In our natural state, we are spiritually dead, unable to perceive the true value of Christ. This spiritual deadness is described in Ephesians 2:4, where it is noted that by nature, we are resistant to God and prioritize worldly things over Him. This condition underscores the need for a miraculous transformation—a new birth—to truly know and enjoy God eternally. The new birth is not something we can initiate on our own; it is a divine act that brings us into a new life with God. [02:20]
Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV): "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you feel spiritually stagnant. How can you invite God to bring new life into this area today?
Day 2: The Sovereign Work of the Spirit
Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 reveals the necessity of being born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. This new birth is a sovereign act of the Spirit, likened to the wind—unseen, uncontrollable, yet powerful and life-giving. Just as we did not initiate our physical birth, we do not initiate our spiritual rebirth. It is a miraculous gift from God, a work of the Holy Spirit that brings about faith in Christ. [04:35]
John 3:7-8 (ESV): "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt the Spirit's presence in your life. How can you remain open to the Spirit's leading in your daily decisions?
Day 3: The First Cry of Faith
The first evidence of new birth is the arising of faith in Christ, where the heart recognizes Jesus as Lord and Savior. This faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, marking the beginning of a new life in Christ. It is the moment when the heart cries out in recognition of Jesus' lordship and salvation, signifying a profound transformation within. [05:43]
1 Corinthians 12:3 (ESV): "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit."
Reflection: Think about your own journey of faith. What was the moment you first recognized Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how has that shaped your life since?
Day 4: The Role of the Word in New Birth
The Word of God plays a crucial role in the new birth, as faith comes by hearing the Word. The Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the Word, not independently, to glorify the Son of God through the preaching of the Gospel. The Spirit's mission is to glorify the Son, and this is accomplished through the Word, as seen in the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14, where the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. [07:39]
Acts 16:14 (ESV): "One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul."
Reflection: How can you make space in your daily routine to hear and meditate on the Word of God, allowing it to transform your heart?
Day 5: Our Role in Proclaiming the Word
Our role in the process of new birth is to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, trusting the Spirit to bring about transformation. We are called to speak boldly and confidently, knowing that the Spirit will glorify the Son through the awakening of faith in those who hear. This requires a commitment to sharing the Gospel and trusting in the Spirit's power to work through our words. [11:31]
2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV): "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."
Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear the message of the Gospel? How can you share the Word with them in a way that is both bold and loving?
Sermon Summary
In today's discussion, we explored the profound mystery of the new birth, a concept central to Christian faith. The necessity of being born again is rooted in our natural state of spiritual deadness, as described in Ephesians 2:4. By nature, we are resistant to God, valuing worldly things over Him, and lacking the spiritual capacity to see Christ as supremely valuable. This spiritual deadness underscores the need for new life, a new birth, to truly know and enjoy God eternally.
Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 highlights the necessity of being born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. This new birth is likened to the wind—unseen, uncontrollable, and sovereign. Just as we did not initiate our physical birth, we do not initiate our spiritual rebirth. It is a miraculous gift from God, a work of the Holy Spirit that brings about faith in Christ. The first conscious experience of this new birth is the arising of faith, where the heart cries out in recognition of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The role of the Word of God in this process is crucial. Faith comes by hearing the Word, as stated in Romans 10:17. The Holy Spirit works in tandem with the Word, not independently of it. The Spirit's mission is to glorify the Son of God, and this is accomplished through the preaching of the Gospel. The Word and the Spirit work together to bring about new life, as seen in the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14, where the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
Our role in this divine process is to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, trusting the Spirit to do the transformative work of new birth. We are called to speak boldly and confidently, knowing that the Spirit will glorify the Son through the awakening of faith in those who hear.
Key Takeaways
1. The necessity of new birth stems from our natural state of spiritual deadness, which leaves us resistant to God and unable to see Christ's true value. This underscores the need for a miraculous transformation to truly know and enjoy God. [02:20]
2. Jesus' teaching in John 3 reveals that being born of the Spirit is essential for entering the kingdom of God. This new birth is a sovereign act of the Spirit, likened to the wind—unseen and uncontrollable, yet powerful and life-giving. [04:35]
3. The first evidence of new birth is the arising of faith in Christ, where the heart recognizes Jesus as Lord and Savior. This faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, marking the beginning of a new life in Christ. [05:43]
4. The Word of God plays a crucial role in the new birth, as faith comes by hearing the Word. The Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the Word, not independently, to glorify the Son of God through the preaching of the Gospel. [07:39]
5. Our role in the process of new birth is to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, trusting the Spirit to bring about transformation. We are called to speak boldly, knowing that the Spirit will glorify the Son through the awakening of faith. [11:31] ** [11:31]
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Mystery of New Birth
Bible Reading:
John 3:3-8
Ephesians 2:4-5
Romans 10:17
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Observation Questions:
According to John 3:3-8, what does Jesus say is necessary to see the kingdom of God? How does He describe the work of the Spirit in this process? [03:12]
In Ephesians 2:4-5, how does Paul describe our natural state before experiencing new birth? What does God do to change this state? [01:28]
Romans 10:17 states that faith comes by hearing. How does this verse connect to the role of the Word of God in the new birth process? [07:39]
What example from Acts 16:14 illustrates the collaboration between the Word and the Spirit in bringing about new birth? [10:04]
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Interpretation Questions:
How does the analogy of the wind in John 3:8 help us understand the nature of the Spirit's work in new birth? What does this imply about our control over the process? [04:35]
Ephesians 2:4-5 speaks of God making us alive in Christ. What does this suggest about the nature of new birth as a divine act rather than a human effort? [01:44]
Considering Romans 10:17, why is the proclamation of the Word essential in the process of new birth? How does this align with the Spirit's mission to glorify the Son? [09:44]
Reflecting on the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14, what role does human agency play in the process of new birth, and how does it interact with divine intervention? [10:25]
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Application Questions:
Reflect on your own spiritual journey. Can you identify a moment when you first recognized Jesus as Lord and Savior? How did the Word of God play a role in that experience? [05:43]
The sermon emphasizes the necessity of new birth due to our natural state of spiritual deadness. How does this understanding affect your view of evangelism and sharing the Gospel with others? [02:20]
Jesus describes the Spirit's work as sovereign and uncontrollable, like the wind. How can this perspective influence your approach to prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit in your daily life? [04:35]
The collaboration between the Word and the Spirit is crucial in new birth. How can you ensure that you are regularly engaging with the Word of God to allow the Spirit to work in your life? [07:39]
The sermon calls us to boldly proclaim the Word of God. What are some practical ways you can share your faith with others this week, trusting the Spirit to do the transformative work? [11:31]
Consider the example of Lydia's conversion. How can you be more attentive to the opportunities God provides to share the Gospel, and how can you prepare yourself to respond effectively? [10:04]
The first evidence of new birth is the arising of faith. How can you nurture and grow your faith in Christ, and what steps can you take to deepen your relationship with Him? [05:43]
Sermon Clips
The reason we must be born again, however it happens, the reason we must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God Like Jesus says, is because by Nature by birth, we are all spiritually dead. This is the way Paul describes it in Ephesians 2 4. [00:01:04]
Every human being has fallen in Adam and comes into the world without any saving spiritual life at all. We are dead, we are by Nature resistant to God, we do not submit to him by Nature we value things that he has made more than him by nature. [00:01:48]
Unless we feel the weight of the lostness and fallenness, deadness of all humans especially ourselves, nothing about the New Birth is going to make sense in the New Testament. So all of that means if we're going to live, if we're going to know God, if we're going to be happy forever we must have new life. [00:02:46]
Jesus said to Nicodemus John 3 verse 3 will start there truly I say to you unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God then I'll jump to verse six, that which is born of the flesh is flesh that which is born of the spirit is Spirit. [00:03:12]
The spirit is as free in his regenerating New Birth work, and he's as mysterious in that work as the Unseen wind you don't control the wind you don't make the wind come you don't make the wind go it just comes it goes it does what it does and that's the way it is with God's Sovereign spirit. [00:04:40]
Our first conscious conscious experience of this new birth is the arising in our hearts of faith in Christ you might say that the the first Cry of the newborn Christian infant is the Cry of Faith instead of where where where, the heart feels I see him he's beautiful I love him I want him. [00:05:29]
The Holy Spirit does not whisper the gospel in our ear we have to hear about him in the gospel so Paul says in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ so what we learned then is that faith is a work of the holy spirit in New Birth. [00:07:35]
You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable that's the spirit of God, through he says through the living and abiding word of God so born of the spirit born through the word. [00:08:17]
The Holy Spirit does not move willy-nilly, randomly, through the world touching random people with the new birth who've never heard the gospel without any reference to the word of God at all no he doesn't do that he moves in tandem with the preaching of the gospel. [00:09:05]
The implication for us is that our essential role in Salvation is to speak the word of God and then trust the spirit of God to do the work, the hard work called the new birth. We don't cause the new birth in ourselves or in anybody else. [00:10:40]
The role we have and it is an absolutely essential role is to speak Faithfully the word of God. Paul asks in in Romans 10. verse 14. how are they to believe in him whom they've never heard, and how are they to hear without someone preaching. [00:11:12]
May the Lord give us great boldness and faithfulness and confidence, that when we speak the word of God, the spirit of God will give life and glorify the Son of God through the Awakening of faith. [00:11:49]