"He Was Born So That We May Be Born Again" 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:10-18

Deacon Steve Smith He was born that we may be born again Sunday January 4th, 2026 Why must we be born again? Man was created to have fellowship with God. Normal was walking and communing with God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed (sinned), that caused separation Gen 2:15-17 – Man given the rules The lie - Gen 3 V1-7 – Temptation and the giving in. The relationship is questioned… V8-10 – Their relationship with God turned from peace to fear V11-13 – The denial and blame V14-19 – The punishment for their action God gave man life; man chose to swap it for power How can we be born again? Just as God gave life to man and man surrendered it, so man can only regain that life from God. The temporary covering of mans sin with the blood of an animal would be replaced with a permanent covering with the blood of Gods choosing (the Messiah). Gods plan was to send one outside of His creation into His creation to be a substitute for the sin of man, one that cleanses once and for all; Jesus, His only begotten son. Isa 53:4-6 – Messiah described Jn 3:1-21 – Gift offered Jn 4:21-24 – Renewal II Cor 5:14-21 – Results We died spiritually in the garden but Christ revived our spirit on the cross How then shall we live our new life? By becoming like Christ in word, thought and deed This is what the word Christian means. The Greek is khris-tee-an-os. It means a follower/disciple of Christ Acts 11:26 - In Antioch the disciples were FIRST called Christians. I Peter 4:16 – Association with Christ brings adversity Salvation is free to us, but discipleship will cost us everything. Salvation is once, discipleship is ongoing Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 9:23 – daily pick up our cross and follow Christ Matthew 5:23-24 – Be a reconciler if you have wronged a brother Matthew 18:21-22 – Forgive if you have been wronged (70x7) I Peter 4:7-11 Do our actions reflect Christs sacrifice Do our actions make God smile Speak as if you are speaking the very words of God Love is overlooking not looking over Col 3:1-17 The past is in the past Forgiveness is the best evidence of rebirth Don’t ruin the future by dwelling on the past in the present You have heard it said…but I say unto you… His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts We are born once but grow every day