Born Again or Born From Above? The Hidden Meaning of John 3 Explained (DCLC 1984)

Let’s look at this. Rich, Aristocratic. Extremely religious, probably one of the most religious men who ever lived and a ruler. If he lived today, he’d be a cross between Billy Graham, the Pope, and President Reagan. And the Rockefellers. Yes. All of that in one man. There is this feeling that many people looking at this man have the sense that this very well could have been the finest human being who ever lived. Very possibly the least sinful, most good and righteous man who ever lived. A theologian, a senator, a wealthy man, an aristocrat, very religious, and he’s got a seeking heart. I tell you, he has got a lot going for him, and he’s got a lot against him.

This man comes in, and he sits down, and he says, “I know that you are the Son of God because no man can do what you do except the Son of God.” And the Lord Jesus Christ looks inside, and He sees a door closed to all reality. He sees something totally dead. I think He also sees His crucifixion, and He sees that man burying Him. I think He sees the resurrection. I think He looks inside that man’s spirit and knows that he was marked off inside of Jesus Christ before time in eternity. And I think He must consider now for a moment the glory of what’s going to take place in about four years. And also, I think He considers the blindness of this man. This man really can’t see or understand, and at best he’s guessing because he has no contact with the other realm. Then He says to him so rapidly, so quickly, “Nicodemus, unless you are born from above, you’ll not see the kingdom of God. All you’ve got won’t get you there. Even if you’re seeking a heart, you’re going to have to be born in another realm.”

I want you to go back now in eternity, and I want you to see God as all. And the scripture plainly tells us that Christ was in the bosom of the Father. That means at the center of this great unlimited, limitless ocean of Godness is the Son. Now I want you to look at the very heart and center of the very being of the Son. I want you to know that they have contemplated and considered creation. But before that happens, in the very most internal part of the Son who is in the very most internal part of the Father, there are portions that are inside Christ Jesus that have been predetermined to enter this realm. Portions that will come through that door.

On the other hand, because we’re speaking of a place that has no dimension, it is not that portion in Christ, marked off in Christ, that will come through the door, but in a very real way, we have to come through that door to that portion that has been marked off for us that is that eternal part of us so ancient. I’m trying to tell you that there’s something inside you right now that’s as old as the ancient days, right now. I also want you to know that that portion comes out of the realm of the spirituals into the realm of the physicals. But I also want you to know that it also never leaves the spiritual realm. I can’t help you any further than that. Just appreciate that fact, would you? That which is in you right now, as old as the ancient of days, comes through that door, and yet it also never leaves the spiritual realm.

Now to put it another way, I would like for you to look at that door and see that door as a womb. Something that is in God that has been there through all eternity comes through that door and suddenly breaks forth into the material realm. You remember when I spoke of Christ coming through the womb of Mary, and God breaks forth into the material realm. Well, there comes a moment when a portion of the spirit of God comes through that door, like a womb which is like unto a womb, and breaks forth into the physical realm. The first thing it encounters is death, and life cannot live in the presence of death, so there’s nothing to do but make death live. And so that human spirit is made alive. And that which is divine, that which is a portion of the ancient days, that which has been in the center of Christ, has been in Christ for all ages, now, breaks forth into the human spirit, makes it alive, and suddenly that which has been in heavenly realms is born into the material realm. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that wonderful? Say, that’s wonderful. That’s wonderful. And that spirit breaks through the heavenly realms, through that door, comes into the material realm, makes something alive, and looks around.

But I’ll tell you, the connection with heavenly places never ends. Now I’m going to tell that same story going the other way, because it goes the other way too. There is a portion of you that stands at the door and looks into heavenly places and must enter that heavenly realm, and there be conceived and born. That’s your dead spirit, buster. The spirit which has been dead, which is in you, do you not realize was once in heavenly places? Even though it’s dead, it’s never left heaven. Well, it has never left its relationship to heavenly places. Quote that. Has never left its relationship to heavenly places.

Do you not realize that one-third of you came from the heavens? When God took that deep breath and blew into you the breath, He blew something of spiritual realms into you, and your father Adam knew that, and it lived within him, and he could see things unseen. And that realm has been dead and must be raised again…raised again to its original habitat. And there is a portion of you that’s got to be born in that realm. Born there; and when your spirit and the Lord’s spirit unite, and there is birth or rebirth, that spirit returns to its abode, within you. Your spirit, your own spirit returns to its original abode. Why aren’t you standing on your chairs jumping back? Why aren’t you shouting and hollering and screaming? You Pentecostals at least ought to be shouting glory. There is a part of you right now that is in the heavens. The wind is blowing again. The wind is blowing.

The wind is blowing, it’s blowing this way, and it’s blowing that way. The holy wind has joined with that which has once been heavenly wind. They’re back together again. Praise the Lord. And the Lord Jesus looks at him, and he says, “You’re going to have to be born from above.” And he says, “How?” And about that time, the window rattles. There’s a light breeze outside. And he says, “The wind blows where it will.” You hear the sound of it. You don’t know where it came from. You don’t know where it goes. So it is with a heavenly wind. How can I explain heavenly things to you? You don’t even understand earthly things. But I will tell you this. There is a wind, and it blows. A heavenly wind that blows, and it blows where it will. You don’t know where it came from. You don’t know where it goes. But you can hear its sound. You can hear it if you have ears; you can hear its sound.

Marvel not that I say to you, you have to be born from in heavenly realms. No one understands that but the Son of Man, who was born in heavenly realms and who has entered earthly realms but who at this very moment is in heavenly places. He was sitting there fellowshipping with the holy wind. He could feel that wind blowing and moving in Him. He could sense that… and I’ll use the term from our viewpoint, not his, that birthing of God that had been put into Him in Mary’s womb. He could sense and feel the moving of that Spirit. He could go and join in the heavenly places. He could be there and hear the wind. He could see again that realm where He fellowshipped with His Father, and He was in that moment in fellowship with His Father.

Now you listen one more time. You got saved, and on the day you got converted, something that had come from there went back in there and was born. And it joined with what was in there. Wind met wind. The spirit of man met the spirit of God. The wind of man, which wasn’t blowing, met the holy wind of God, which was blowing. There was an ignition, and the two were joined to one another. Do you not know that He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit?

And the wind is blowing, and the holy wind came into the man, you. And at the same time, the wind that was there and now born in heavenly places goes back to heavenly places. I’ll tell you again, there’s intercourse. There’s commerce. There’s movement back and forth. I’m telling you again, there is one third of you that is not bound by dimensions. There is a part of you that can move into the eternals and even before the eternals. Now, WHY DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? Even now, I’m in heavenly places.

By the way, I want you to know that there’s one-third of you…I hope you can get a hold of this… one-third of you never sweats it. One-third of you has never bothered. Oh man, have I got problems today. You know, only two-thirds of you have a problem. One-third of you is sitting there cool as a cucumber. I’ve risen from the dead. I live in the heavenly realm right now.  I’ll tell you, if you would take one-third of that other two-thirds and stick that one-third through that door with the original one-third, that third won’t sweat either. Did you follow that?