Preparation for Resurrection: New Life Dr. Stephen Streett John 3:1-17 | March 1, 2026
Reoriented To God’s Kingdom Jesus said: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again ... No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:3-5). In other words, Jesus taught that rebirth is a matter of a total reorientation from the world to the kingdom of God. Only the kingdom of God is forever. Every other kingdom fades. Every other kingdom around which we build our lives is temporary. Refocused On Christ’s Cross Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14). Jesus was talking about refocusing our lives around the cross. Only what Christ does on the cross will last. When we die, only the cross of Christ will make the difference between heaven and hell. Renewed By The Holy Spirit For Witness To The World Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17). Jesus did not say, “God so loved the church,” but “God so loved the world.” The task of taking the gospel to the world is given to Spirit-filled witnesses. Rebirth means that our lives are renewed by the Holy Spirit so that the whole world hears the gospel of Jesus Christ and his cross.