Key Words In The Christian Life: 'regeneration

SERMON OUTLINE:

REGENERATION DEFINED:

• Personal (Titus chapter 3 verse 5)

• Universal (Matthew chapter 19 verse 28)

REGENERATION ILLUSTRATED:

• Reality of the new birth (John chapter 3 verses 1-3)

• Simplicity of the new birth (John chapter 3 verses 5-6)

• Dignity of the new birth (John chapter 3 verses 3)

• Urgency of the new birth (John chapter 3 verses 7b)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• When I go to another country on mission,

• I like to teach my translators some British colloquialisms and unusual words.

• Some of our words just sound fun,

• e.g. Hullaballoo, nincompoop, airy-fairy, chockablock, collywobbles,

Here a few more unusual words, can you guess what they mean?

• Confabulate

• Means “to talk informally to chat.”

• So, I hope to do a bit of at Speakers Corner this afternoon/evening.

• Accubation

• This word describes the state of reclining while you eat.

• So basically, anyone who snacks while watching Netflix or the football is an “accubation.”

• Peccadillo.

• Not to be confused with an armadillo!

• Peccadillo, simply means “a slight offense, a lapse in judgment.”

• Bumbershoot

• A genuine fun word that is another word for “umbrella.”

• Everywhen

• This isn’t a typo or my bad grammar,

• It means “always” or “all the time.”

• TRANSITION:

• Some words are fun, but… never underestimate the power of words:

Ill:

• In 1924 Adolf Hitler started writing his book Mein Kampf,

• Which means "My Struggle."

• Some people ignored the book, and some laughed at it,

• But for every word in Mein Kampf, 125 people died in World War II.

• TRANSITION:

• Never underestimate the power of words:

• A judge speaks, and a man is condemned or set free.

• A physician speaks, and a person has surgery, or he goes home from the hospital.

• A government official speaks, and millions of dollars can be spent or withheld.

• A preacher speaks and an individual can move from spiritual death to life!

According to sociologists.

• Our tongues form an average of 16,000 words/day.

• What matters most, however, is not the number of words you speak,

• But the kind of words you choose, and the impact they have.

Quote: Pearls from Many Seas, T. J. Bach.

“A careless word may kindle strife,

A cruel word may wreck a life,

A bitter word may hate to instill,

A brutal word may smite and kill,

A gracious word may smooth the way,

A joyous word may light the day,

A timely word may lessen stress,

A loving word may heal and bless.”

Ill:

• In our own personal lives, we know the power of words.

• We all enjoy a compliment,

• And we all hate criticism.

TRANSITION: The Bible uses specialist words (jargon).

• We see specialist words (jargon) in lots of areas of life.

• Question: where might you here, ‘AWOL’ ‘Cookhouse,’ ‘Buckshee,’ ‘Civi’?

• Answer: Military jargon.

• Question: where might you here, ‘Offside, VAR, Red card?

• Answer: Football (Soccer).

• Question: where might you here, ‘IP address, Adware, Virus, Firewall’?

• Answer: Computer jargon.

• Question: where might you here, ‘Performance Table, NQT, GCSE, Key Stage’?

• Answer: Education jargon.

• TRANSITION:

• The Bible also uses specialised words or jargon.

• e.g. Regeneration, Redemption, Reconciliation, Intercession.

• e.g. Justification, Sanctification, Propitiation, Imputation and Mediation.

• And over the next few weeks we will be looking at some of these words.

• Think of them like jewels waiting to be discovered.

• And if we take time to dig them up and polish & hone them.

• We can enjoy their immense beauty and their theological value!

REGENERATION DEFINED:

• The first word we are going to look at in this series is ‘Regeneration.’

• The English word "regeneration" is a dated word.

• Today we might use the alternative words, ‘New birth, renewal or restoration’.

Ill:

• Those of you who use the King James Version of the Bible:

• Will come across the older word "regeneration,"

• It is used twice in that Bible translation.

• Let’s start our investigation and look at the two references.

(a). Personal regeneration (Titus chapter 3

verse 5 (C.E.V.):

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth (regeneration) and renewal by the Holy Spirit”.

• The NIV translation, chooses the words, “rebirth & renewal,”

• While the KJV uses the word "regeneration."

Ill:

• In nature there is a plant called, the "resurrection plant."

• This natural phenomenon is a good illustration of regeneration.

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/wamQ2xOQ_IU

• The plant is dead, of that there is no doubt,

• Yet, a bit of water brings it to new life, renewal, regenerates it!