You Must Be Born Again

Jesus has a very interesting conversation with a man named Nicodemus. He’s a good man, moral, upright, loves God and the Scriptures as best we can tell. He’s a spiritual leader of his people. But what Jesus will say to him in this passage is that it’s not enough. What Nicodemus needs, what all of us need, is the one thing we cannot provide or produce for ourselves. We need to be born again. 

Sermon Outline:

I. The Need for the New Birth

II. The Marvel of the New Birth

III. The Maker of the New Birth

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about the fact that Jesus sees through surface-level religiosity and moral effort? In what areas of your life are you tempted to present God with performance rather than your actual self?

2. Jesus tells Nicodemus, one of the most respected religious men in all of Judaism, that he needs to be born again. Why would this be an offensive message to someone like Nicodemus? Who might be offended by this message today?

3. The new birth is something God produces. How does this change the way you think about your own salvation? Does it produce humility, relief, gratitude, or something else in you? Why?

4. God uses “means of grace” like prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, preaching) as places where the Spirit frequently blows. Which of these are you most neglecting right now? What would it look like to be more intentional about putting yourself in the path of the Spirit?

5. Where in your life right now are you still looking to yourself for something only Christ can provide? What would it mean practically to look to him instead?