"You Must Be Born Again" | John 1:1-15 | Pastor Brian Lee | Sunday Worship (February 8, 2026) Introduction John 3 introduces a Jewish man named Nicodemus. Now, Nicodemus is the kind of person we assume doesn’t need the “born again” message. After all, he’s not a "mess." He’s not “searching.” He’s established—moral, educated, respected, religious. And that’s precisely why John 3 is so unsettling. Jesus says the new birth is not for “those people,” but for everyone, including the most put-together person in the room. 1. YOU must be born again (vv. 1–3) Nicodemus is not needy in the obvious ways. Pharisee: disciplined, morally serious Ruler: influence, stability, reputation Teacher of Israel (v. 10): trained, trusted, “knows his Bible” And he comes at night (v. 2). This is not necessarily a sign of desperation, but more of cautiousness. He approaches Jesus respectfully. “we know you are a teacher come from God” (v. 2). In other words, he’s evaluating Jesus. Nicodemus sees Jesus as a young teacher but not the Messiah. But Jesus doesn’t let him stay in the safe category of “religious conversation.” Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (v. 3) This is intensely personal: Nicodemus, with all your morality, learning, status, and religion—you still need a new birth. The new birth is not mainly for the emotionally broken or morally chaotic. Nicodemus disproves every stereotype. The new birth is a universal necessity, especially for the religious person who assumes, “I’m already close.” Some people are far from God by open rebellion. Others are far from God by respectable religion. Both need to be born again. 2. You MUST be born again (vv. 4–8) It's a "must!" Jesus is not giving a suggestion. This is a necessity. Why? Because we are not basically "sick" people who need medical advice to improve our health. We are dead people who need a new life. Nicodemus keeps thinking in categories of self-improvement: “How can a man be born when he is old?” (v. 4). Jesus is saying, you don’t need adjustment. What you need is death and resurrection. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (v. 6) Flesh can only produce flesh. The old nature can’t generate the new life. That’s why Jesus says, Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (v. 7) And then the wind metaphor. The wind blows where it wishes… so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. (v. 8) The Spirit is not something you control, schedule, or manufacture. You can’t “decide yourself into” the kingdom. New birth is God’s work, God’s initiative, God’s power. Ephesians says. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… (Ephesians 2:1) But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ… (Ephesians 2:4–5) So “you must be born again” means salvation is not self-rescue. It’s mercy. It’s grace. It’s divine life given to the dead. The baby doesn’t cause the birth. New birth is received, not achieved. You must receive it! You must be born again! 3. You must be BORN AGAIN (vv. 9–15) Nicodemus begins with the teacher paradigm. “Rabbi… you are a teacher come from God” (v. 2) He wants Jesus’ insight, Jesus’ ethics, Jesus’ instruction. And Jesus essentially says, Nicodemus, you don’t primarily need a teacher. You need a Savior. You don’t need information; you need transformation. Jesus says, No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. (v. 13) You can’t climb up to God by religion. God must come down. Then Jesus gives the decisive image, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (vv. 14–15) Born again is not a vague spiritual experience. It is tied to a specific act of God in history. Jesus was lifted up at the cross. The serpent story (Numbers 21) was not “try harder.” It was that you were dead, and God has provided a remedy. Look away and live. So what is the mark of the new birth? Not merely admiration for Jesus’ teaching, but faith in Jesus’ saving work. Not “I like Jesus,” but “I need Jesus.” Not “teach me,” but “save me.” Shift from teacher mindset (self-effort, moral confidence) to Savior mindset (grace, dependence, faith). Conclusion John 3 is a mercy and grace because it refuses to let us settle for respectable religion. You must be born again: even the established, moral, religious person. You must be born again: because dead people can’t raise themselves. You must be born again: because Jesus is not only a teacher to follow but a Savior to trust—lifted up for sinners. So don’t climb. Don’t negotiate. Don’t merely admire. Look to the lifted-up Son, and live! For more sermons, visit https://www.riversidepeople.org/sermons

"Why Did God Test Abraham?" | Sunday Worship (February 1, 2026) | Pastor Brian Lee Riverside Community Church, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 www.riversidepeople.org

Noah, the Ark & the Flood | Pastor Brian Lee | Sunday Worship (January 18, 2026)

"Why Did Adam Hide?" |Genesis 3:1-13 | Sunday Worship | January 11th, 2026 Riverside Community Church

Why did God create us, humanity? The quick answer is God made us for worship, stewardship, and relationship. Let's dig in.

The Most Important Question in Life? It's not academic advancement, vocational success, financial stability, or anything else. It's this: What does the Creator (God) want from you? If you get that wrong, you’ll end up in one of two places: Pressure: “I must do enough.” (Religious) Drift: “It doesn’t really matter.” (Secular) Most people live by the "Golden Rule"--i.e., "Being good,” but no one seems to fully agree on what good actually means. Is goodness, being nice, keeping rules, following culture, or what? Micah asks: 6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Micah is asking the most important question of our lives — "What is truly good in God’s eyes?"

Introduction John Knox (1514-1572) is known as the principal architect of the Church of Scotland. He lived in Geneva, Switzerland, where he ministered among the English-speaking refugee congregation and worked closely with John Calvin. He considered Geneva “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on earth since the days of the Apostles.” In 1559, John Knox returned to Scotland. When John Knox returned, the nation was spiritually barren. Churches were full of ritual but empty of Scripture. People participated in ceremonies, but they did not understand the Word. Religion kept them busy, but their hearts were empty. Knox didn’t arrive in Scotland with a political strategy or clever innovation. He brought the Bible, and he preached the Gospel. It wasn't the man but the Word that accomplished the Reformation in Scotland. Eyewitnesses tell us that entire towns gathered, sometimes daily, to hear the Bible read and explained. People stood for hours just as they did in Nehemiah’s day. They wept as the Word exposed their sin. But just as in Nehemiah 8, their sorrow was not the end. It became the gateway to joy. In Nehemiah 8, the walls were rebuilt, but the hearts were not. The city was restored, but the community was not yet renewed. And so God did what He has always done. He restored His people through His Word.

A.W. Tozer warned, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on, and no one would know the difference.” In other words, it's entirely possible for us to gather for worship and stay busy with church events without God occupying the center of our lives. That’s what happened in the days of Haggai. The people of Judah had returned from exile with great hope. They had endured Babylon, survived the long journey home, and even laid the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3). But after facing opposition (Ezra 4), the work came to a halt. One year passed… then five… then ten… then sixteen years. Life went on. The temple remained in ruins. And amid that spiritual drift, God speaks a piercing, awakening word through the prophet Haggai. This morning, we are hearing the same word. God spoke to the covenant people then, and now to us: “Consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5, 7) Let us consider our ways. First things, first. 1. God Calls Us To Reorder Our Priorities Under His Word (Haggai 1:1–6) 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. The Hebrew word for “consider” literally means “Fix your whole inner attention on the path you are actually walking.” God is saying: “Stop. Look. Reflect. Examine your life in the light of My Word.” The people had convincing reasons for the delay. “It’s not the time to rebuild.” “We’ll get to it later.” “We’re too busy trying to survive.” They were busy, but not satisfied. This reveals the deeper spiritual issue. Their loves were disordered. They were prioritizing good things—homes, work, stability—over the greatest thing: God Himself. Augustine describes this condition with striking clarity: “My sin was this: that I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in Him, but in myself and His other creatures—and so I fell.” (Confessions 2.5.10) When we seek ultimate satisfaction in created things rather than the Creator, life becomes restless and fractured. We end up exhausted, frustrated, and spiritually empty. Augustine’s insight helps us understand Haggai’s audience. They were not rejecting God outright. They were simply looking for meaning, security, and identity in something other than God. And when our loves are disordered, our lives become disordered. Tim Keller said, “The human heart takes good things and turns them into ultimate things.” This is why God tells them—twice: “Consider your ways.” 2. God Lovingly Disrupts Us So That We May Return To Him (Haggai 1:7–11) 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” Why would God allow this? To wake them up. To rescue them from spiritual numbness. To save them from wasting their lives. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I [Paul] will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”—2 Co. 12:9 Divine disruption is an act of divine mercy. God frustrates our lesser loves to bring us back to our first love. 3. God Restores His People and Empowers Their Obedience (Haggai 1:12–15) 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” What happens next is remarkable. The leaders and the people respond with obedience (v. 12). This is the fruit of God’s Word and the work of the Spirit. And then comes one of the most beautiful promises in the Old Testament: “I am with you, declares the LORD.” (v. 13) Here is the heart of the gospel in Haggai. God does not say, “Work harder so I will be with you.” He says, “I am with you. Therefore, rise and build.” Christian obedience flows from assurance, not fear. Grace precedes action. God's presence produces our perseverance. Then verse 14: “And the LORD stirred up the spirit of the people.” The same God who commands obedience creates obedience. The same God who calls us to repentance empowers repentance. This is grace. God requires what He Himself provides.