"Been Born Again"

"I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there." (Psalms 87:4)
Whether or not you may agree, the judgment of every good interpretation of the Bible should start with John 1:1-5. Any time that I am checking out a new Bible, that's where I turn to in order to see how they word those Scriptures that describe John's acknowledgment of who Jesus was, is, and always will be: He is God! What we have before us today is a proclamation of New Life! Who is "this man?" And where was he born? This man is you and I; those that have been born again into the family of God; those who come from all walks of life, from every nation and every tribe; people who accept Jesus Christ into their hearts, and make Him their Lord; all of whom have a New Birth Place, a place called "Zion." Actually Zion is more than a place, it's a destination. There is really is no better place to come to, in all the earth! If you want to know where it is, it is the place that Jesus told Peter He would build His church, upon the knowledge of who He is, The Christ! If you really want to get right down to it, it's as simple as looking to the cross and believing that He has died for your sins. I mean, it really doesn't get any simpler than that. Jesus told Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." There really was no other requirement given to the children of Israel, just look upon the serpent that Moses lifted up, and they would be saved from the poisonous bite that they had encountered. It's no different for us; we have all encountered the poisonous bite of sin; being born in sin, there was no way for us to avoid it, and there is no way for us to avoid sinning against God. I don't care who you are, or how much you might think that you can keep the law, it's part of your fallen nature to sin; you were born bitten! There is no other way to be saved but to look upon the cross of Christ; just as there was no other way to be saved in the wilderness for those that were dying from a venomous snake bite; it was all about looking up at that brass serpent or die. There was nothing else to discuss on the matter and no other way around it. As simple a solution as that might have been, why did so many of them die from not looking? Isn't Zion just a place like any other place? If that's what you think, then to you, that's all it will be...
"Instead, you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure. It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut and whose stakes are firmly fixed. The LORD will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross, that no enemy can sail upon. For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us. The enemies' sails hang loose on broken masts with useless tackle. Their treasure will be divided by the people of God. Even the lame will take their share! The people of Israel will no longer say, "We are sick and helpless," for the LORD will forgive their sins." (Isaiah 33:20-24) NLT