January 26, 2025
Assigned Scripture
John 3:1-10
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?
Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Group Response
Following the weekly gathering, you’re invited to respond to the service by engaging in group discussion.
This exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus left the Pharisee confused, because he couldn’t understand what it meant to be born again. Do we understand it? Or have we just fooled ourselves into thinking we do? This sermon will talk about what Jesus meant when he talked about being “born again,” and how that differs from our expectations of “spiritual life,” and reframes our approach to life with God.
Discussion Questions
1, Nicodemus struggled with the concept of being “born again.” How do you interpret this phrase in your own life? What does it mean to you
2. The sermon mentions living in a “hall of mirrors,” where the closer we appear to be, the farther we might really be. In what ways have you been tripped up by “thinking you’re right” and resisting new information?
3. Nicodemus shifted from a place of knowing to unknowing. How might unlearning be a necessary part of spiritual growth? Can you share a time when “not knowing” deepened your faith?
4. The sermon contrasts striving for self-improvement with receiving new life from the Spirit. How do those things partner together?
5. The sermon highlights that the Gospel isn’t just about managing sin but about receiving new impulses and desires. How can we invite this transformation into our daily lives?
6. Jesus invites Nicodemus to start over, like a newborn. What does it mean to embrace a beginner’s mindset in your spiritual walk? How does that look in practice?
7. Jesus describes the Spirit as wind, moving unpredictably but powerfully. How have you experienced the Spirit moving in unexpected ways in your life? How do you remain open to that movement?