The Holy Spirit-Part 3
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or to be used for a sermon group discussion. CLICK HERE to find a discussion group. Enjoy!
Sermon Title: Born Again by The Spirit
Main Scripture: John 3:1-17
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Summary:
In this message, we learned the vital role the Holy Spirit has in our salvation. Jesus said it all when He told Nicodemus in John 3 that without being born of water and the Spirit no one can enter the kingdom of God. Pastor Ryan shared that the theological concept of this work by the Holy Spirit is called regeneration. When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes in to wash and regenerate us to new life, according to Titus 3:5-6. From that day forward, life is never the same. We are a new creation. God’s Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are His children. We are adopted and inherit eternal life. We also are co-heirs with Christ, receiving blessings of the kingdom of God.
We were challenged to put our faith in Jesus, not our knowledge, not the faith of our parents, grandparents, or church upbringing…but make a decision for ourselves to believe in Jesus Christ for our own salvation. Nicodemus was faced with the same step. Continue in his religion works that won’t give him entrance into the Kingdom of God or put his faith in Jesus. It is not what we’ve done or what we know but only through faith in Jesus are we born again and enter the kingdom of God. Have you looked to Jesus for the salvation from your sin and death? If not, we encourage you that decision today!
Notes:
John 3 The Necessity of the Holy Spirit for Spiritual Life
Read John 3:1-8
Salvation is such a comprehensive topic in the Bible that it is defined and mentioned in many different ways. In this scripture, Jesus is referring to the necessity of the Holy Spirit giving us Spiritual life, therefore we begin our new life in God from that day forward.
Without this new birth and new life, Jesus tells Nicodemus no one can see or inherit the Kingdom of God (this would include eternal life). How would you explain how someone sees and enters the kingdom of God especially when it is heavenly and from above? Nicodemus is having a hard time understanding this because he’s viewing it as something that happens physically, not spiritually. Jesus goes on to explain that no one sees the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. This doesn’t help Nicodemus too much either (v.9).
The bottom line of Jesus’ message to Nicodemus is that in order to inherit the Kingdom of God we must be made new through the cleansing and regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
So what was Jesus trying to teach? What does Jesus mean by born again? We know more on how the Holy Spirit gives us new and spiritual life from other scripture:
Ezekiel 36:25-27: 25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
Titus 3:5-7 When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
The Regenerating Work of the Holy Spirit
The word theologians use to describe salvation in these verses is regeneration. Regeneration is…
The impartation of life, spiritual life, to those who are spiritually dead. - R. A. Torrey
The impartation of a new nature, God’s own nature indwelling us when we are born again.
Regeneration greatly empowers individuals to live for God rather than self. Regeneration causes a person to genuinely want to live for God and to consistently behave in ways that demonstrate this desire -The Lexham Bible Dictionary.
“The doctrine of the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit is a glorious doctrine. It sweeps away false hopes. It comes to the one who is trusting in education and culture and says, “Education and culture are not enough. You must be born again.” It comes to the one who is trusting in mere external morality, and says, “External morality is not enough, you must be born again.” It comes to the one who is trusting in the externalities of religion, in going to church, reading the Bible, saying prayers, being confirmed, being baptized, partaking of the Lord's supper, and says, “The mere externalities of religion are not enough, you must be born again.” It comes to the one who is trusting in turning over a new leaf, in outward reform, in quitting his meanness; it says, “Outward reform, quitting your meanness is not enough. You must be born again.” -Torrey, R. A.
“‘If that is to have a new birth, what am I to do? I can’t create life. I certainly can’t save myself.’ You certainly can’t, and we don’t preach that you can. We tell you it is utterly impossible to make a man better without Christ, and that is what men are trying to do. They are trying to patch up this old Adam’s nature. There must be a new creation. Regeneration is a new creation; and if it is a new creation, it must be the work of God.” -DL MOODY
Only God can give us new life and it is done through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
We are a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Jesus illustrates the Spirit working in us for salvation by using the analogy of wind.
There is mystery to the wind, we can’t tell where it comes from or where it’s going, but we can hear it and see its effects around us. We can’t see the Holy Spirit giving us new life in Christ; we will only see the effects of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The new birth is from God; it is supernatural, beyond human understanding and a matter of faith.
“We do not see the Spirit, but we see the changes the Spirit produces in people. Sinful people are made holy; liars speak truth; the proud become humble. When we see such changes, we know they have a cause. The Spirit affects us just as the wind affects the trees, water, and clouds. We don’t see the cause, and we don’t understand all the in’s and out’s of how it works, but we see the effect and believe.”
This new birth comes with a new identity...We are now children of God.
John 1:10-13 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
Ephesians 1:12-14 12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Romans 8:15-17 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Through salvation in Christ the Holy Spirit affirms that we are claimed and adopted children of God. We are no longer orphans in this world. We are not lost, but found. We are home with our Heavenly Father. If we didn’t know who we are, why we're here and where we are going, we do now because it’s all found in our Creator and Father.
How are we born again? How are we regenerated and become children of God?
John 3:9-17
By faith in Jesus, by believing in what He did for us we are born again.
This would be a lot to take in for a religious teacher like Nicodemus who lived his life doing things according to the law in order to be righteous, but now Jesus is saying righteousness is found through faith in Him, instead of works.
I love how D.L. Moody expounds on this occasion: “Who did Christ say this to? Who was Nicodemus? Was he a drunkard, a gambler, or a thief?” He was one of the very best men of Jerusalem; no doubt about that. He was an honorable Councillor; he belonged to the Sanhedrin; he held a very high position; he was one of the best men in the state; he was an orthodox man; he was one of the very soundest men. Why, if he were here today, he would be made a president of one of our colleges; he would be put at once into one of our seminaries, and have “Reverend” put before his name – “Reverend Nicodemus.” And yet, what did Christ say to him? “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” DL Moody
As a devout, orthodox Jew he presumed that his place in the coming kingdom was assured, by virtue of his race and circumcision. Besides that, he was a leading religious professional, and moreover, a Pharisee and a member of the ruling council. There could be few Jews, if any, in the entire city that night whose credentials were more impressive as far as acceptance with God was concerned. Yet, Jesus tells him he needs to be born again (anōthen). Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 75). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Closing…
Takeaways:
We do not see the Spirit, but we see the changes the Spirit produces in people.
Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
You don’t clean up then come to God...you come to God dirty so He can cleanse you.
New birth is the work of the Holy Spirit, who places the believer in a right relationship with God.
We can’t physically achieve what must be spiritually conceived. Only the Holy Spirit can accomplish the miracle of new life in us.
Discussion:
What scripture verse spoke to you and why?
What was a big takeaway for you from today’s message?
Describe the role and importance of the Holy Spirit at salvation…what does He do?
How can we tell someone is born again by the Holy Spirit?
How does this message change the way we minister to someone who is or may not be saved? What do we focus on or want to see happen?
The most important decision you will ever make!
Are you ready to experience salvation and be transformed we encourage you to say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I see my sin and how wrong it is. I see how without Jesus I’m lost. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me from my sin, my past, this world, and your judgment. I repent, I turn away from that life and I put my faith and life in Jesus! Amen!
We would love to know if you made the decision to accept this wonderful gift from God. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!