TOPIC: The New Birth

MEMORY VERSE: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

BIBLE PASSAGE: John 3:1-13

1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 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 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

INTRODUCTION:

Simply put, the new birth is the creation of a new life in a man by the Holy Spirit. The new birth, also referred to as being born again, is to be born of God with His seed (Christ – The Word) dwelling in man (John 3:3,5; 1John 3:9; 1 Peter 1:23). Everyone born of a woman is born unclean (Psalm 51:5). Therefore, to become clean as well as enlist as a member of the family of God, a new birth becomes necessary.

LESSON OUTLINES
1. Reasons for a new birth
2. Steps to a new birth

REASONS FOR A NEW BIRTH
We are all born sinners (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23). The heart of an unregenerated man is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and cannot be tamed by home training or secular education (Jeremiah 13:23). To live a godly life and have fellowship with God here on earth (Psalm 4:3; Galatians 2:20) and to make it to Heaven, the dwelling place of the Holy God, a new birth is inevitable (John 3:3-5; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16).

STEPS TO A NEW BIRTH
To experience a new birth we must hear the word of God (Romans 10:9-10), acknowledge that we are sinners, helpless and hopeless without the mercy of God (Romans 6:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Believe the word of God (1 Peter 1:25) and that God came in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, to save all mankind from their sins (Titus 2:11; John 1:14; Acts 4:12; John 3:16-18 ). Confess your sins (Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 1:9) and genuinely repent (Acts 2:38; 3:19). Accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour (John 1:12). Ask Him to come in and dwell in your heart (Revelations 3:20). You will surely become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). These are the crucial steps to being born again. Furthermore, we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:4-9), the new birth requires that we make up our minds to live a new life in the love and fear of God (Philippians 2:12; Proverbs 28:18; Matthew 24:13).

CONCLUSION
The new birth is a necessary for all. Without the new birth experience, it is impossible to live godly in this world let alone reign with Christ in Heaven eternally.

QUESTIONS
1. Why must we experience the new birth?
2. Outline the steps to a new birth.