God's Unchanging Gifts: The Power of Regeneration

1) "The truth of the matter stands. We love gifts. We love receiving them, we love opening them, and we love enjoying them. If you have the right perspective on life, you'll notice that everything in your life is a gift. From the food that you eat to the clothes that you wear to the houses that you live in, the jobs that you have, to your intellect, to the fact that you can speak and see your senses, to the very breath that's in your lungs and to the life that you have. All of this comes from God's hand. And God, as omnipotent and merciful, gives us these good gifts." [06:31] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "And far greater than any physical gift, God has given to them all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called them to his own glory, and excellence. The believers have gifts suited for every trial and every temptation. In fact, James tells them that they have received the greatest gift of all. You see, this ultimate gift comes from God and it ensures that they are able to face and endure any trial or temptation. It is because of this gift and from it that the believers are equipped, that they are empowered to fight sin and faithfully serve the Savior." [09:41] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "James describes God as the immutable giver. The immutable giver. The immutable is really a fancy word just to say. Unchanging. God is the unchanging giver. And we'll see that in verse 17. The second description that James gives of God is that he is the sovereign regenerator. He is the sovereign regenerator. And we'll see that in verse 18. And so let's look again at verse 17. Look in your Bibles. James says there, Every good gift and every perfect gift. Is from above, coming down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." [11:30] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Though our God lives above, he gives us all that we need while we are here on earth. And as a loving Father, he provides for the needs of all his children exactly as they need it. When I think of my son and my desire to see him grow and live, I desire for him to have everything that he needs to give him good gifts. Now, granted, I don't give him everything he wants or everything he desires, but I give him everything that I think would be best for his growth. Those of you who are parents and have children, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. You want to see your kids thrive with what they have in the place that they're in. And so you give them exactly what they need as best as you can." [16:33] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "God is immutable in His very nature. Child of God, do you believe this this morning? Are you turning to your Heavenly Father, looking to His hand for everything that you need? Are you crying out to Him to give you those good gifts as you ask according to His will? Remember, God is eager to give. Are you willing to ask? When you leave this room today, and you feel the warmth of the sun upon your skin, and you lift your hand to shade your eyes from the piercing rays of the sun, remember this verse. Remember this verse. That though the sun changes in its brightness throughout the day, God never changes. And this evening, when you step outside, and you look at the night sky and see the stars and the moon in its different form, remember this verse." [25:39] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "Regeneration is the impartation of spiritual life by God to those who are spiritually dead. I'll say it again. Regeneration is the impartation, in other words, giving of something to someone. God imparts this to us. It's the impartation of spiritual life by God to those who are spiritually dead. We could also say it's the process of transforming a heart of stone into a heart of flesh, creating new life. And as we see this action taking place, we realize that this is really an action of God. It's nothing that we could do in and of ourselves. You see, we are spiritually dead before we come to the Lord. And those who are spiritually dead can do nothing. And so this must be a work of God." [34:44] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "He puts forward these two birthing scenarios saying that sin comes from the joining of desire and temptation, which ultimately brings forth death. But on the other hand, in stark contrast, new birth, the second birth as Christ speaks about it, new birth, regeneration, comes from God and his life -giving spirit as he empowers us to be born again. He brought spiritual life into our dead state, making us new creatures in Christ. How amazing is that? We who were dead in our trespasses and sin were made now anew to walk in the image of God. God has brought us forth. He has regenerated us." [37:24] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "If you are saved here today, I want you to hear this. This is how it relates. If you are saved, you can be sure of your salvation. This verse should bring you assurance of your salvation. Why? Because if you think about it, the Holy Spirit, who sealed you for the day of glorification, will never go and undo that sealing. Christ, on the cross, as He fulfilled that full atoning work, will never go back and undo that atoning work. And God the Father, who elected you before the foundation of this world, will never, never go back and undo that election. God never changes. He never changes. And so because of this, we can hold fast to His promises. We can hold fast to His word." [47:37] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9) "Your life belongs to you. You have been bought with a price. You now serve a new master. Your life should show evidence of God's regenerating work within you. Your life should show evidence of God's regenerating work within you. In the Old Testament times, the first fruits, as James mentions it over here, the first fruits were the first and the best of the harvest that was gathered and was given to God. You can read about this in Deuteronomy chapter 26. And really this harvest symbolized two things. First of all, it symbolized that the Israelites set apart this particular harvest and devoted it to the Lord as holy by way of thanking Him for His redemptive work in their lives as He brought them out of slavery in Egypt into His promised land." [48:30] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)