Regeneration is The "call" of God and the ability to respond (Gen 12:1)
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. Gen 12:1
God called Abram to a new life and he obeyed, believing God’s promises. We see this linked to his faith in Heb 11:8-19. "When called, he obeyed and went, even though he didn't know where he was going. By faith, he was looking forward to God's city and he lived by faith until he died"
Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3, "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God... the Spirit gives birth to spirit" and he explains it like the wind blowing. A friend reminded me of the life-giving power of God in creation. "darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." - waiting for God to speak "let there be light."
Have you ever noticed the Heros of the faith in Hebrews 11:3, starts with us. "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."
"First and foremost, God calls you to Himself. He does not call you to follow rules, bargain or earn His favor. God calls you into a relationship with Him and into deeper relationships with others. His call includes facing sin and our need for God. Mankind’s need to repent or renounce former ways is not optional to God. God’s call also brings a promising way forward, an invitation into a new life of faith."
What family and circumstances were you in when you received God’s call to a new life through faith?
Conclusion:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 John 5:1)
Romans 1 shows us that through Christ, God gave us grace and privileged authority to tell people to believe and obey. So we are not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God, bringing salvation to everyone who believes - the righteousness that comes through faith, not the law. 2 Peter 1 shows us how born again faith grows into quality faith. We teach doctrine because knowledge of God with obedience leads to increasing effective faith.
Notes:
https://www.openbible.info/topics/regeneration
Gen 12:1; Heb 11:8-10,13;John 3:3,6-8;Gen1:2-3;Heb 11:3
The gospel call, relationships and effortless power (Romans 1:1-17)
A) The Gospel call is Love, Romans 1:5-6) Through Christ, God gave us grace and privileged authority to tell gentiles to believe and obey, bringing glory to his name.
- It's taking a step of faith that we receive the grace of God. What should we obey? Everything Jesus commanded
B) Gospel Relationships, Romans 1:10-12) In Christ we desire opportunities to be together, impart spiritual gift, growing strong in the Lord, mutual encouragement in the faith.
C) Gospel's Effortless Power, Romans 1:16) Not ashamed, power of God, salvation to everyone who believes - the righteousness that comes through faith, not the law.
- Illustrations for Power of God: riding the current, biking downhill, catching the wind in the sail, bird hovering in the updraft
- Illustration for Belief being core to all areas of life; If I asked you if you could create a website/database that could handle 2 million queries per second and 60 thousand writes per second, what would you say? No! But if I gave you fifty million dollars, a team of experts who had all done this before to train and guide you and 5 years to finish it. What would you say? You see faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
Peter shows how born again faith grows up into quality faith (2 Peter 1:1-11)
A) Our faith is righteousness, grace and peace - increasingly seeing God's power in our lives (2 Peter 1:1-4)
B) Knowledge of God with obedience leads to increasing effective faith (2 Peter 1:5-10)
2 Peter 1:8) if these faith qualities are yours and increasing, they will keep you from being ineffective/unfruitful
- John 15:2, every branch not bearing fruit taken away, fruitful increase by Father God
- Titus 3:14, let us LEARN devotion to good works, to help urgent needs
"for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you - (2 Peter 1:11)"
- By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country...he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God...All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth....they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. - (Heb 11:8-19)
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