You Must Be Born Again

Mark 15:21-31
Richard Spencer | Sunday, September 26, 2021
Copyright © 2021, Richard Spencer

One of the young men in our church was recently preparing to take the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT. During a practice test he came across a question about people who are delusional and it used the example of someone who actually believes that Jesus Christ rose from the dead as a person who is delusional. So, according to the people who made up this exam, if you are a true Christian – which means that you do believe Jesus physically rose from the dead – you are delusional. And to be delusional means that you believe something that is contrary to reality. Now needless to say, I take serious exception to this example! Contrary to their beliefs, Jesus Christ did, in fact, truly and physically rise from the dead. That is the truth.

But I mention this incident because it is an absolutely perfect example of the main point I want to make from our passage today, which is that your fundamental presuppositions, or you could say your heart, determine how you will evaluate every argument and piece of evidence presented to you in life. And hence, the title of this sermon is You Must be Born Again, and by that I mean you must be born again to believe and be saved. But I want you to know that you have opportunities to test your presuppositions and see if they are correct. And I hope to cause you to question them today and to cry out to God for mercy if you have not been born again.

So, for example, if you believe that the material world is all that exists, which is the view assumed by almost everyone on the college campus next door, then you will think that believing in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, or of anyone else for that matter, is delusional, or at least irrational. You will consider it irrational because you believe there is nothing particularly special about human beings. You will think that we are just a very complex collection of molecules operating according to the laws of physics. And when that complex organism stops functioning for a long-enough period of time, for whatever reason, it cannot be brought to life again, or perhaps I should just say that it can’t be made functional again since a materialist worldview implies there is no qualitative difference between living and inanimate objects, the difference is just a difference of complexity.

But let me point out that if some form of materialism is your fundamental presupposition, you have some serious problems to deal with. Let me just mention three. First, how did this material universe get here in the first place? It is abundantly clear from the nature of this universe – perhaps most importantly the second law of thermodynamics – that it is not and cannot be eternal. Therefore, it had a beginning. But it is irrational to think that this universe popped into existence out of nothing. Something, or someone, outside of this universe must be eternal and must have created this universe.

Second, you must explain how living organisms came into existence in a purely material world. If you believe that atoms came together randomly and formed amino acids, perhaps with the help of lightning and other fortuitous events, and that these amino acids came together randomly to form proteins, and that these proteins then randomly came together – with a lot of other stuff we won’t go into – to form living cells, and that these cells then replicated and evolved and eventually produced all living things including us, I think that is irrational. Massive amounts of information are not produced by random processes. In fact, we have no evidence of any amount of information ever being produced that way, not even once, in contrast with the assumptions of evolution.

Third, if you think that human beings are purely material beings, then you must assume that we are not truly personal, volitional creatures – in other words, creatures that makes real decisions. You must assume this because volition cannot come from the laws of physics, which are either purely deterministic or random. And if you are a logically consistent materialist and therefore believe that we are not personal, volitional beings, I would call that irrational.

Now I mention these things only for the purpose of causing you to question your worldview. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:17-19, Christ sent me “to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’”

So, you see, we arrive at two diametrically opposed positions based on our presuppositions, or our hearts. The materialist can’t explain reality, but thinks it irrational to believe in God and the spiritual realm because he can’t confirm their existence by his physical senses or measurements. A Christian however, or at least this Christian, thinks it is irrational to deny the existence of God and the spiritual realm since their existence is logically necessary to explain our world and since God has clearly revealed himself to us in his creation, his Word, and our own consciences. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

We should ask why it is that seemingly normal human beings can come to opposite conclusions based on the same evidence? The answer is simple. Our presuppositions, which are the core part of our worldview, color everything we see and think about. They form the lens through which we see reality. And one presupposition of a materialist is that the physical universe is all that exists, or that it is a part of some larger multiverse and that is all that exists. Materialists deny the existence of any spiritual realm at all. Whereas, the presupposition of a Christian is given in the first verse of the Bible. Genesis 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

“In the beginning” means before this universe existed. In other words, God existed before this physical universe. He is eternal. Now some people will argue that if I invoke God as the Creator of this universe, I also need to explain how God came into existence, but that is simply not true. There is no such logical necessity. This universe needs an explanation only because we know it had a beginning and it is a logical necessity that anything that has a beginning must have a cause. But God does not have to be explained because he is eternal, he had no beginning. And it is logically necessary that something, or someone, must be eternal. As RC Sproul used to say, if there ever was a time when absolutely nothing existed, nothing would exist now. Our very existence requires that there be an eternal being with the power to bring this universe, including us, into existence.

And that leads to yet another thing we must ask, which is how do people get such wildly different presuppositions? The answer to that is also simple and given to us in the Bible. We are all born with a sinful nature that denies God and puts ourselves first, puts us on the throne. We inherit this nature from our first parents, Adam and Eve. There are many different worldviews that put us first, but they all deny the existence of the true and living God as Creator and deny that we are creatures who owe our Creator obedience and worship. These worldviews are either materialistic or, if they allow for some so-called spiritual realities outside of the physical realm, those realities do not take man off of his throne. In other words, many people will say that they believe in a god, or the spiritual realm, but their god is never one who will claim sovereign authority over their lives. He is not the Creator and Judge of the world. He is not the God of the Bible. Mankind is still firmly seated on the throne.

The Bible is clear that the only way we get the right worldview is by being born again. In John 3:3, Jesus Christ said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” And then in John 3:5 he said, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” We need to be born again because in our natural state we are rebels against God. The real problem is not a lack of evidence, it is a heart issue. We will never choose to believe and obey the true and living God on our own. We may believe in a god, but it will be a god of our own imaginations. For us to be able to stop rebelling and believe in the only true and living God, he must first work to change our hearts, which changes our presuppositions. That is what is called being born again.

When a person is born again, he receives the Holy Spirit to enable him to understand and believe the Word of God. We are told in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that “The man without the Spirit” – and this is speaking of the unregenerate man without the Holy Spirit – “does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

And in Romans 8:7-8, we are told that “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” It is a matter of the heart. And we are all born into this world controlled by the sinful nature, so we simply cannot submit to God or please him, it is impossible. It would require doing that which is directly opposed to our fundamental nature.

And in 2 Corinthians 4:4 we read that “The god”, speaking of the devil, “of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Friends, there is a powerful enemy of God who works to keep people from coming to faith. He is the devil, or Satan. He is a creature and has no power to thwart God’s plan, but he is much more powerful than you or me and he works to stop you from believing the truth about God, creation, sin and redemption. Only God is able to defeat this powerful enemy.

And with that background in mind, I now want to examine our passage in Mark 15. I will examine it under four headings: First, the historical facts; Second, Jesus came to save sinners; Third, You must be Born Again to Believe; and Fourth, The Example of the Criminal who Believed.

So, let’s begin by looking at the historical facts.

I.       The Historical Facts

Our passage in Mark 15 begins in Verse 21 by saying, “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.” Notice that this statement is plain, simple historical narrative, as is much of the Bible. It doesn’t read like a myth or a fabrication. It names a specific person, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. It tells the reader in essence, “Go, check it out. Speak to this man and see whether or not what I am saying is true.” As Paul later said in his defense before Festus, the Governor of Judea, and King Herod Agrippa II, in Acts 26:26, “The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.”

The events surrounding the public ministry of Jesus were known by the people in the region, they were not done in a corner as Paul said. The Bible is telling us about historical events, things that really happened. And God himself encourages us to look at history. In Isaiah 46:9-10 God said to the people, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Look up the word remember in a concordance and you will see how often God calls on people to remember the things he has done, what he has said. The Bible is true. It accurately describes real events. It accurately describes fallen human nature. It accurately foretold future events, and no one but God can do that.

We also know from the parallel account in John 19 that Jesus started out carrying his own cross, which would have been the normal procedure. But it is very likely that the flogging left him so physically drained that he couldn’t continue, and so they forced Simon to carry it the rest of the way for him.

Then, in Verse 22, we read that “They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).” This is again a verifiable place and event. It was known to the people of the time as a place of public executions. And in Verse 23 we are told that “they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.” Remember that during the last supper, when Jesus gave out the wine, which is a sign of the new covenant in his blood, we are told in Luke 22:18 that he said, “I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And so he didn’t. Here on the cross we see Jesus refusing to take a drink that was meant to deaden the pain. Jesus cannot lie. He cannot sin.

And then, Verse 24 of our passage starts with the simple statement, “And they crucified him.” Friends, these four words should astound us. The Bible does not dwell on the crucifixion itself as many people tend to do. Crucifixion was a monstrously cruel way to execute a person, which is why a Roman citizen could not legally be crucified. We tend to focus on the physical pain, which was certainly considerable. Having already been flogged nearly to death, Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the cross and he was hung up to die an agonizing death. But I will follow the Bible’s lead and not dwell on this matter.

I will do that in part because we must remember that the greater pain, by far, was the spiritual pain of Jesus becoming sin for us, being forsaken by the Father and the Holy Spirit, and then enduring the wrath of God in our place. That is why we read, in Mark 15:34, that “Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” This cry clearly shows that Jesus was enduring the horror of being forsaken by God and bearing the wrath of God for our sins.

And that cry is a quote from Psalm 22, which is important to look at in regard to the rest of our passage because it accurately describes the crucifixion of Jesus even though crucifixion was an unknown practice at the time the psalm was written, which was about a thousand years before Jesus was born. This again shows us that the Word of God is true. Only God knows the future. Verse 16 the psalm accurately says that they pierced Jesus’ hands and feet.

And Verse 24 of our passage goes on to say that “Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.” Which is again a fulfillment of a prophecy made in Psalm 22. Verse 18 of the psalm says, “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

Verses 25 and 26 of our passage then provide more historical detail, telling us that “It was the third hour when they crucified him.” And, “The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.” The charge against a criminal being crucified was usually posted on the cross. And by posting that Jesus was the King of the Jews, the authorities clearly meant to ridicule both Jesus and the Jews. After all, if he were a powerful king, as he claimed to be, why was no one fighting to stop them from crucifying him?

But this mocking also displayed their wrong worldview. Jesus Christ is a King, in fact, he is the King of kings and Lord of lords. But, as Jesus told Pilate in John 18:36, his kingdom is not of this world. Materialists think that this world is all there is, so they can’t understand Jesus’ kingdom. And materialists also think that when we die, we simply cease to exist. But the reality is that we are made for eternity, either eternity in heaven or eternity in hell as Jesus clearly says in Matthew 25:46.

And because materialists think of this life as being all there is, they also cannot understand any motivation that depends on our eternal existence after this short life is over. We see the problem this wrong view causes in the rest of our passage. Our passage goes on to tell us that they crucified two criminals along with Jesus and then, in Verses 29-30 we read that “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!’” From a materialist worldview this is a perfectly rational statement. Who wouldn’t save himself from a horrible death if he had the power to do so? So, in their minds, Jesus not saving himself was proof positive that he didn’t have the power to do so. But they were wrong because their worldview was wrong. Their hearts were hard.

Jesus refused to save himself because he knew about the eternal reality of heaven and hell. We are told in Hebrews 12:2 that “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame”. This joy is the consummation of God’s eternal plan of salvation. The gathering together of all of God’s chosen children in heaven to spend eternity with him. But we all deserve hell, so Jesus had work to do to bring us to heaven. And that leads to my second point: Jesus came to save sinners.

II.      Jesus Came to Save Sinners

One reason that Jesus did not save himself is that he loved you and he loved me. He loved us enough to take our sins upon himself, endure the wrath of God and die a horrible death on the cross for us. This was also prophesied in the Old Testament centuries before Jesus was born. We are told in Isaiah 53:5 that “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” This is referring to the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. The greatest act of love ever performed.

And in John 3:16 we are told that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Paul explains why God had to give his Son in Romans 3:25-26 where we are told that God presented Jesus Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, and that he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Friends, we were all sinners. Rebels against God. As Paul says in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. And being sinful rebels, there is nothing that we can do to pay for our own sins. But God is just and must punish sin. And since it is man who sinned, it had to be a man who paid the penalty. But because our sin was against the infinite God, no mere man can pay the penalty. Psalm 49:7-9 tells us that “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—that he should live on forever and not see decay.” To properly understand that statement we could insert a couple of adjectives and say that no mere man can redeem the life of another and that no finite payment is ever enough. But Jesus Christ is not a mere man, he is the unique God-man. The second person of the holy Trinity become incarnate. And his payment on the cross was infinite, certainly sufficient for all of his chosen people.

Our passage also tells us, in Verse 31, that “In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself!’” Oh, how wrong they were when they said he can’t save himself. As I noted earlier, one reason he didn’t save himself was that he loved his people and he came to save them. But he most assuredly could have saved himself!

When the mob came to arrest Jesus on the Mount of Olives and his disciples pulled a sword to defend him, we read in Matthew 26:52-54 that he said, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

We must understand that it wasn’t that Jesus couldn’t save himself, it was that he wouldn’t save himself. As I noted when I preached about Jesus’ prayer in the garden the night before his crucifixion, his submission to the will of God the Father was perfect. God had ordained that this was the way of salvation for his chosen people. And so the second reason why Jesus wouldn’t save himself was that he loved the Father and was perfectly obedient to his will.

We read in John 10:18 that Jesus told the people, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

And in Acts 2:23 we are told that in Peter’s sermon to the Jews in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, he said that Jesus “was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge”. And we read in Isaiah 53:10, “it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.” The will of the Lord prospers in the hands of Jesus because Jesus always does what pleases the Father as he himself declared in John 8:29.

We must take note of the amazing love of the Father in choosing some rebellious sinners to be saved and in sending his eternal Son to die in their place. We must also take note of the incredible love of Jesus to willingly take our sins upon himself, bear the wrath of God and die for us. No greater love is possible or imaginable.

And the chief priests and teachers of the law made another huge mistake. In Verse 32 we read that they said, “Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” But the truth is, they would not have believed even if he had come down from the cross. And that leads to my third point, you must be born again to believe.

III.    You must be Born Again to Believe

We know for certain that these leaders would not have believed even if Jesus had come down from the cross because three days after dying and being buried, he rose from the dead and they still did not believe! That boggles our minds, but it is a clear demonstration of the fact that the problem of unbelievers is not a lack of evidence, it is a hard heart.

And Jesus told us beforehand that even if someone rose from the dead it wouldn’t convince people. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus tells of a rich man who dies and goes to hell, where he is in torment. There is also a poor beggar named Lazarus in the parable and he died and went to heaven. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, who are still living, to tell them to repent and believe. In Luke 16:31 Jesus says that Abraham tells the rich man, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” By Moses and the Prophets Jesus was speaking about the Bible. His point is very clear. The Bible is sufficient evidence, but not for everyone. This man’s brothers would not repent and believe even if Lazarus rose from the dead to warn them. And, in the same way, most of the priests and teachers of the law would not believe even after Jesus rose from the dead.

Friends, unbelievers will not repent, believe and submit to God because they are enemies of God. They cannot repent and believe. It is impossible unless and until God changes their hearts. They have ears to hear, but don’t truly hear the gospel. They have eyes to see, but don’t see the truth. We see this message clearly in the commission God gave to the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 6:9-10 we read that God commanded Isaiah, “Go and tell this people: ‘“Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’”

This strange mission was carried out by preaching the gospel. The same gospel message has two completely opposite effects. To those who have rebellious hearts, it hardens them further. But those to whom God has given new hearts respond to the same gospel with repentance and faith. It has been said, correctly, that the sun hardens clay but softens wax. The sun is the same. The difference is in the material on which the sun shines. And so it is with the gospel. The message is the same, but the result depends on the heart of the hearer.

And this passage from Isaiah is so important that it is referenced six times in the New Testament. For example, in John 12:37-41 we read that “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” It is an incredible truth that human beings left in their natural sinful condition, will never accept the gospel message. No amount of evidence is ever enough, as John says, “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” Note that John said they would not believe – this is willful unbelief. No argument is ever going to convince an unregenerate person to believe. You must be born again.

And so these priests and teachers of the law were wrong yet again. Even if Jesus had come down from the cross, they would not have believed. But that leads to my fourth point, which also emphasizes my main point of application, the example of the criminal who believed.

IV.    The Example of the Criminal who Believed

We are told at the end of Verse 32 of our passage that “Those crucified with [Jesus] also heaped insults on him.” And that was certainly true at the start. But in the parallel account given by Luke, we are given some more information. In Luke 23:39-43 we read that “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

Oh, praise God for his indescribable mercy and grace! At the beginning of this terrible time of torment, both of the criminals mocked Jesus. But then something happened to one of them. God changed his heart, which enabled him to see the truth. He wasn’t given any more information than he had before. He wasn’t given a better argument than he’d ever heard before. His heart was changed, which changed his fundamental nature and his presuppositions. In other words, he was born again. And, as a result, he saw the truth clearly for the first time. He saw that he was a miserable sinner who was dying for his own sins. And he knew that when he died he was going to face judgment. But he also knew that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be, the Messiah. The Savior of the world. And so he rebuked the other thief, telling him the truth. And then he cried out to Jesus for mercy.

And because he confessed his sins and trusted in Jesus Christ alone, God saved him. At that very moment all of his sins were forgiven by God. His sins were taken away and placed on Jesus Christ. He was justified in the sight of God and adopted into the family of God. And Jesus told him that he would join him in Paradise that very day. And I can assure you that he did. What joy!

Do you see what an amazing difference a change in heart can make? The clay becomes wax and instead of being hardened by the light, it is softened. Instead of thinking of this life, the criminal focused on the next life. He didn’t ask Jesus to take him down from the cross, he asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. That is incredible. That is new birth.

Oh, if you have never surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, don’t sit there thinking you need to be convinced. Don’t wait for more evidence or a more convincing argument. Don’t be offended by the idea that you can’t understand the evidence correctly. Take note of what I said at the beginning. Examine the logical consequences of your worldview. If your worldview doesn’t include the God of the Bible, it is inadequate to explain this world and your nature. Take note of that and then take note of the fact that the biblical worldview explains all of it. And look into your own heart, you know that God exists.

We don’t know all of the details, and we can’t fully comprehend all that it is revealed to us, but we know that the universe was created. We know who created the universe – the only true and living God revealed to us in the Bible. We know why he created the universe – it was for the manifestation of his own glory. We know how man fell into sin when tempted by the devil. We know the provision God has made to redeem us from sin through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And we know that this life is not all there is – even if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ you know that in your heart of hearts. So cry out to God for a new heart! Fall on your knees before this great, glorious and merciful God and ask him to forgive your sins and open your eyes to the truth. We are told in Philippians 2:9-11 that “God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Think about that. You will bow the knee, you will confess the truth, but I pray that you cry out to God for mercy and do so now for your eternal salvation. Otherwise, you will do so only as you are being condemned to eternity in hell.

And if you are a believer, this episode still speaks loudly to you. Do you really believe that Jesus died for your sins? Do you really believe that he rose from the dead for your justification? Have you truly declared him to be your Lord? Then live for Christ. Obey his word. Put your sins to death. Trust God and all of his promises. Do not allow yourself to wander from the truth. Think of what Jesus has done for you and then take up your cross and follow him.