Sunday, October 18, 2020 ~ The Book Of John ~ Series: LOVED BY JESUS ~ Message: The Regenerator ~ Scripture: John 3:1–21 ESV ~ Pastor Philip Miller

My heart also experienced a longing to see God unleash his work in our city and all around the world. We know so much in this world is broken and hurting. We long to see God’s will be done in Chicago as it is done in Heaven. And we yearn to see the nations rejoicing in the salvation of our God! And as that longing grew in my soul, it brought the question to mind, “Am I willing to do whatever God would ask of me?”

I sensed my heart uniting with God’s family. Here we are, from so many different places, yet one with one another in Christ. Our backgrounds are stark in contrast, and yet our salvation draws us together. Some of us have been here for decades, while others of us have joined just recently. And when we pray we are one. One body. One faith. One Lord. One family.

I felt my heart bending into closer alignment with the heart of our Father. Prayer reminds us of what truly matters. For a moment, the noise fades away, the chaos declutters, and in the stillness our minds are fixed on things above. God is on his throne. His glory is being displayed. His good purposes are at work. Prayer is not us bending God’s will to ours, but God bending our will to His. Prayer changes us, reminds us of what matters, presses us into the heart of God.

I’m so encouraged this week. Joining on Wednesday with hundreds of you for our Day of Prayer and Fasting really touched my heart. There’s something powerful about coming together as children of God crying out to our Father together. I noticed three things happening in my heart this past week.

3) Who does it? “New birth” is the work of the Spirit alone and it is totally beyond our control. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that the one thing you need is the one thing you have no control over. After all, babies don’t give birth to themselves. Someone else does it. Through the pain, agony, and suffering of another a new life is born. We cannot save ourselves; someone else must do it for us.

4) How does it come? We are “born again” as we look in faith to Christ alone. You don’t have to run, crawl, or reach out. All you have to do is look to Jesus in faith and you will be saved.

5) Why do we need it? “New birth” in Jesus is the only antidote for the venom coursing through our veins. Jesus is saying, everyone’s been bitten by the deadly sting of sin, including you, Nicodemus. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and the wages of that sin is death. You see, we usually divide the world into good and bad people. Good people get salvation; bad people get condemnation. Jesus turns this concept upside down by saying that everyone needs to be born again regardless of their works.

6) What is in the way, and why doesn’t everyone just look to Jesus for salvation? To be “born again” the only thing we need is...nothing; but it’s the one thing most of us don’t have. Jesus is calling Nicodemus to lay the resume down, because there's nothing we can do to save ourselves. We have to look for salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Takeaway: Look to Christ and Christ alone! Your religious resume cannot save you. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”

SERMON NOTES

Sunday, October 18, 2020

The Book Of John

Series: LOVED BY JESUS

Message: The Regenerator

Scripture: John 3:1–21 ESV

Pastor Philip Miller

John 3 ESV

Audio: John 3 ESV

New Birth

Who needs it? (vs. 1–3)

• From the most religious and moral to the very least, we all must be “born again.”

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

What is it? (vs. 4–5)

• To be “born again” is to have a brand new, recreated spiritual life.

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Who does it? (vs. 6–8)

• “New birth” is the work of the Spirit alone and it is totally beyond our control.

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.’ 8 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.”

How does it come? (vs. 9–14)

• We are “born again” as we look in faith to Christ alone.

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

Why do we need it? (vs. 16–18)

• “New birth” in Jesus is the only antidote for the venom coursing through our veins.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

What is in the way? (vs. 19–21)

• To be “born again” the only thing we need is nothing; but it’s the one thing most of us don’t have.

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Takeaway: Look to Christ and Christ alone!

PASTOR TO PEOPLE

2) What is it? To be “born again” is to have a brand new, recreated spiritual life. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that to see the Kingdom, to enter into it, you need a brand new, recreated spiritual life. Your resume won’t get you in. You need to be “born again.”

1) Who needs it? From the most religious and moral to the very least, we all must be “born again.” If Nicodemus needs to be born again, we all do.

In this sermon, we see an existential conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus about the pathway to eternal life. As we explore this concept of “New Birth”, we’re going to answer six questions:

“What does it mean to be born again? Let’s set aside all the cultural clutter of what we think it means and try to hear Jesus afresh. Because as we’ll see, to be “born again” into this “new birth”, to be “regenerated” by God, is at the very heart of why Jesus came.

The Regenerator: How To Be Born Again

Speaker: Philip Miller

Sunday, October 18, 2020

The Book Of John

Series: LOVED BY JESUS

Message: The Regenerator

Scripture: John 3:1–21 ESV

Pastor Philip Miller

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The Regenerator