John 3 Which birth do you celebrate at Christmas?

Summary: A verse by verse examination of what the Bible says about being born again. A special Christmas message.

Bible References:

John 3:1-21 ( KJV ) ¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  ²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  ⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  ⁸The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.  ⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?  ¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?  ¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.  ¹²If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?  ¹³And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.  ¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  ¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  ¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  ¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  ²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  ²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Isaiah 7:14 ( KJV ) ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Matthew 1:23 ( KJV ) ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.