1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,000 My name is Kyle. If you're visiting with us, 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,300 thank you for being here today. I serve as lead. 3 00:00:09,300 --> 00:00:10,600 Pastor here, I want to welcome you. 4 00:00:12,300 --> 00:00:14,900 Make yourself at home. We are glad you chose to worship 5 00:00:14,900 --> 00:00:19,800 with us. The weather has has me under it. 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,600 A bit been snotty and can't hear out of my right ear. 7 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,500 So this will be fun today but I'm excited to preach the gospel 8 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:29,400 to you. If you have your Bible, you can 9 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:34,500 open to John chapter 3, John chapter 3, it is Easter as many 10 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:39,600 You know, and and so we are we're going to talk about really 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,600 what we've been talking about which is our need for New Life 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:48,100 or need for New Birth. We have new birth because Christ 13 00:00:48,100 --> 00:00:51,300 resurrected amen. We have the opportunity to 14 00:00:51,300 --> 00:00:55,800 receive new life because Christ did in fact rise again he is 15 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,200 risen. He is risen indeed. 16 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,900 And so we've been in this series here for the last several weeks 17 00:01:02,900 --> 00:01:05,400 called the law and the gospel. And what Looking at is an 18 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,900 interaction between a man named Nicodemus and Jesus Christ. 19 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:14,300 Nicodemus is a Pharisee, he's called the teacher of Israel. 20 00:01:14,300 --> 00:01:17,000 He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin was 21 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:22,000 the, the ruling body of Israel, the nation of Israel and and 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,300 he's one of the top guys in this ruling body and he has just seen 23 00:01:26,300 --> 00:01:30,600 Christ during Passover week performing miracles in the 24 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,700 Temple and so he comes to Christ by night and he He asked him 25 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,200 some questions and so that's the passage. 26 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,500 We've been looking at many of, you know, John chapter 3, at 27 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:44,300 least because of one verse that's found in John chapter 3, 28 00:01:44,300 --> 00:01:46,700 right. John 3:16 most of us are 29 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,500 familiar with that but many of us have no idea the context for 30 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,200 that verse that verse Comes In this passage this interaction 31 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,700 between Christ and Nicodemus, he's declaring Christ, his 32 00:01:57,700 --> 00:02:00,500 preaching. I should say the gospel to 33 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:02,800 Nicodemus. He sharing with him, how he can 34 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,800 find new life. Life. 35 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,800 And so the reason we've called this the law and the gospel is 36 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,199 because Nicodemus was a man who was devoted to the law, he had 37 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:18,600 put every ounce of effort that he could muster into keeping the 38 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,000 law and into teaching others how to keep the law. 39 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:28,300 And so we think of law-abiding Jews When we think of 40 00:02:28,300 --> 00:02:31,100 law-abiding Jews, it's hard to kind of have an image in our 41 00:02:31,100 --> 00:02:36,800 mind of what we mean because we don't live near large Jewish 42 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,000 communities. Right, we don't know exactly 43 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,900 what this would have looked like in the New Testament. 44 00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:45,400 Sometimes one of the closest things we have today is the 45 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:51,300 staunchly religious person. Someone who never misses Church, 46 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:56,600 someone who is always seen and make sure they're seeing prey. 47 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,200 You know, they're the first not that. 48 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,600 This is bad, always not everybody who does this offering 49 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,000 that out there but they're the first ones to comment on a 50 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,300 Facebook status praying right and praying for you. 51 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:11,700 They want everyone to know, I believe in prayer. 52 00:03:11,700 --> 00:03:16,100 I'm praying their worship is to be seen by others and so they 53 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:19,700 don't miss church services. They're seen regularly in the 54 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:24,600 house of God. They don't watch rated R movies. 55 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,000 You know, they don't listen to secular music type things. 56 00:03:27,300 --> 00:03:29,700 So this is what we mean that like we would look at this 57 00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:33,100 person said, they're morally upright, they've got everything 58 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:38,300 figured out their life seems to be well put together it's not 59 00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:41,200 marked by destruction at least that we can observe. 60 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,900 And that would be a religious person today, and we grew up, if 61 00:03:45,900 --> 00:03:50,800 you grow up in church in South Arkansas, you either were this 62 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,700 person or you knew this person and chances are, you've been 63 00:03:54,700 --> 00:03:58,300 this person at times in your own life, if you Grew up in church 64 00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:02,200 in this area, all right, because that's much of how the gospel is 65 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,500 portrayed. It's, it's moralistic it's 66 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:10,000 getting things, right? It's dotting, the eyes crossing, 67 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,700 the t's. And so, therefore, you will 68 00:04:11,700 --> 00:04:14,900 enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You have your fire insurance by 69 00:04:14,900 --> 00:04:17,100 being a good man or a good woman. 70 00:04:17,899 --> 00:04:21,700 The problem with this is, this is not directly what scripture 71 00:04:21,700 --> 00:04:25,700 teaches. And so this man Nicodemus was 72 00:04:25,700 --> 00:04:29,200 doing everything he knew. To do to enter the kingdom of 73 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:30,900 heaven. And as you'll see in this 74 00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:33,400 interaction, he's told that he cannot even see the Kingdom of 75 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,600 Heaven. Let alone enter the kingdom of 76 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,300 heaven, but why? Because the enter the Kingdom of 77 00:04:39,300 --> 00:04:40,800 Heaven, to see the kingdom of heaven. 78 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:46,400 You must be born again. You can only be born again by 79 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,400 receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 80 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,900 That is believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 81 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,400 What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 82 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,000 What's the message of salvation for Sinners? 83 00:04:56,100 --> 00:04:59,900 Because of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus? 84 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:04,200 Amen. It's by his work alone that you 85 00:05:04,207 --> 00:05:06,700 can be saved that. You can have confidence. 86 00:05:07,100 --> 00:05:09,200 And salvation. And so here's Nicodemus, 87 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:14,400 approaching Christ, a man of the law and he's his confidence is 88 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,900 in himself and he doesn't come with the right questions. 89 00:05:19,100 --> 00:05:22,100 And so Jesus tells him. Here's here's what you really 90 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,600 need to know. He comes as someone who thinks 91 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,500 he's already been approved by God. 92 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:32,000 But he comes to find out, he's not yet been approved by God. 93 00:05:33,100 --> 00:05:35,600 So let's look at John chapter 3. I'm going to read one through 94 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:37,300 eight and then we're going to spend the bulk of our time. 95 00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:42,800 Looking at verse 8, if you're able, would you please stand as 96 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,400 we read God's word? These are his words. 97 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,600 These are not mine. We believe the Bible to be true 98 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,600 to be authoritative to be sufficient for all things in 99 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,700 life and godliness. And so when we read his word we 100 00:05:55,700 --> 00:05:59,700 want to honor it as such Now, there was a man of the Pharisees 101 00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:02,700 named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 102 00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:05,700 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him. 103 00:06:05,700 --> 00:06:08,500 Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher. 104 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:12,600 Come from, God, for no one. Can do these signs that you do 105 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,300 unless God is with him. Remember, I mentioned, he had 106 00:06:16,300 --> 00:06:19,900 just seen Jesus performing these miracles in the Temple. 107 00:06:19,900 --> 00:06:23,800 And so he comes at night time to conceal himself and not show 108 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:25,200 himself. We've talked about this in 109 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,400 earlier weeks. He's trying to protect his 110 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:28,200 image. Image. 111 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,500 And he makes these statements. That no one can do these things. 112 00:06:33,900 --> 00:06:35,800 Unless God is with him and Jesus answered him. 113 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,200 Truly truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he 114 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,000 cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a 115 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:48,200 man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into 116 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,900 his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered truly, truly I 117 00:06:52,900 --> 00:06:57,200 say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot 118 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:02,300 enter the kingdom of God. That, which is born of the flesh 119 00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:03,800 is flesh. And that, which is born of the 120 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:10,300 spirit is Spirit, do not Marvel. That I said to you, you must be 121 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:13,700 born again. And then here in verse 8, Jesus 122 00:07:13,700 --> 00:07:18,100 says the wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, 123 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,400 but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. 124 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:25,700 So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit. 125 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,600 Amen. The thing that I want us to see 126 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,900 today is that you are Born Again by The Same Spirit that raised 127 00:07:32,900 --> 00:07:39,900 Christ from the dead. You can have a seat, sorry, Let 128 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:42,000 me pray for 70. Father, we thank you for your 129 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,000 word and this time we have together in it. 130 00:07:44,300 --> 00:07:47,100 Got to ask that your spirit would illuminate the scriptures 131 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:50,700 today that we would see the words of Christ that we would 132 00:07:51,300 --> 00:07:53,900 have life in them. John. 133 00:07:53,900 --> 00:07:58,000 Testifies, at the end of his gospel that he has written these 134 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:03,100 things so that we might believe that Christ is the Messiah and 135 00:08:03,100 --> 00:08:08,300 have life in him. And so father, that's my request 136 00:08:08,300 --> 00:08:11,900 today that we would hear the word of God and that we would 137 00:08:11,900 --> 00:08:16,600 find life of the spirit of God. In Christ name I pray. 138 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,900 Amen. So, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by 139 00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:23,700 night, and he's here to question him about the signs that he 140 00:08:23,700 --> 00:08:26,500 performed in the temple. And we're not given specific 141 00:08:26,500 --> 00:08:28,300 details about what these signs were. 142 00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:31,700 We don't know, specifically what the Miracles were that Christ 143 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,900 performed there. But the reason that Nicodemus 144 00:08:35,900 --> 00:08:42,000 calls him signs and he questions is because he knows as a man of 145 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,900 God or at least a man who has studied God, a man who has 146 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:48,200 studied the word of God. He knows that signs point to a 147 00:08:48,208 --> 00:08:51,100 spiritual truth. That a physical sign is 148 00:08:51,100 --> 00:08:53,300 revealing something about the kingdom of God. 149 00:08:53,300 --> 00:08:56,200 That the sign itself is not the main thing. 150 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:02,500 There's a truth behind it. And so he's wondering what do 151 00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:06,500 these signs point to? If you had to choose the 152 00:09:06,500 --> 00:09:08,700 greatest miracle, that Jesus performed. 153 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:11,100 You know, which one would you choose? 154 00:09:11,100 --> 00:09:14,300 Which one comes to mind if you think of the greatest miracle 155 00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:17,200 that Jesus performed is it? When he turned water to wine? 156 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,500 Is it when he gave sight to the blind, man, is it when he fed 157 00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:27,900 the 5000 or walked on water? Is it when he healed Lazarus I 158 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:30,900 say healed Lazarus, he brought Lazarus back from the dead. 159 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,600 There were various healings also, but maybe you think of 160 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,400 some of those things and each one of those is is truly an 161 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,400 incredible thing, right? It's, it's flipping. 162 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:45,200 The physical nature of something on its head. 163 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,800 It's reversing it. It's reversing everything that 164 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,700 can be seen by the eye. And it's showing it to be 165 00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:56,000 something else, altogether, its undoing, what is already done? 166 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,700 And if we saw it happen today we would no doubt be amazed. 167 00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:05,600 However each one of those things, each one of these 168 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:11,100 Miracles is a sign it's pointing to a greater spiritual truth. 169 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,000 Now there's kind of an overarching truth that Jesus 170 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,800 lays out again and again and it's it's the this true that 171 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:23,400 each one shows that Christ is the king of Heaven and Earth, he 172 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,200 talks about how these things are ushering in the New Kingdom, the 173 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,000 kingdom. Name of God is at hand. 174 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,700 It shows us that Christ is all-powerful that everything is 175 00:10:34,700 --> 00:10:40,500 under his authority that he is the source of redemption for all 176 00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:43,900 things. As great as those Miracles might 177 00:10:43,900 --> 00:10:46,200 be. They do not compare with the 178 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,900 greatest miracle that God performs. 179 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:53,100 I say performs because it's still actively happening. 180 00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:58,300 There is a great miracle that takes place every single day 181 00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:04,900 somewhere on the Earth. that is the miracle of the new birth in 182 00:11:04,900 --> 00:11:11,100 Christ causes A dead heart to rise again and cries creates 183 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:14,600 life. Where there is no life, this 184 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:16,500 comes to us by the power of the spirit. 185 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:21,400 That is what Jesus is saying. In John 3:8, he's showing that 186 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,400 the spirit causes this new birth. 187 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,300 What we know about the New Birth is that the power of God 188 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:31,200 transforms, both your physical and spiritual life. 189 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,400 You begin to put to death, the Deeds of the flesh, the way that 190 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,400 you live, physically changes. Has because you have been 191 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:41,200 transformed spiritually. This is the part that Nicodemus 192 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,700 was getting backwards. He was trying to live 193 00:11:43,700 --> 00:11:48,900 transformed physically by his works and his deeds and is his 194 00:11:48,900 --> 00:11:52,700 words things that he taught and preached and the things he said 195 00:11:52,700 --> 00:11:56,400 or didn't say he was reforming his life and so therefore trying 196 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:01,200 to prove himself before God. But he had the order reversed, 197 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,500 it's the new birth that creates new life. 198 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,100 The morally good man. Those struggles to see this. 199 00:12:08,100 --> 00:12:11,200 He struggles to see his need for New Life, when you are a good 200 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:15,300 person, it stinks to hear you need to start over. 201 00:12:16,300 --> 00:12:20,200 You must be born again. And so, Nicodemus, struggled to 202 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,200 understand this truth because he was a good man, by all accounts, 203 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:29,400 by all of his peers testimony, he was well, thought of he was 204 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,400 well regarded. He was well liked, he was well 205 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:37,400 approved by others. I'm sure many thought him to be 206 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,800 the most morally. Good. 207 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,500 The most spiritually good man of all. 208 00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:49,100 However, the trust. Sorry, the truth is that all we 209 00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:55,500 like sheep have gone astray? We have turned to our own way. 210 00:12:57,300 --> 00:13:01,200 The truth is that all mankind has sinned and fallen short of 211 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,400 the glory of God. But the truth is that we are 212 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,700 dead in our trespasses and sin. The truth is that there is none 213 00:13:08,700 --> 00:13:15,200 righteous, no, not one. Everyone seeks his own way. 214 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,500 That the bottom line is that moral goodness does not equal 215 00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:24,800 righteousness. It does not equal righteousness 216 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,500 before. God, in fact, you lack on your 217 00:13:27,500 --> 00:13:32,100 own apart from salvation. In Christ, you lack, any true 218 00:13:32,100 --> 00:13:35,800 righteousness. Any true righteousness. 219 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,700 You might be moral, you might do good things. 220 00:13:38,700 --> 00:13:41,100 You might be well, thought of, by co-workers and peers. 221 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:45,300 You might be a good businessman, a good businesswoman, you, you 222 00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:47,800 may have your life together. By all appearances, you've got 223 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:52,300 the best Facebook pictures, your Instagram has the best 224 00:13:52,300 --> 00:13:58,200 vacations, the best meals. Your family photos are envied by 225 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,600 many. And yet your life is crumbling. 226 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:10,700 It's what happens in the New Birth is greater than anything 227 00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:15,300 else. God has shown us in Christ. 228 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,800 That the greatest Miracle is when God grants you New Life In 229 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:22,400 Christ, by the power of His spirit. 230 00:14:23,300 --> 00:14:25,100 It's greater than when he created the world. 231 00:14:25,100 --> 00:14:27,400 It's greater than when he raised Lazarus from the dead. 232 00:14:27,500 --> 00:14:30,600 It's greater than any other miracle of God. 233 00:14:30,700 --> 00:14:35,500 Why? Because in the New Birth, you 234 00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:39,800 are born again. And you're born again by the 235 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,200 same power that raised Christ from the dead. 236 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,400 Jesus here for Nicodemus is trying to help him understand 237 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,000 Nicodemus has questions. And in fact, in the next verse 238 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,200 in verse 9, which will look at next week he says, how can these 239 00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:03,000 things be He just can't fathom what Christ is saying. 240 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,200 But Christ uses an illustration here about the wind and I think 241 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,100 it gets Nicodemus to this question of, how can these 242 00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:13,400 things be Because it's unraveling what Nicodemus thinks 243 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,400 about the new birth or new life. He thinks it's caused by being 244 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:18,000 morally. Good. 245 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,700 And what Jesus shows us here in his illustration of the wind is 246 00:15:21,700 --> 00:15:25,600 that it's not caused by man's effort or man's Goodwill at all. 247 00:15:27,500 --> 00:15:31,100 In fact, man has no control over the new birth. 248 00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:36,500 And so Christ explains this through this illustration of the 249 00:15:36,508 --> 00:15:40,100 wind, I'll read to you verse 8 again the wind blows where it 250 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:44,000 wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it 251 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,400 comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is 252 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:52,500 born of the spirit. So here's Nicodemus, he's worked 253 00:15:52,500 --> 00:15:56,900 his entire life to secure for himself approval from God. 254 00:15:58,100 --> 00:16:02,500 He wants to be a counted righteous before God by his own 255 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:08,900 works by his own efforts. And Christ looks at him and says 256 00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:13,000 the new birth is totally a work of God by the spirit. 257 00:16:17,500 --> 00:16:21,000 If Nicodemus were going to receive new life, it would not 258 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:25,200 come from within himself, rather it would come to him from 259 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,800 outside of him, it would come from God Alone. 260 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:36,200 We looked at this verse in John 1:12 when we started this series 261 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:39,400 but in one 12 through 13 Apostle, John writes, he's 262 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:41,100 talking about the people who did receive Christ. 263 00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:46,000 As Lord, he says to all who did receive him, who believed in his 264 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,600 name, he gave the right to become children of God to all 265 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:51,300 who received him. He gave the right to become 266 00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:54,000 children of God. Now listen, he says, who were 267 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:59,300 born Not of blood doesn't mean that they weren't living 268 00:16:59,300 --> 00:17:01,800 breathing people. He's talking about born again. 269 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:04,900 There were not born of blood. They were not born of the flesh. 270 00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:09,099 I'm not born of the will of, man, but of God, that were born 271 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,000 of God. It's God, who causes the new 272 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:14,400 birth. Again, we looked at this in week 273 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,500 1, but let's look at how Christ is now, talking about the spirit 274 00:17:17,500 --> 00:17:21,300 of God and the work of the new birth here. 275 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:24,099 In this verse, the Greek words for wind and spirit are the 276 00:17:24,099 --> 00:17:25,900 same. And so, Isis. 277 00:17:25,900 --> 00:17:28,500 Using them to teach a parallel truth. 278 00:17:28,900 --> 00:17:32,300 But there is something about these things that is similar, 279 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,700 it's just one more way honestly, that God has ordered the world 280 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:43,000 in such a way that it is always testifying that God exists, that 281 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,500 there is a creator. That that nature testifies to 282 00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:50,100 the glory of God. Here's one more way. 283 00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:52,900 We see it in the wind and hopefully after today you'll 284 00:17:52,900 --> 00:17:55,600 never think about the wind and the same way again. 285 00:17:57,300 --> 00:18:00,000 Christ teaches Nicodemus that the wind operates in the 286 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,700 Physical Realm, like the spirit operates in the spiritual realm 287 00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:09,000 for Christ. What we learned from Christ here 288 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,600 is that is a few different things and Stephen Lawson is 289 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:18,000 booking New Life In Christ, lays out a few observations that I 290 00:18:18,008 --> 00:18:21,400 want to share with you today. The first is that God sends the 291 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:28,600 wind God sends the wind. Jesus begins by stating that the 292 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,200 movement of the wind cannot be directed by anyone. 293 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:36,600 He says the wind blows where it wishes that they can't be 294 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:39,000 directed by anyone. You cannot control the wind 295 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,800 blows whenever and wherever God desires, we see this in Genesis 296 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:48,500 81 as right after the flood, we read this and in 8:1 and God 297 00:18:48,500 --> 00:18:52,500 made a wind blow over the earth and the waters subsided who made 298 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:54,400 a wind blow over the Earth. God. 299 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,600 The wind goes exactly where God sends it. 300 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,900 Accomplishes. Exactly what God intends for it. 301 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:05,200 Not only can we not control the wind? 302 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:08,600 We cannot predict the wind either weather. 303 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,600 Forecasters. Cannot even get their 304 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,500 predictions. Correct, how many times have we 305 00:19:12,500 --> 00:19:16,000 seen on the news forecast for hurricanes? 306 00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:21,300 Blowing up through the oceans. Headed for landfall. 307 00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:25,100 Only to take sudden, turns only to move in a direction that was 308 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,800 not forecasted. Sometimes it's through our 309 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,500 praise, sometimes, it's to our laments, right? 310 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,600 It's still wipes out a bunch of things. 311 00:19:36,100 --> 00:19:38,800 But the forecasters not able to predict it. 312 00:19:39,100 --> 00:19:42,300 He's not able to control it, he's just simply making 313 00:19:42,300 --> 00:19:45,900 observations. Lawson goes on to say. 314 00:19:45,900 --> 00:19:48,300 So it is with the work of the holy spirit in the New Birth. 315 00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:51,900 He is directed by the will of God, the Father, the spirit 316 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:55,200 blows into the lives of those chosen by God for salvation, the 317 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:58,300 path of the wind takes Accords with God's Sovereign plan, the 318 00:19:58,300 --> 00:20:01,600 spirit moves and regenerates, spiritually, dead Souls, 319 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:07,400 according to God's will. So we are not in control of the 320 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,300 spirits direction. We do not have the power to 321 00:20:10,300 --> 00:20:12,100 command it. We do not have the power to 322 00:20:12,100 --> 00:20:17,400 cause it to bend to our will the new birth occurs by the power of 323 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,500 God alone. So it's one of the first things 324 00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:22,800 we see is that you cannot control the wind. 325 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:24,600 The second thing we see about the wind is that it is 326 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,200 irresistible. It's irresistible. 327 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:32,000 The wind. Cannot be hindered by you the 328 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:37,800 wind blows where it wishes Jesus says when it moves at full 329 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:42,300 strength that overpowers, whatever lies in its path. 330 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:48,100 Just last week, we had tornadoes even in Shreveport, tornadic 331 00:20:48,100 --> 00:20:49,800 activity in Shreveport. And so yesterday, we were 332 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,200 driving down to visit my sister and brother-in-law and and we're 333 00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:57,800 on Mansfield Road. And there is just to our right 334 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,100 trees Massive trees that have been blown over that have not 335 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:05,300 yet been cleaned up the wind did what it wanted. 336 00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:09,400 It was irresistible that tree. Could not withstand its power. 337 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:14,100 You've seen the devastation of a tornado that the wind is 338 00:21:14,100 --> 00:21:16,900 Unstoppable. It it does not yield to 339 00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:19,000 anything. What happens is everything 340 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:22,800 yields to it? Everything is overpowered by the 341 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,300 wind. And so the parallel lost and 342 00:21:25,308 --> 00:21:28,000 goes on to say the parallel that Jesus is making is obvious that 343 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,700 the spirit of God is irresistible. 344 00:21:30,100 --> 00:21:32,200 Why? Because he's omnipotent, he's 345 00:21:32,300 --> 00:21:38,700 all powerful. And so the spirit of God is 346 00:21:38,700 --> 00:21:41,700 irresistible in his omnipotence movement to cause the new birth. 347 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:45,300 He goes on to say the will of God is far greater than the will 348 00:21:45,300 --> 00:21:49,200 of mankind. The spirit shatters human Pride. 349 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:54,900 He conquers our resistance and he overcomes all human excuses, 350 00:21:54,900 --> 00:22:00,600 that have long refused Christ. He humbles wants stubborn 351 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:04,600 Hearts, the spirit, softens hardened will, so that they will 352 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,200 believe. Believe in Christ, Jesus. 353 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:13,500 So in the same way that house cannot stop the wind of an EF5 354 00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:17,500 tornado, the Heart of Stone cannot stop, the Holy Spirit 355 00:22:17,700 --> 00:22:20,800 from breaking through and creating a heart of Flesh. 356 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,900 The one whom the spirit of God blows upon will gladly submit, 357 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,600 wholeheartedly to the rule of Christ Jesus. 358 00:22:28,900 --> 00:22:34,500 When Paul preached and Philippi, the Lord did this very thing for 359 00:22:34,500 --> 00:22:39,500 a woman named Lydia Lydia was called a worshiper of God in a 360 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,200 general sense. She was a god Seeker but she was 361 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:48,200 not yet born again. The Apostle Paul preached, the 362 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:52,800 spirit went to work, listen, to acts 16 14, the Lord opened her 363 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:58,200 heart to respond to what was said by Paul, he gave her heart. 364 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,100 That could be obedient. How do we know? 365 00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:04,600 Because she became hospitable which is one of the evidences of 366 00:23:04,608 --> 00:23:06,500 the spirits work in someone's life. 367 00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:09,900 Not the only evidence you can be hospitable without being born 368 00:23:09,900 --> 00:23:11,500 again but this is one of the evidence. 369 00:23:11,500 --> 00:23:14,400 She opened her home to the church. 370 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:20,700 That was then born at Papi. And so God works to create new 371 00:23:20,700 --> 00:23:24,900 life. Or he works to strengthen new 372 00:23:24,900 --> 00:23:28,100 life that is present already when the word of God is 373 00:23:28,100 --> 00:23:32,700 proclaimed. The third thing we see about the 374 00:23:32,700 --> 00:23:35,600 wind is that it is invisible again. 375 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,800 It blows where it wishes Jesus says, you hear its sound but you 376 00:23:39,808 --> 00:23:42,400 don't know where it comes from or where it goes, so you can't 377 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:46,100 see it. You can't see the wind, but you 378 00:23:46,100 --> 00:23:49,200 hear it, it blows where it wishes, you know that it's 379 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,000 blowing because you see evidence of that though, you don't see 380 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:58,000 the wind itself. You can see its effects, right? 381 00:23:58,700 --> 00:24:01,900 If you've been at the boys club lately playing baseball, you can 382 00:24:01,900 --> 00:24:04,500 look up and see the American flags that are nearby and see 383 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:06,500 that they were blowing. You can figure out which 384 00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:10,200 direction the wind is going. You see the effects of the wind, 385 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:13,900 you see dust blowing around, you see, wind blow our rain, blowing 386 00:24:13,900 --> 00:24:19,200 sideways this week, right? You see the effects but you 387 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,900 don't see the wind, oftentimes, the effects. 388 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,900 Cause all in our hearts, right? Like there's a, there's a fear 389 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:33,800 of tornadoes because of the effects of tornadoes, you've 390 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:37,200 seen the footage, you've seen the devastating effects of a 391 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:39,700 tornado. And so, there's an awe about a 392 00:24:39,708 --> 00:24:40,800 tornado. There's a fear. 393 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,000 Why? Because you're not controlling a 394 00:24:43,008 --> 00:24:48,100 tornado regardless of what any word of faith preacher might 395 00:24:48,100 --> 00:24:50,000 say, you're not controlling the weather. 396 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:54,800 Amen. But the wind is invisible, to 397 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:56,600 the naked eye. You can't grab it. 398 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,000 You can't hang onto it. You cannot control it. 399 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,900 You can't even necessarily predict its movement, you just 400 00:25:02,900 --> 00:25:07,100 notice its effect again. Lawson says, the same is true of 401 00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:09,100 the movement of the holy spirit in the new birth. 402 00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:15,600 You can actually see the spirit, giving the new life, but you see 403 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:19,300 the effects of new life? You see the operations of 404 00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:21,700 regeneration? You see what takes place putting 405 00:25:21,700 --> 00:25:24,800 to death the old man. Afterwards taking on the new 406 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:29,900 man, that means putting away sin and taking on Holiness, a life 407 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:33,300 of godliness, the spirit can't be seen, but you can see the 408 00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:37,000 powerful effects of the spirit on a new life. 409 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:45,100 You feel his conviction? You sense your responses, your 410 00:25:45,100 --> 00:25:48,700 in all that God works in your life. 411 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,900 You're in fear of God, as you since conviction, and then 412 00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:56,000 you're relieved of your fear and all is made when you receive 413 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,900 peace from God. Amen. 414 00:25:58,300 --> 00:26:00,000 You worship Him. You praise him. 415 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,200 You live your life and Devotion to him. 416 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,700 These are effects of the spirit of God, though. 417 00:26:05,700 --> 00:26:08,200 He's invisible. We see his activity in the 418 00:26:08,208 --> 00:26:13,300 hearts and it's not. It's unmistakable. 419 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,100 Consider your own life before you were converted. 420 00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:23,300 If indeed, you are a True Believer in Christ Jesus, you 421 00:26:23,300 --> 00:26:27,100 have seen the effects of the new life on your life. 422 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,100 You're not walking and your sins. 423 00:26:30,100 --> 00:26:32,500 You're not keeping your sins next to you. 424 00:26:32,700 --> 00:26:37,100 You're not for against scripture, your for scripture, 425 00:26:37,100 --> 00:26:39,200 you're taking in the word of God. 426 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,100 You're not adverse to the word of God. 427 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,000 Right. You're now a seeker of 428 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,200 understanding you want to know more about God. 429 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,400 You want to know more about what his word says. 430 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,000 You want to know more about how you can live your life and 431 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,100 allegiance to him. You're interested in God. 432 00:26:55,100 --> 00:26:57,900 You're interested in his desires, you're putting to 433 00:26:57,908 --> 00:27:01,900 death, your old desires and you're taking on new desires, 434 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:06,400 right? But once you were against God, 435 00:27:07,100 --> 00:27:10,900 once you were happy in the lust of the Flesh, and the lust of 436 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:13,600 your eyes and the The pride of life and its achievements. 437 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,000 But now you're not satisfied with those things any longer. 438 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:21,400 Now you have a heart that yearns for God that longs for him. 439 00:27:24,900 --> 00:27:28,100 But listen, if you're here today and you think, well, I'm a 440 00:27:28,108 --> 00:27:33,000 Believer Kyle. I'm in here today, right? 441 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:38,900 I must be a believer. Please don't fool yourself by 442 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:42,000 looking at your life and not seeing any evidence of Holiness, 443 00:27:42,900 --> 00:27:46,800 not observing any fruitfulness, there's no fruit of the spirit 444 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:51,600 you're constantly anxious. You're constantly driven to to 445 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,700 pursue your own desires to do your own thing, to come to 446 00:27:54,700 --> 00:27:56,600 church. Whenever and however, you wish 447 00:27:56,700 --> 00:27:59,700 to not pray until things, get really bad or to offer up 448 00:27:59,700 --> 00:28:02,000 prayers for people. And then to never actually pray 449 00:28:02,700 --> 00:28:05,000 to say that you read your Bible or to look at a verse on your 450 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,600 phone and say I have read my Bible today. 451 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:08,700 Day. Like these things are not 452 00:28:08,700 --> 00:28:13,200 evidence of the spirit of God alive in you. and so, if you're 453 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,100 fooling yourself into thinking that by some small, like, I can 454 00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:21,300 just squeeze the littlest amount out of religiosity and that 455 00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:25,900 proves that I'm saved, May God help you. 456 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,600 Maybe he convicted your heart. You are not born again. 457 00:28:36,500 --> 00:28:38,400 Kyle, it's Easter. Go easy on us. 458 00:28:40,900 --> 00:28:42,900 We're supposed to celebrate the resurrection. 459 00:28:44,100 --> 00:28:49,500 Absolutely, in my god did not send his son to die for you so 460 00:28:49,500 --> 00:28:51,700 that you could make a mockery of Christ. 461 00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:57,600 Amen. He didn't Christ will not be 462 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,000 mocked. You will not bear the name of 463 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,600 Christian and live how you want and get into heaven. 464 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:09,300 It's not happening. He will not be mocked and I'm so 465 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:14,900 I urge you on Easter. To believe the resurrection to 466 00:29:14,900 --> 00:29:19,200 stake your life on the fact that Christ has been raised again and 467 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:23,200 if you truly believe that he's been raised again live like it. 468 00:29:24,500 --> 00:29:29,000 Submit yourself to him. Stop running from him. 469 00:29:29,100 --> 00:29:31,800 It's not putting up walls against him. 470 00:29:31,900 --> 00:29:35,600 Stop telling yourself. I'm a Believer and then showing 471 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:40,700 up on Easter each year. You're not saved. 472 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:47,700 And if you are, if you are, you're extremely backslidden, 473 00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:57,900 you need to return to Christ. Christ says, Christ came 474 00:29:57,900 --> 00:30:01,800 preaching. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven 475 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:06,600 is at hand. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven 476 00:30:06,700 --> 00:30:10,400 is at hand. Christ did not come coddling 477 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,100 Sinners he did not come coddling religious people, he did not 478 00:30:14,100 --> 00:30:17,900 come to not tell the truth, Christ came bearing, the good 479 00:30:17,900 --> 00:30:21,000 news of Salvation and his death and Resurrection. 480 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,600 And that if you were to truly be born, again, it'll be by faith 481 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:30,000 in Christ Jesus, trust in him, and of no other work. 482 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:35,600 And All Those whom he healed, all those who he forgave and 483 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:37,600 moments that we see in the gospels. 484 00:30:37,900 --> 00:30:40,600 What did he say to them? Your faith has made you well, go 485 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:46,200 and sin, no more. It's not your faith has made 486 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,500 you. Well live your life. 487 00:30:48,500 --> 00:30:53,700 How you want? Please don't fool yourself. 488 00:30:53,700 --> 00:30:56,500 Don't buy the LIE of universalism that is running 489 00:30:56,500 --> 00:31:00,900 rampant in our world today. That as long as you're a good 490 00:31:00,900 --> 00:31:04,500 person, there's no way a good God could send you to hell. 491 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,200 You're not good. Apart from Christ. 492 00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:10,800 Your heart is defiled. It's desperately wicked, it's 493 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:14,300 deceitful Above All Things. Jeremiah says, who can know it. 494 00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:23,000 You need to be born again. And you are only going to be 495 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:30,500 born again. if the spirit moves upon you, You come fleeting 496 00:31:30,500 --> 00:31:35,100 before God save me. Give me new life. 497 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,800 God loves to answer that prayer. But don't come to God assuming 498 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:45,000 that you have new life. Don't come assuming that by your 499 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,600 good works. You're getting into heaven. 500 00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:51,400 Don't make a mockery of the blood of Christ Jesus. 501 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:56,300 God loves to pour out Grace. He loves to pour out Mercy. 502 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,100 But what does he say? What does he say about the 503 00:32:01,100 --> 00:32:05,400 humble and the proud, right? He gives grace to the humble. 504 00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:10,600 But here approves the Pratt, he turns away the proud as disgrace 505 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:14,500 upon those who were proud. But there's Grace upon Grace for 506 00:32:14,500 --> 00:32:17,600 those who humble themselves before him, who see themselves 507 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:20,600 as a truly are and they submit their lives to Christ. 508 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:25,300 That's what happens when Peter preaches at Pentecost acts to 509 00:32:25,300 --> 00:32:28,600 Christ was raised from the dead already, he's ascended into 510 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,500 heaven, he's told the apostles, go and wait for the power of the 511 00:32:31,508 --> 00:32:33,800 spirit to come upon you and Acts chapter 2. 512 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,400 The spirit has fallen. They begin to preach and other 513 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,700 tongues and people can hear them in their own languages. 514 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:42,600 The mercies the grace of God, the powerful work of God in the 515 00:32:42,608 --> 00:32:46,500 gospel. People and Peter begins to 516 00:32:46,500 --> 00:32:50,200 preach and he's preaching to the same that too many of the same 517 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,900 people who would have been in the crowd that call her that. 518 00:32:53,700 --> 00:32:57,000 Well, first of all that cried, Hallelujah has crisis entering 519 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,800 Jerusalem. Some of those would have been 520 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:01,900 those who cried crucify him, because he wasn't quite what 521 00:33:01,900 --> 00:33:06,800 they wanted. And cry and Peter stands up and 522 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,900 he preaches to them. And he says that you put this 523 00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:13,600 man to death, this man was put to death by the law, the hands 524 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:19,700 of Lawless men It's your responsibility and they're cut 525 00:33:19,700 --> 00:33:23,200 to the heart. It says in Acts chapter 2 and 526 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,400 they cry out or they say to Peter, they interrupt his 527 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,200 sermon. What must we do to be saved? 528 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,100 That's the work of the spirit of God. 529 00:33:37,700 --> 00:33:43,200 The spirit of God. Caused their hearts to be 530 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,100 generated and to say, to be regenerated into say, what must 531 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:52,700 we do to be saved. And Peter says, repents. 532 00:33:55,800 --> 00:34:02,400 Repent and believe. And so they did three thousand 533 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:07,900 Souls were saved that day. The spirit of God moved on their 534 00:34:07,900 --> 00:34:10,000 hearts. He created New Life in them and 535 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:14,300 they were born again. Once these people refuse, the 536 00:34:14,300 --> 00:34:17,699 gospel, once they were crying crucify him once. 537 00:34:17,699 --> 00:34:21,100 They ran from salvation, they only wanted a worldly King. 538 00:34:21,900 --> 00:34:25,900 And now, the spirit of God has created life in them. 539 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,900 And this is what the spirit of God has done in each of your 540 00:34:28,900 --> 00:34:31,600 lives. If you have truly been born 541 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:37,800 again once, You were happy in your sins but now your joyous in 542 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:40,900 Christ Jesus. Now, you have new life. 543 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:44,300 The fourth thing we learn about the wind is that it is 544 00:34:44,300 --> 00:34:49,800 incomprehensible. It's in comprehensible. 545 00:34:53,900 --> 00:34:58,100 The route of the wind defies human Logic, the path of the 546 00:34:58,100 --> 00:35:01,300 wind cannot be detected or predicted, right? 547 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:04,400 We've covered this. What we want to make this final 548 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,900 Point here that the movement of the spirit and the new birth is 549 00:35:08,900 --> 00:35:13,500 the same way. You do not know who the spirit 550 00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:17,000 will move upon. You do not know and whom he will 551 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:22,200 give New Life. It could be the most moral 552 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:28,300 person who says, I found myself in need of salvation for my 553 00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:30,800 sins. And so I've been born again and 554 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,500 you'd be like, oh my goodness, I thought you were saved already. 555 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:39,700 It could be the most immoral person like oh my gosh, did you 556 00:35:39,700 --> 00:35:42,500 all see what the Lord did to that person, right? 557 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:49,200 We love those stories. Clearly a movement from Death to 558 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:54,300 New Life. This Is the Scandal of Grace and 559 00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:58,500 Mercy. It goes to the undeserving. 560 00:35:58,500 --> 00:36:02,000 It goes to the unmerited. It goes to those who humble 561 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,400 themselves. Not to those who look, as 562 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:09,400 though, they've earned it. Ecclesiastes 11:5 describes the 563 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:13,700 physical birth. Of a person. 564 00:36:14,300 --> 00:36:17,800 And it says, as you do not know the way the spirit comes to the 565 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:20,300 bones and the womb of a woman with child. 566 00:36:20,700 --> 00:36:24,400 So you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 567 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:28,900 So he's saying in the same way that the physical birth is, it's 568 00:36:28,900 --> 00:36:32,300 incomprehensible. Like we know what causes it 569 00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:35,100 won't get into that today but we know what causes it. 570 00:36:35,700 --> 00:36:40,000 We just don't know when, right? It's not guaranteed. 571 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:48,100 God, does the work of creation? And so in the same way that only 572 00:36:48,100 --> 00:36:52,100 God knows how, and when he will work to create a physical life 573 00:36:52,100 --> 00:36:56,100 or physical conception in the womb, the same mystery holds 574 00:36:56,100 --> 00:36:59,500 true and spiritual conception that produces New Life In 575 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:01,900 Christ. That is what Christ is teaching 576 00:37:01,900 --> 00:37:04,500 us. Isaiah also recognize this truth 577 00:37:04,500 --> 00:37:07,200 as he writes and Isaiah chapter 40 verse 13. 578 00:37:08,100 --> 00:37:11,100 He says who has measured the spirit of the Lord or what man's 579 00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:14,900 shows him his counsel. In other words, who can tell God 580 00:37:14,900 --> 00:37:18,200 what to do, who can measure. What he's doing who can see it 581 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,700 and who can tell him how to better do it? 582 00:37:22,100 --> 00:37:25,500 And then in verse 14, he said, whom did he consults and whom 583 00:37:25,900 --> 00:37:28,800 sorry? Who made him understand who 584 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,500 taught him the path of justice and taught him knowledge and 585 00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:33,800 showed him the way of understanding other words who 586 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:36,300 showed God all these things, no one. 587 00:37:37,500 --> 00:37:41,900 God knows all things. God is behind all things. 588 00:37:42,500 --> 00:37:45,700 And so the meaning is clear, the Holy Spirit travels, a path that 589 00:37:45,700 --> 00:37:52,300 escapes human reason he always however operates with perfect 590 00:37:52,300 --> 00:37:57,900 wisdom, Because as the third member of the Trinity, he is God 591 00:37:58,500 --> 00:38:01,500 is doing what the father commands. 592 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:09,400 Paul, at the end of Romans 11 is talked about the New Birth. 593 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,600 He opens in Romans 1, just talking about the power of the 594 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:16,800 Gospel, produces salvation. There's nothing more powerful 595 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,400 than the Gospel of Jesus Christ to give New Life. 596 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:25,300 And he just expounds on that from chapter 1 to chapter 11. 597 00:38:25,300 --> 00:38:29,600 And at the end of chapter 11, he's he's written all these 598 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,500 things down and he's just kind of caught up in a moment of 599 00:38:32,500 --> 00:38:35,600 worship. And he says, oh, the depth of 600 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:40,200 the riches, and the wisdom, and the knowledge of God, he's 601 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:44,200 talked about salvation. He's talked about how people are 602 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,400 saved that look like they shouldn't be saved and how 603 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:48,600 people who look like they should be saved. 604 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:52,600 Haven't been saved, but not all who are Who are of Israel or not 605 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,800 all who are Israel or of Israel. Sorry not all. 606 00:38:55,800 --> 00:39:01,000 Who are of Israel are Israel. That it's belief its belief that 607 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:05,900 creates new life and he says how unsearchable are his judgments. 608 00:39:05,900 --> 00:39:11,700 How inscrutable his ways? Another words you might think 609 00:39:11,700 --> 00:39:14,400 about it differently, you might do it differently. 610 00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:17,700 But who are you? Oh man to answer back to God. 611 00:39:18,500 --> 00:39:23,300 Rather be in all of him. How unsearchable how inscrutable 612 00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:26,500 is he for? Who has known the mind of the 613 00:39:26,500 --> 00:39:31,000 Lord or who has been his counselor just as I was saying, 614 00:39:31,700 --> 00:39:34,400 who has given him wisdom? No one. 615 00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:39,700 No one. And so what we know from this is 616 00:39:39,700 --> 00:39:41,800 that God is worthy to be trusted. 617 00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:48,000 He's worthy of your trust. You can rest in the choices of 618 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:52,000 his Sovereign will, you can know that his ways are perfect. 619 00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:56,200 And because, you know, his ways are perfect because you trust 620 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,600 his sovereignty because you know that it is, he who causes the 621 00:39:59,607 --> 00:40:04,700 new birth, you can pray with faith for the unsaved. 622 00:40:06,100 --> 00:40:10,100 You can pray with conviction for those who don't yet know Christ 623 00:40:10,100 --> 00:40:14,800 as Savior. And know that you're going to 624 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,000 the right place for those prayers. 625 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:24,400 We know his choices are always directed by his love. if I want 626 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:32,200 to close by encourage you and encouraging you in two ways, I 627 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:35,700 mentioned John 1:12 through 13 earlier, but to all who did 628 00:40:35,700 --> 00:40:39,000 receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to 629 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:44,900 become children of God. Who were born, not of blood, nor 630 00:40:44,900 --> 00:40:48,100 of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of, man. 631 00:40:48,900 --> 00:40:54,900 But of God, In other words, you do not inherit New Life. 632 00:40:56,700 --> 00:41:00,400 We've said it before, but God has no spiritual grandchildren. 633 00:41:02,700 --> 00:41:06,700 You are not a Christian because your grandmother was a Christian 634 00:41:06,700 --> 00:41:11,400 or your father was a Christian. You might be led to Christ 635 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:14,500 because of their belief. They may have had an influence 636 00:41:14,500 --> 00:41:17,800 in your belief, but you're not ushered into the kingdom because 637 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:19,900 you had a believing grandmother. Does that make sense? 638 00:41:20,300 --> 00:41:21,900 There's no spiritual grandchildren. 639 00:41:21,900 --> 00:41:26,800 Everyone who is born again, is a child of God adopted into his 640 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,300 family. Co-heir with Christ Jesus. 641 00:41:30,300 --> 00:41:36,000 His son. And so you can't come today and 642 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:39,800 say, well, I'm getting into heaven because my family has 643 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:45,400 just always been Christian. That doesn't necessarily mean 644 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:48,700 anything. He says that you're not born of 645 00:41:48,700 --> 00:41:51,000 the will of the Flesh. In other words, it's not by your 646 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,600 choice. It's not by your decisions that 647 00:41:53,600 --> 00:42:02,500 you've made. Nor the will of man, it's not by 648 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:07,000 human efforts again. You can't Nicodemus yourself 649 00:42:07,100 --> 00:42:09,600 into heaven. None of us. 650 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:17,300 None of us. Are the same level of morality 651 00:42:17,300 --> 00:42:21,500 that Nicodemus was, and yet he too must be born again. 652 00:42:21,500 --> 00:42:24,100 That's what Christ says, You must be born again. 653 00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:28,200 And so Christ says the same to all of us is that you there in 654 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:29,900 verse 7, that we looked at a couple weeks ago. 655 00:42:30,100 --> 00:42:32,000 It's plural. You must be born again. 656 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:35,200 He's speaking. He's saying, you all must be 657 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,700 born again. Ya'll must be born again. 658 00:42:38,100 --> 00:42:45,800 Amen. How he says, but of God, you 659 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:49,900 were born of God, they were born of God to all who received 660 00:42:49,900 --> 00:42:54,700 Christ were born of God. It's by Divine operation that 661 00:42:54,700 --> 00:43:00,600 you come to know Christ as Lord. That you receive him as Lord. 662 00:43:02,900 --> 00:43:06,400 So here's to encouragement for you as as those who are 663 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:10,800 believers in Christ. I want to encourage you today 664 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:14,900 with this. You are empowered to overcome 665 00:43:14,900 --> 00:43:18,300 sin. Because the spirit of God is 666 00:43:18,308 --> 00:43:22,600 alive in you because you were born again, you are alive in the 667 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:25,700 spirit. The Same Spirit that raised 668 00:43:25,700 --> 00:43:29,300 Christ from the dead gives life to you. 669 00:43:30,300 --> 00:43:33,600 It takes your spiritually dead soul and it makes it spiritually 670 00:43:33,700 --> 00:43:36,300 alive. You've been raised to New Life, 671 00:43:36,300 --> 00:43:38,300 that's why we get baptized, that's what we're saying in 672 00:43:38,300 --> 00:43:40,600 baptism. We've been buried with Christ. 673 00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:42,600 We've been raised to walk in newness of life. 674 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:49,100 Our old man is put to death. Our old man was hung all of our 675 00:43:49,100 --> 00:43:51,000 sins. All of our faith and the 676 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:52,900 Forgiveness of for the Forgiveness of our sins. 677 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,400 On Christ Jesus. We've buried it with him. 678 00:43:56,700 --> 00:44:00,600 And now, just as he was raised from the tomb on the third day, 679 00:44:01,500 --> 00:44:05,900 we have been raised to walk in newness of Life Romans 8:9 3:11, 680 00:44:05,900 --> 00:44:11,600 says you however are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if in 681 00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:13,500 fact, the spirit of God dwells in you. 682 00:44:14,300 --> 00:44:16,400 So again, Paul is talking to the Romans here, he's saying the 683 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:20,300 Roman Church here in Rome and he's saying, don't just think, 684 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,200 I'll just think that you're in. He says you, however, are not in 685 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:27,500 the flesh, but in the spirit, if in fact, The spirit of God 686 00:44:27,500 --> 00:44:31,200 dwells in you, he goes on to say anyone who does not have the 687 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:35,100 spirit of Christ. Does not belong to Christ. 688 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:39,500 there's got to be evidence, there's got to be fruit of the 689 00:44:39,500 --> 00:44:43,700 spirit in your life and if there's not, you're not in, 690 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:49,200 Don't mix that up because you're morally, good, don't think that. 691 00:44:50,100 --> 00:44:51,700 But where does morality come in Kyle? 692 00:44:51,700 --> 00:44:53,200 We've got to clean ourselves up, right? 693 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:57,800 Yes, look, he says, but if Christ is in you all though, the 694 00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:01,400 body is dead because of sin. The spirit is life because of 695 00:45:01,500 --> 00:45:08,000 righteousness of Christ is in, you know, your flesh is passing 696 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:12,400 away, it will die. You will not live forever, in 697 00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:17,000 your current flesh. But when Christ returns your 698 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:20,800 body will be raised and you'll receive a new glorified body in 699 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:23,900 heaven, and then you'll live forever in heaven. 700 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:28,100 But right now, as someone who is walking in newness of life, you 701 00:45:28,100 --> 00:45:32,600 are Waging War against the against the flesh, by the spirit 702 00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:36,000 of God alive in you, you're saying, I want to follow Christ, 703 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:38,600 but the flesh and you were saying, no, no, no, no, no, 704 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:43,000 let's not give up this, this pets in, whatever it may be. 705 00:45:46,100 --> 00:45:49,000 And you're saying no I'm alive in the spirit of God, I'm 706 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:52,500 putting that to death because it does not honor my God. 707 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:57,200 And so he says, but if Christ is in you all though, this body is 708 00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:59,400 dead because of sin. The spirit is life because of 709 00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:03,300 righteousness, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the 710 00:46:03,300 --> 00:46:07,300 dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from. 711 00:46:07,300 --> 00:46:11,000 The dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through his 712 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:15,700 Spirit who dwells in you. You have been empowered now by 713 00:46:15,700 --> 00:46:19,000 the spirit of God to overcome sin and temptation. 714 00:46:20,700 --> 00:46:23,900 You have no excuse for continuing in your sin anymore. 715 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:27,700 And fact, you have the very power of God, that raised Christ 716 00:46:27,700 --> 00:46:31,800 from the Dead Alive, and you to bring new life to your life. 717 00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:36,600 So we don't walk with pet sins anymore. 718 00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:39,200 We don't go on making a practice of sin. 719 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:43,400 As John says, in his epistle, the first epistle, he wrote 720 00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:46,900 first John He writes and says there, that we do not go on 721 00:46:46,900 --> 00:46:49,800 making a practice of sin, Sinners, sorry, believers. 722 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:51,600 Do not go on, making a practice of sin. 723 00:46:52,700 --> 00:46:55,700 Does that mean you don't go on doing the same old sins all the 724 00:46:55,700 --> 00:46:57,800 time saying well that's this is just who I am. 725 00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:01,700 It's just the way God made me. No, it's not. 726 00:47:01,700 --> 00:47:04,700 You've been created brand new in Christ. 727 00:47:04,700 --> 00:47:07,500 Jesus Christ. Did not die and rise again so 728 00:47:07,500 --> 00:47:09,900 that you can keep sending your hand and say well this is just 729 00:47:09,900 --> 00:47:12,200 who I am. No, it isn't. 730 00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:14,600 You have no idea who you are in Christ if that's how you're 731 00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:17,700 thinking. So your first step would be to 732 00:47:17,700 --> 00:47:20,800 just grow in your knowledge of what it means to be in Christ. 733 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:27,800 Your union with Christ Jesus, you are made brand new to do the 734 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:31,000 works of God that he prepared for you beforehand. 735 00:47:32,400 --> 00:47:34,800 That's what Ephesians 2:10 tells us. 736 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:39,700 And so you are empowered by the spirit of God to walk in newness 737 00:47:39,700 --> 00:47:42,900 of life, to put to death sin and temptation. 738 00:47:44,300 --> 00:47:47,300 Secondly, you are empowered to share the gospel. 739 00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:54,000 This doctrine of regeneration, this teaching of Christ about 740 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:58,300 the spirit of God blowing where it wants doing what it wishes 741 00:47:58,900 --> 00:48:03,800 gives you power. To be a witness for the gospel 742 00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:08,400 of Christ. You don't have to worry about 743 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:12,000 your inadequate, knowledge. Well, I just don't know how to 744 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:14,800 answer the Universalist. I don't know how to answer. 745 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,100 The person who believes in evolution. 746 00:48:17,100 --> 00:48:20,800 I don't know how to answer, blah, blah, blah, just bear 747 00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:24,900 witness to the fact that once you were blind, but now you can 748 00:48:24,900 --> 00:48:30,900 see Tell them about the grace of God on your life that once I had 749 00:48:30,900 --> 00:48:34,300 spiritual blinders and I was going my own way, but when 750 00:48:34,300 --> 00:48:38,600 Christ hit my heart, with his spirit, I became a new creation 751 00:48:38,700 --> 00:48:43,000 born again. And now I long long to do his 752 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:46,300 will and that's not of me, that's what the spirit of God 753 00:48:47,900 --> 00:48:51,900 and he'll do that for you too. If you'll submit your life to 754 00:48:51,900 --> 00:48:55,200 him. But don't go on in your sins, 755 00:48:55,300 --> 00:48:59,200 don't go on telling yourself some story submit to Christ, 756 00:48:59,200 --> 00:49:01,100 that's how you plead with people. 757 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:06,600 For the new birth. And then you trust that Christ 758 00:49:06,600 --> 00:49:09,900 by his Spirit causes regeneration in them. 759 00:49:10,600 --> 00:49:13,500 It's his work, not yours. You don't have to be super 760 00:49:13,500 --> 00:49:16,300 convincing. You don't have to be eloquent. 761 00:49:16,300 --> 00:49:20,500 Paul says, we didn't come to you like those other guys eloquent 762 00:49:20,500 --> 00:49:22,700 of speech. Having all the right words to 763 00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:25,800 say, we came to you, proclaiming the Cross of Christ. 764 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:30,000 Jesus, and him crucified. That's the power of the Gospel. 765 00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:38,000 So we open our mouth, we share the gospel of Christ and we 766 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:41,900 trust that he will cause regeneration in the hearts of 767 00:49:41,900 --> 00:49:45,100 Those whom. We share it with and if it 768 00:49:45,107 --> 00:49:48,100 doesn't happen the first time, that doesn't mean that God isn't 769 00:49:48,100 --> 00:49:51,400 going to move on them. We continue praying, we continue 770 00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:59,200 sharing. and as long as though, listen, we speak Amen. 771 00:50:00,900 --> 00:50:05,800 And we call to repentance. Jesus command to go therefore 772 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:08,900 and Make Disciples of all the nations is mandatory. 773 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:14,100 You're calling is to advance the saving message of Jesus Christ 774 00:50:14,100 --> 00:50:22,900 into all the world. And you say man, I'm I hate to 775 00:50:22,900 --> 00:50:25,400 use any profession because I'm sitting here looking at so many 776 00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:27,700 different professions. The first one that came to mind 777 00:50:27,700 --> 00:50:30,900 is I'm a painter, right? How can I share the good news? 778 00:50:30,900 --> 00:50:33,100 I'm an electrician, how can I share the good news? 779 00:50:33,100 --> 00:50:36,400 I'm a banker. I'm a teacher, I'm a, I'm a 780 00:50:36,408 --> 00:50:40,600 stay-at-home mom. I work in a factory. 781 00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:47,400 I'm a maintenance man. Whatever, like I'm husband, I'm 782 00:50:47,400 --> 00:50:49,600 a father, I've got responsibilities collocate. 783 00:50:49,600 --> 00:50:54,400 Just go into all the world. Now Christ is doing the going 784 00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:58,300 into all the World by raising up believers who exist in all the 785 00:50:58,300 --> 00:51:01,800 world. You go into all the World by 786 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:06,800 going into your home. By going into your workplaces, 787 00:51:07,500 --> 00:51:11,400 by going to your children. And proclaiming the good news of 788 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:13,700 Christ Jesus. But not only proclaiming it, 789 00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:17,800 living it. Don't just say I'm a Believer. 790 00:51:17,900 --> 00:51:23,400 Don't just say, like Joshua says as for me and my house, we will 791 00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:26,500 serve the Lord don't post the thing up in your house and then 792 00:51:26,500 --> 00:51:29,900 never serve the Lord, sit around and watch Yellowstone together 793 00:51:29,900 --> 00:51:32,800 as a family or Breaking Bad or whatever else, the boot, the 794 00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:35,600 shows or whatever. But I'm just saying, proclaim 795 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:39,500 the excellencies of Christ in your home, don't undo, what 796 00:51:39,500 --> 00:51:42,200 you're saying on your wall, by what you're watching on your TV 797 00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:44,900 and you say, well, Kyle, you're just being a Pharisee. 798 00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:50,000 No. I'm not saying you can't do 799 00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:54,500 those things, I'm saying, be careful that what you do doesn't 800 00:51:54,500 --> 00:51:58,300 undo what you say. Walk, The Walk. 801 00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:02,100 Don't simply talk the talk. Amen! 802 00:52:02,900 --> 00:52:07,000 Live a life, that honors God. Trust him for the Salvation of 803 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:12,100 your children parents. You will not put your kids in 804 00:52:12,100 --> 00:52:15,400 the perfect Church. Why? 805 00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:16,700 Because they're so perfect church. 806 00:52:17,100 --> 00:52:19,400 If there was you and your child would ruin it. 807 00:52:22,500 --> 00:52:28,300 Mine's it. You won't, but what you are 808 00:52:28,300 --> 00:52:31,500 called to do is submit yourself to a church with Godly Elders, 809 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:36,800 to submit to his word, to follow him to learn how to disciple 810 00:52:36,800 --> 00:52:38,700 your children, if you don't know how to do that. 811 00:52:41,400 --> 00:52:43,900 Parenting is simultaneously is the weirdest thing is 812 00:52:43,900 --> 00:52:45,900 simultaneously one of the hardest things I've ever done in 813 00:52:45,908 --> 00:52:51,600 my life and yet it's so simple. The formula for good parenting 814 00:52:51,600 --> 00:52:57,500 is so stinkin simple. If we'll just deny ourselves The 815 00:52:57,500 --> 00:53:02,200 night yourself. Trust in Jesus. 816 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:04,600 And so you go into all the World by going into. 817 00:53:04,600 --> 00:53:07,500 All those places that God has already placed you, it's being 818 00:53:07,500 --> 00:53:11,000 faithful where you are and so we can breathe a breath of fresh 819 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,700 air. I don't have to fill out an 820 00:53:13,900 --> 00:53:16,600 application for disciple. The nation's this week, right? 821 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,800 Like you can go where you're at. It's what God calls you to do. 822 00:53:22,300 --> 00:53:26,200 Be faithful where you are, trust him, and his work. 823 00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:32,300 Paul again, Romans 1:16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it 824 00:53:32,308 --> 00:53:35,300 is the power of God for salvation to everyone who 825 00:53:35,300 --> 00:53:41,000 believes you were born again by The Same Spirit that raised 826 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:45,700 Christ from the dead. And that's true for everyone 827 00:53:45,700 --> 00:53:48,800 else. Also, Amen. 828 00:53:49,200 --> 00:53:51,900 And so as we look to the resurrection this morning, we 829 00:53:51,900 --> 00:53:56,500 see the life changing the life transforming the life. 830 00:53:57,000 --> 00:54:01,400 Beginning power of God at work in us. 831 00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:07,300 Also, It's the same power. and so, finally, to any of you in 832 00:54:07,300 --> 00:54:11,800 here who are an unbeliever I'm glad you're here. 833 00:54:11,800 --> 00:54:15,000 I'm glad you've come today. I don't know why you came, I 834 00:54:15,008 --> 00:54:17,400 don't know if you're seeking, I don't know if you have some 835 00:54:17,500 --> 00:54:20,300 moral obligation as someone raised in the Bible Belt, to go 836 00:54:20,300 --> 00:54:23,800 to church on Easter. I don't mean that as a joke, 837 00:54:23,800 --> 00:54:29,700 it's that's how we grow up. But I'm glad that you're here to 838 00:54:29,700 --> 00:54:36,000 hear the gospel proclaims and I pray that God would save you 839 00:54:36,000 --> 00:54:40,700 from your sins. I pray that that you would feel 840 00:54:40,700 --> 00:54:45,200 no, the drawing power of the Holy Spirit unto the life and 841 00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:48,200 that you would repent of your sins and turn to life in Christ 842 00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:53,200 Jesus. Would you stand to your feet 843 00:54:53,200 --> 00:55:04,300 this morning? Going to pray for us. 844 00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:10,900 Worship team will sing after I pray, it's a it's meant to be a 845 00:55:10,900 --> 00:55:15,400 time of response. And so, I encourage you that if 846 00:55:15,400 --> 00:55:19,400 the Lord's directing You by his Spirit, to respond to him in 847 00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:22,200 some way, would you follow him today? 848 00:55:22,200 --> 00:55:24,100 Would you be obedient to that leading? 849 00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:30,600 If you feel his conviction to repent of your sins and turn to 850 00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:36,000 Christ, would you do that? If you need prayer, I'll stand 851 00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:37,400 at the back. You can come back there. 852 00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:40,200 I'll happily pray with you. You need counsel. 853 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:44,300 You want to talk? I'm available both now and this 854 00:55:44,300 --> 00:55:47,600 week, you say, maybe not today, but I'll come see you this week. 855 00:55:48,300 --> 00:55:56,300 Come on, office is always open. But don't leave today without 856 00:55:57,200 --> 00:56:00,100 either repenting of sins and turning to Christ. 857 00:56:02,100 --> 00:56:07,600 Without repenting of sins and continuing your commitment to 858 00:56:07,600 --> 00:56:12,300 Christ. Or without glorifying the Lord. 859 00:56:12,300 --> 00:56:15,800 If you think I come in today and I just don't have any of those 860 00:56:15,800 --> 00:56:18,500 kinds of burdens but I'm so grateful for the Resurrection. 861 00:56:18,500 --> 00:56:20,800 The Power of New Life, praise him for it. 862 00:56:20,800 --> 00:56:24,800 Now as we sing respond to the Lord Faithfully today, let me 863 00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:27,200 pray for you. Heavenly Father, we love you. 864 00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:30,300 God, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it is. 865 00:56:31,500 --> 00:56:34,500 The gospel of Christ proclaimed. And that here in our text today, 866 00:56:34,500 --> 00:56:37,600 we have Christ. Proclaiming The Gospel to a man. 867 00:56:39,300 --> 00:56:46,300 Who is much like us much like our peers is dependent upon his 868 00:56:46,300 --> 00:56:50,800 own morality for salvation. In Christ says, unless you were 869 00:56:50,800 --> 00:56:53,800 born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. 870 00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:56,100 You cannot enter the kingdom of God. 871 00:56:56,100 --> 00:57:04,300 You must be born again. And so God, we ask now that your 872 00:57:04,300 --> 00:57:09,600 spirit would to use the reference here would blow upon 873 00:57:09,600 --> 00:57:14,500 the hearts of unbelievers. But you would cause regeneration 874 00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:17,200 that you would save your people today. 875 00:57:19,500 --> 00:57:23,500 Father, help us all of us, even Believers to receive Christ 876 00:57:23,500 --> 00:57:27,600 today to yield to his presence to yield to his leading, to put 877 00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:30,500 to death sin and to put on holiness. 878 00:57:35,400 --> 00:57:38,500 Father, it is imperative for each one of us here. 879 00:57:39,200 --> 00:57:41,400 That we not only know the love of God. 880 00:57:43,500 --> 00:57:45,900 What that we live? As those who know, the love of 881 00:57:45,900 --> 00:57:49,600 God. Help us Lord to not Harden our 882 00:57:49,600 --> 00:57:52,900 hearts to correction or reproof help us. 883 00:57:52,900 --> 00:57:56,300 Do not Harden your heart to saving conviction. 884 00:57:58,400 --> 00:58:01,400 God would you overpower Us by your spirit today that we would 885 00:58:01,400 --> 00:58:03,800 walk in newness of life with you? 886 00:58:07,200 --> 00:58:10,500 Father, we love you. We praise you for christ that he 887 00:58:10,700 --> 00:58:14,400 is risen. And that because he has life, we 888 00:58:14,400 --> 00:58:18,500 can have new life. Because he died as the perfect 889 00:58:18,500 --> 00:58:21,900 sacrifice. We can know the righteousness of 890 00:58:21,900 --> 00:58:26,900 God as we trust in him. Help us to receive it today. 891 00:58:27,700 --> 00:58:30,500 Lord, we pray these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, the 892 00:58:30,500 --> 00:58:34,400 one who was slain, the one who has risen the one who has our 893 00:58:34,400 --> 00:58:26,900 Lord forevermore, amen. Help us to receive it today. 894 00:58:27,700 --> 00:58:30,500 Lord, we pray these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, the 895 00:58:30,500 --> 00:58:34,400 one who was slain, the one who has risen the one who has our 896 00:58:34,400 --> 00:58:37,000 Lord forevermore, amen.