HOW DOES YOUR NEW BIRTH HAPPEN?

I Peter 1:21-25 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

I Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

I. God Supplies the Word

A. They received the word. I. God Supplies the Word

A. They received the word. 1. The word is an imperishable seed. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. – v23 I. God Supplies the Word

a. Men & their philosophies change. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.– v24-25 For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. – v24-25 I. God Supplies the Word

b. The word lasts forever. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.– v24-25 For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. – v24-25 I. God Supplies the Word

2. The word is an imperishable seed. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.– v24-25 For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. – v24-25 I. God Supplies the Word

3. Your faith produces a developing fetus. I. God Supplies the Word

3. Your faith produces a developing fetus. a. Repentance = a decision to change your life. II Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. I. God Supplies the Word

3. Your faith produces a developing fetus. b. The Good Confession = your pledge of allegiance, the logical expression of your faith. I. God Supplies the Word

A. They received the word. B. The word continues to enable you to mature in your salvation. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... – 2:2 I. God Supplies the Word

II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. II Thessalonians 1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. 1. Obedience is not working your way to salvation! II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. a. What obedience is... Matthew 28: and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. a. What obedience is... I John 2:3 - We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. a. What obedience is... I John 3:22,24 - and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him... Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. a. What obedience is... I John 5:3 - This is love for God: to obey his commands. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. b. The source of salvation. Hebrews 5: once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. c. The Holy Spirit is given to the obedient. Acts 5:32 - We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. d. Obedience comes from faith. Romans 1: we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. e. Obedience involves your thoughts. II Corinthians 10: we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. f. Obedience accompanies your confession of faith. II Corinthians 9: men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. g. You are to obey what you’ve seen & heard. Revelation 3:3 - Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. II. You Supply the Obedience

A. Obedience to the gospel is important. B. Christian baptism is the mother’s womb in the new birth process. II. You Supply the Obedience

B. Christian baptism is the mother’s womb in the new birth process. I Corinthians 15:1-5 - Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. II. You Supply the Obedience

B. Christian baptism is the mother’s womb in the new birth process. Romans 6:3-4 - Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. II. You Supply the Obedience

I. God Supplies the Word II. You Supply the Obedience III. The Church Provides the Relationships

A. The church is the purified, born again, people getting together to encourage & build one another’s faith. III. The Church Provides the Relationships

B. The church supplies the love. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. – v22 1. It’s sincere ( ἀ νυπόκριτος ) = unhypocritical. III. The Church Provides the Relationships

B. The church supplies the love. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. – v22 2. It’s deep ( ἐ κτεν ῶ ς ) = fervent, intent. III. The Church Provides the Relationships

C. The church supplies the nourishment. III. The Church Provides the Relationships

C. The church supplies the nourishment.... the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. – v25 III. The Church Provides the Relationships

C. The church supplies the nourishment. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... – 2:1-2. III. The Church Provides the Relationships

C. The church supplies the nourishment. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... – 2:1-2. III. The Church Provides the Relationships