John 3 - some headings

St Ebbes - Vaughan Roberts - 09 Oct 2010 - New leaf or new life?

Are you sure you’re right with God?

2 great truths about being right with God:

(1)   Depend on God’s Spirit

(2)   Trust in God’s Son

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All Souls’, Langham Place - Rico Tice - He calls for new birth - 12/09/1996 – vv1-15 – L022 The Gospel According to Jesus

Can people really change?

(1) New birth is something that everybody needs

(2) New birth is something everybody can experience

(a) Nicodemus had to understand the power of God’s Spirit

(b) Nicodemus had to understand the death of God’s Son

 * * *

John Stott - At dead of night - C111 Face to Face (Interviews with Jesus in John's Gospel) – vv1-15

(1) The nature of the new birth – what it is

(a)   Not a second physical birth

(b)   The new birth is not a self reformation, though it does lead to change

(c)   Not the same as Christian baptism

(d)   The new birth is a spiritual birth, a new person with a new heart, new life – a transformed person

(2) The results of the new birth

(a)   We see the kingdom of God – a new vision of spiritual realities

(b)   We enter the kingdom of God

(3) The necessity of the new birth

(4)  The conditions of the new birth – how it can happen

(a)   From God’s side – the mysterious work of God himself

(b)   From our side – by believing in Jesus

* * *

For myself I am currently tempted to go with something like:

(1)   Challenging news: You must be born again by the work of the Holy Spirit (vv1-8 esp vv 3, 5)

(2)   Encouraging news: You may be born again by looking to Jesus in faith (vv9-17 esp vv14ff)

* * *

And this I think is adapted from John Piper:

The Most Famous Verse in the Bible (John 3:16)

(1) Everyone’s DANGER:

      Perishing without Christ

V18 – condemned

V36 – under the wrath of God

No automatic Christians – a real danger

(2) God’s DESIGN:

      So loving the world that he gives His only begotten Son

God loves the whole world

God loves the wicked world

Giving: incarnation & crucifixion – 1 John 4:9-10

(3) Our DUTY:

      Believing in Jesus

Believing certain objective truths

Personal trust and dependence – vv14-15 (cf. Num 21:4-9)

For whoever – 3:36

An ongoing duty

(4) Believers’ DESTINY: 

      To have eternal life

quantity & quality

10:10 – full life

17:3 – eternal life = knowing God