOME PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD”

“God is not out to save denominations.” Scripture reveals that God is “building a nation,” one that will ultimately become the family of God. Being a member in good standing of a particular fold means nothing unless you turn to Christ. When we are “born again,” we will members of the family of God, forever.

A “family of God.” This church is composed of English speaking African immigrants headquartered in Rome, Italy. They have not wasted their tithes on fancy seating. The $10 plastic chair is now ubiquitous.

These steps unfold as the Holy spirit takes a hold of your life. “When I ask Jesus into my life,” the pastor preached (literally) to the choir, “this person called the Holy Spirit will work in my life in such a way” to where one begins to lean more toward the things of God. The Holy Spirit begins to do a “mystery work” in you that compels you to reset your priorities. “By nature,” Pastor Russell stated, “we are not members of the family of God.” You have to choose to be a part of the family of God. “By nature,” the pastor added, “we do not have a right to eternal life.” There exists no Scriptural “Bill of Rights.” “When it comes to God,” Pastor Russell claimed, “we don’t have any rights at all.” To emphasis this important point, the pastor repeated, “You do not deserve eternal life!”
The reasons that we are not automatically members of the family of God, and the reasons that we do not deserve eternal life were served up to the congregation by Pastor Russell in three portions, each of which addressed the obstinacy of, and unregenerate nature of mankind:

1. “Because of sin.” “Every last one of us,” the pastor asserted, “has sinned in our lives.” Problems arise when you become “comfortable” with your sin. The act of wrongdoing may no longer bother you. People subject to this perilous state might still desire to have a good feeling about God, but do not desire the “deep things” of God. Pastor Russell revived one of his adages: “We live close enough to God, never to feel guilty, but live far enough away from God, never to change.” Just showing up at church is not going to improve this lukewarm condition. The pastor revealed the true solution, “you must be born again.”
2. “Because we have rebelled against God.” We are resistant to allowing God to have full control over our life. When you don’t give God everything, you are standing in rebellion against God. Rebellion is likened to the sin of witchcraft. Pastor Russell stated that many “good church folk” were living in rebellion against God, due to a lack of total commitment.
3. “Due to the hardening of our hearts.” The pastor revealed that “when you don’t confess your sins on a regular basis, on a daily basis, out hearts naturally begin to harden against God. Confession is a method of making “quickly right with God.” If you have the Holy Spirit to convict you whenever you have gone astray, then you are in a good place. The Spirit may not keep you from sinning, but will motivate you to fix whatever may be wrong. When nothing bothers you, there is a serious problem.

“Nicodemus Came to Him at Night” is the title attached to this image of stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany, but I suspect Tiffany did not give it a title.

The pastor postulated in regard to a reaction Jesus may have had to  influence and education in Nicodemus’s make-up. Jesus to Nicodemus: “your experience is based upon information, but you have never experienced me! Let’s cut to the chase: you must be born again.” Pastor Russell requested the congregation to pray as he presented the conclusion of his message. He restated his main points:

• “The first thing you must do is repent of your sins.” Do not hold to your transgressions. You must be born again.
• “You must turn to Christ for salvation.” Jesus made salvation a possibility on the Cross, and would be quick to inform us that “you cannot die for your own sins. I must die for your sins. You must take what I have done for you as a free gift.” When we accept Jesus, Pastor Russell said, “eternal life does not begin at the Second Coming. Eternal life begins right now.” The grave just represents a “brief break” in the continuity of unending time. The pastor issued a warning: “If you’re waiting for the Second Coming of Christ, it is too late.”
• “I ask Jesus, ‘Jesus, bring me now into your family.'” We will join the redeemed of all ages.

A tract from www.ernestangly.org      I just found an 8×10 glossy of Ernest Angley in a used book I bought, one suitable for framing. I think I will frame it!

The prayer that the pastor had just led us into now included the essential three steps to salvation. He told his auditors “If you prayed that prayer this morning, you will work this thing out in your heart. It is just that simple.” We were admonished not to heed those who would insinuate that salvation is complicated. “its not! Its not! Its not!” When he was growing up in the faith community, the pastor related that there was not a lot of talk about salvation. Instead, there was a lot of “do this, and don’t do that.” But rules are an unsatisfactory alternative to Jesus Himself. Once you have accepted Jesus, Pastor Russell informed us that we will want “more, and more.” He concluded his remarks with another prayer.

“Thank you God, for speaking to me afresh the other morning.” The pastor importuned God to keep their relationship “very childlike, very simple.” He prayed there would arise no complications. “Keep my heart very open. Don’t let me carry anything in my life that is not going to please you.” Should anything displeasing occur, the pastor implored an immediate repentance, and a return to God.
“May our lives glorify you. May our lives be … a sweet smell in your nostrils. Thank you God. Thank you Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

A much less elaborate rendition of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt than an earlier image on this post, and a good transition into Holy Communion.

Communion immediately followed Pastor Russell’s remarks. It was, as always, a liturgical tour de force, and featured, as always, exceptional music that set a proper mood for the memorial. This part of the service was prefaced by a verse from Hebrews, 9:28, one which includes both the Cross and the Second Coming:

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”