3:3 Jesus said  "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again/from above (see 1:13), he cannot see the kingdom of God." 5 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again/from above.' 8...everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 "How can these things be?" 10 "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven (Basis of Revelation).   [NB Kingdom ? escape from lake of fire]

I. Jesus gives Life and Abundant Life ”I have come that they may have life, and  may have it more abundantly” Jn 10:10;20:31
Jn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (cf Acts 4:12)

II. To become a Child of God we must Believe in Jesus as God's Provision for our sin (Rm 3:23; 5:8; 2Cor 5:21; Jn 3:16; 1Pt 3:18)
A. Jn 1:12  as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children  to those who believe in his name:13 who were born not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God. 29 he saw Jesus coming to him, said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  33...he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God

B. 1Jn 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. 4 whatever is born of God overcomes the world...victory...faith
1Pt 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth thru the Spirit for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, thru the word of God which lives and abides forever (cf 1Pt 1:3)

C. Ezk 11:17 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will gather you from the peoples...give you the land of Israel." '19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their  abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD 23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city

D. 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Num 21:4-9), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (See DTB Sidebar)
3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Eternal life = “of The Age” Dominion (Survey of Rewards on TB.net)

E. 1Jn 5:10 believes in the Son of God has the witness... not believe God has made Him a liar, b/c he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son: 11 that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 This I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

F. Unbelief is a function of pride; belief is a function of humility  Js 4:6 God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. 7 submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,

G. 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

III. To experience the Abundant Life/Kingdom Dominion we must Follow Jesus as He's Revealed (2:43)

The kingdom is not a plebian democracy, but an aristocratic meritocracy, as promised in both OT & NT. People who excel in this life are frequently motivated to have more and be better than others; in pursuing those temporal desires they usually forfeit having more and being better in the the next life. Instead of seeking the trivialities of temporal gain, they should figure out what pursuits result in eternal gain. Mt 5-7; 10:24-27

Jn 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth --- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.cf (Daniel 7:13; 12:2)

Mt 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

2Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:
1. Why is it important to have one's sin/rebellion (independence is the essense of sin)  against God forgiven? (See Rom 3:23 6:23)
2. Does being born again automatically result in the abundant life in this world and eternal life/dominion of The Age in the coming kingdom?
3. Can someone know for sure that their sins are forgiven and they're going to heaven? What do they have to do or believe?