"Born Again: The New Birth
Explained"
Salvation, God’s Love, and the Work of the
Holy Spirit
John 3:1-16
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.” 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. 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.” 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, 15
that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 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.
Numbers
21:6-9
6 Then the Lord
sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many
people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned,
because we have spoken against the Lord and against you; intercede with the
Lord, that He will remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the
people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a flagpole;
and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will
live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on the flagpole; and it came
about, that if a serpent bit someone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he
lived.
Discussion
Questions
1. Nicodemus was a religious ruler, a Pharisee; why was it so hard for the
religious people to accept the teachings of Christ? How does Christ’s offer of
new birth go against what Nicodemus thought about salvation?
2. In your own words, what does it mean to be Born again? How can someone be
born again?
3. Someone read Numbers 21:6-9; How does this story point us to the cross?
4. The sermon talked about how the love of God drove God to act; how does
God’s love drive us to act?
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