At our evangelistic conferences the emphasis is being made that we need to develop techniques to get more people into our churches. With equal priority it can be said that we need additional skill for getting many of these people who have already joined the church to join Jesus.

        Many religious people who think they are saved are not. Jesus made this very clear.

Matt. 25:31 through Matt. 25:46 (KJV)
³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

        The Bible further tells us of religious people who were at the same time lost and needed to be born again.

        Nicodemus (John 3)

        The rich young ruler (Matthew 19)

        Paul (Philippians 3)

        Cornelius (Acts 10)

        The scribes and pharisees (Matthew 23)

        The Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8)

        It was to a very religious man that Jesus said, "You must be born again." If you are forsaking a vital experience with Jesus (the new birth) for a religion of empty ritual and rigid rules of self righteousness, you will never enter the kingdom of God. You must be born into God's family through the new birth. If you are depending on your religion to save you, you are twice worse off than if you had no religion at all. For your faith in an empty externalism lulls you into a false sense of security, thus preventing you from coming to Jesus in confession of your sins and faith in Him as you Savior. I urge you to turn from your religion and turn to Christ as the apostle Paul did. He tells about his experience:

Phil. 3:4 through Phil. 3:9 (KJV)
⁴ Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: ⁵ Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. ⁷ But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, ⁹ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

II.   Reformation Is Not The New Birth.

        Reformation means to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses, to put and end to an evil or bad habit by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action, to become changed for the better. We often advise the lost to quit drinking, smoking, etc. and to clean up his life. We mean well but this is a waste of breath because a lost person does not have the Holy Spirit to help him. He is under the power and influence of Satan.

        A woman says, "I have such a good husband. He is good to me and the children and does all he can for us. He doesn't go to church but he is a good man. Now what does it matter how good he is as long as he is dead. We must understand that goodness is not life. The lost are spiritually dead regardless of how good they may be. They are as lost as the meanest person alive. One has said, "You can take a man and let him have a good bath, shave and haircut, dress him up in an expensive new suit, sprinkle orange blossom perfume on him and place a rose in his coat lapel, but he is still dead." And so it is of every lost person. They are dead until they receive life through being born again. Being born again is the only way to get life -- the very nature of God.

2 Pet. 1:4 (KJV)
⁴ Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

        One does not receive this new nature by methods of reform. Take the hog as a good example. Take him and give him a good bath, comb his bristles, manicure his toe nails, put a ring in his nose and a ribbon on his ear. Now turn him loose near a mud puddle and see what he does. We know that he'll soon be in that mud puddle. Why? It is just his nature, that is all. Scrubbing him and making him look good did not change his nature one bit. He is still the same hog with the same old nature. Take an unsaved sinner and let him clean up his life, turn over a new leaf and start living a respectable life. Still he is an unsaved sinner and all his goodness does not change his heart one bit. Deep down he is still the same nature and it is liable to show up any time. What he needs is not reformation but an entirely new nature and that comes only from God.

        Some who object to the doctrine of eternal security bring up these verses to prove their point of view.

2 Pet. 2:20 through 2 Pet. 2:22 (KJV)
²⁰ For if after they have escaped the polutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again intangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. ²¹ For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. ²² But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

        But, these verses are not talking about a saved person. They are talking about an unsaved person who reformed his life. They are talking about a hog, "a sow that was washed" that returns "to her wallowing in the mire." Peter is talking about a white washed sinner that had never been saved and given a new nature. There is a vast difference between being white washed and being washed white. When one repents of sin and accepts Jesus as Savior, his sins are forgiven and he is washed white in the blood of Jesus.

1 John 1:7 (KJV)
⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Rev. 1:5 (KJV)
⁵ And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

        I like this illustration I got from a devotional booklet: There's an old Indian fable about a mouse who, like all mice, was afraid of cats. A wizard felt sorry for him and offered to help him lose his fear. So with the mouse's approval, the wizard turned him into a cat. The cat, however, was afraid of dogs. So the wizard turned the cat into a dog. but the dog was afraid of tigers. So the wizard turned the dog into a tiger. When the wizard discovered that the tiger was afraid of hunters, he exclaimed in disgust, "You're hopeless. What you needed was a change of heart! And that I cannot give you."

        People too need a new heart. Rather than merely being fixed up on the outside, they must be completely changed on the inside to overcome their sin related fears.

        This inner change occurs when we admit our sinfulness and place our trust in Christ for salvation. By God's Spirit we are born again, and we become a "new creation."

2 Cor. 5:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

        Reformation is turning over a new leaf; regeneration is receiving a new life. Reformation is man's work, regeneration is God's work. Reformation is external while the new birth is internal. Reformation is temporary while the new birth is eternal. Reformation has to do with the deeds of the body which the new birth has to do with the soul of man. Jesus told about a man who reformed his life and that "the last state of that man becomes worse that the first."

Matt. 12:43 through Matt. 12:45 (KJV)
⁴³ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. ⁴⁴ Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. ⁴⁵ Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

        Now let us notice a few things about this man Jesus is talking about. He recognized evil in his life and he wanted to get rid of it. He put forth the effort and succeeded in casting out the evil spirit. so good so far but he made a fatal mistake. He left his life empty and the one evil spirit he had cast out returned bringing with him seven spirits more wicked than himself. They found the man's life empty swept and garnished. It was a standing invitation for them to move in and take over and that they did. That is why Jesus said "The last state of that man's life is worse than the first."

        The most impossible thing I know is to make a success of keeping a clean life when at the same time it is empty. The person who is thinking of becoming a Christian but thinks only of the things he is not going to do is foredoomed to failure. When a person is born again of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit becomes a permanent resident in his life and is there to help that one live the Christian life.

1 Cor. 6:19 through 1 Cor. 6:20 (KJV)
¹⁹ What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

John 14:23 (KJV)
²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

        We used to be told that the way to improve character was to cast off wrong habits one by one, but this is an almost impossible task, since the number of them is legion. A story is told of a scholar who had a carpenter living on one side of him and a blacksmith on the other side. The noise they made between them made life unindurable for the scholar, and finally he paid them both to move. They moved. The next morning he awoke to the same nerve racking noises, and discovered that the two had simply changed places, the carpenter occupying the blacksmith/s shop, and the blacksmith the carpenter's. The scholar had taken pains to see who went out. but had neglected to see who was coming in.

        Two things cannot occupy the same place at the same time. If we have Christ in our hearts, if we surrender completely to Him, the devil cannot get hold of us. A good old Christian man lived a life that was so fine that it made people marvel. A young man said to him one time, "What is thee secret of you life? Are you ever bothered by temptation? Does the devil ever knock at the door of you heart?" "Oh, yes," answered the old man, "but when he knocks at the door of my heart I say to him, "This space is occupied.'" It is true, if Jesus fills your heart the devil can't get in.

        Let me repeat: Reformation is man's work in cleaning up the outside while regeneration is God's work in cleaning up the inside -- the heart. Jesus said, "You must be born from above."

III.   Morality Is Not The New Birth.

        Morality is a doctrine or system of morals relating to principles of right and wrong behavior. Morality is conformity to a standard of what is good and right, freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character. It is important that a person live a clean, upright, moral life but this will not save him.

        A preacher was in a revival meeting in Texas some years ago. A man, pale and weak, came forward to confess the Lord. He asked for the priveledge of saying a few words. This is what he said: "You all know me. I was born and reared in this community. All these years you know that I have been depending upon my morality and my good works and my good character. If I do say it, I call you to witness who have known me from childhood. I have lived an upright life. I have been honest. I have paid my debts and treated people right, and I have been living the best I knew how by the golden rule. I have told you, many of you, that that was my religion and that it was going to get me to heaven. Listen, folks, about three weeks ago the doctor stood by my bedside, looked into my face and said, "Jim Ragsdale is you house in order?" I said, "What do you mean doctor? He said, "I mean that you are going to die today. Are you ready to meet God" When the doctor told me that I turned my face to the wall and the lights went out. Everything went black. Everything went as dark as midnight and I reached out in that awful darkness for something to hold on to and there wasn't a thing." He said that in that awful hour he cried to God and said, "O God, if you will hear me and give me another chance, I will confess Christ before the world." God heard my cry and here I am to make good my promise."

        And then he said, "Listen, folks morality may do to live by, but I want to tell you that when you turn your face toward the wall and the lights go out and you face that awful darkness and reach out for something to hold on to, you will realize then that you need Jesus and that nothing else will do."

        "The only difference between a moral man who rejects the Savior and an immoral reprobate who rejects Him is that one will go to hell moral and the other will go to hell immoral."

        So many people think that if they live clean moral lives they'll have a better chance of getting into heaven than a very wicked immoral person. Let me illustrate. You and I go to a ball game where the admission price is five dollars. You have two dollars and I have only one. Which of us stands a better chance of getting in? You know the answer. Neither of us can get in . The moral man may have more good works in his favor but since the price of admission into the kingdom of heaven is the new birth, he cannot get any closer to salvation than the meanest man on earth. They both must alike experience the new birth.

        Before he was saved, Jerry McCauley was an habitual drunkard, but when he was converted he gave up the liquor habit. He was telling a doctor about his experience and the doctor said, "Why, Jerry, don't you know that kind of thing is impossible? Why, after a man drinks so long, even his stomach is affected by his drinking, and it is impossible for a man who drinks over a period of time to just up and give it up all of a sudden." "Well, praise the Lord!" said Jerry McCauley. "What do you mean?" asked the doctor. "Well, praise the Lord," said McCauley, "I knew the Lord gave me a new heart, but I didn't know He gave me a new stomach, too!"

        I cannot promise you that God will give you a new stomach but I can promise you that He'll give you a new nature. You must trust Jesus and be born anew in order to receive this.

        Before I close, I want to answer the question. How can one be born again? Nicodemus asked Jesus, "How can these things be?" Jesus told him a very familiar Old Testament story.

Num. 21:8 through Num. 21:9 (KJV)
⁸ And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. ⁹ And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

        And then Jesus said. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (reference to His death on the cross). That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:14 (KJV)
¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

        There wasn't a thing in the world those dying Israelites could do to save themselves except to do exactly as God told them to do. And lost friend, there is only one thing in this world that you can do to be saved and that is to do exactly as Jesus said -- believe that He died to pay your sin debt on the cross and trust Him as your Lord and Savior.

John 3:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:36 (KJV)
³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 14:6 (KJV)
⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12 (KJV)
¹² Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

        Today is the day of salvation. Don't put it off.