2. What does it mean to be BORN AGAIN (John 3:3-5)?

It means that you are born spiritually; you are a CHILD OF GOD (John,1:12); you are a NEW CREATION.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! You may not always feel like a new person; you may not feel saved, but God’s Word says you are because you have put your faith in Him. Salvation is not based on how you feel or what you think, but on what God says. The facts are in God’s Word- You are a new creation. Put your faith in the facts. The feelings will come and go.

3. As a new person, you must GROW- by feeding on God’s Word, the Bible.
1 Peter 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (KV)
2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does."

4. Sin can no longer control you.

Romans 6:11-14 " In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires…For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." Man was not created to sin. God will give strength to resist temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

5. Unfortunately, because of our fallen natures, we do fall victim to sin from time to time, but God has provided forgiveness for all our failures.

1 John 1:18-21 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives. My dear children; I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." You couldn’t save yourself. That’s why you needed a savior. Neither can you keep yourself pure. Just do your best and trust Jesus to help keep you from sin and forgive and cleanse you when you do fail.

6. You must not try to use God’s grace or suppose that you can freely and deliberately sin.
1 John 2:3-4 " We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commandments. The man who says, I know Him, but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Hebrews 10:26-27 "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God."

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT MY LIFE?

1. Few will agree with your commitment to Christ.

John 15:19 "If you belonged to the world. It would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, that is why the world hates you."
Matthew 10:32-33 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in Heaven."

2. You must go God’s way, and not your own.

Mark 8:34-38 "…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels."
Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Your will, your desires, must give in to God’s. We must obey His Word instead of following our own feelings and plans.

3. You must base your life on the teachings of the Bible.

Matthew 7:24-27 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down and the winds blew against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his hand on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and if fell with a great crash." Only what is based on God’s Word will last. isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of God stands forever."
Salvation in not the end of the road- it is a new beginning. Don’t stop as if you had arrived. Continue to pursue God.

4. You need other Christians.

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so that you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the day approaching."
Proverbs 15:22 "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed."

5. Expect God to work in your life.

John 14:12-14 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I bring glory to the Father. You may ask for anything in my name, and I will do it."

6. Do God’s work- spread the gospel and He will back you.

Mark 16:15-18 "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe; in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. Tell your friends and family what has happened to you.

7. Keep your eyes on Jesus and not on other Christians.

Man will disappoint you. Jesus never will. Don’t expect others to be perfect. And don’t stumble over hypocrisy or failure in church people. We are all people in process- learning and growing. Don’t let a few rotten or half-ripe apples spoil you. God forgives you as you forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). Nobody needs condemnation. Everybody needs love and understanding. That is why Jesus came- not to condemn, but to save. When we get to heaven, we’ll all be perfect. Until then, we have to forbear one another (Ephesians 4:32).