Let’s Get Clear on the Holy Spirit
Part 2
“The Transforming Power of the Holy Spirit”
Titus 3:3-6 “3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”
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These verses talk about the way we were before our salvation, and what God did to deliver us–“He saved us.”
Why?—-Because of His mercy!
How?—-By REGENERATION and the RENEWING of the Holy Spirit.
Last time we saw that the Holy Spirit was poured out to:
empower us to witness,
to strengthen us in our battle with sin,
to guide us into all truth by opening God’s word to us,
And according to our text today, He is also the Agent of inward change.
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REGENERATION is the instantaneous miracle of being born again, it is done by the Holy Spirit, and RENEWAL–the ongoing process of growing into Christ’s likeness–also happens “by the Holy Spirit.”
Paul says He (the Spirit) was “poured out on us abundantly” through Jesus Christ.
The change the Holy Spirit brings is radical, ongoing, and utterly life-changing!
2 Cor. 5:17 “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new creation inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!”
The word CREATION here refers to a direct act of God, as when He created the world!—-He creates in you a brand new nature that wasn’t there before!
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So today I want to expand on the two things the Spirit of God does in the life of the person that turns to Christ for salvation:
Regeneration
Renewal
Regeneration
Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration,”
First, look who saved us!–“HE saved us…”
We were not saved by our own best effort,
or by “doing better” by making better decisions in life,
or by turning over a new leaf,
or breaking some bad habits,
or by doing good deeds like feeding the poor,
or giving money to Salvation Army,
or rescuing the sex-trafficked,
or any of the things we would consider charitable, honorable, or praise-worthy!
No! It says “but according to HIS mercy HE saved us!”
The Bible says He is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), and His “mercy is great” (2 Samuel 24:14).
It is “through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning, great is His faithfulness!”–Lam 3: 22-23
ILLUS: trapped fish
I saved them because I had mercy on their impossible plight!
And in the same way I rescued them, our salvation was in reality a rescue mission!
He pulled us out of WATERS too deep for us,
a PIT too dark for us,
SIN too strong for us,
a PERIL too fierce for us!
It was all of Him and none of us, says Paul.
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And the moment we turn to Him in faith as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit of God is sent to dwell within us.
And the first thing He does is REGENERATE us:
“He saved us….by the washing of regeneration.”
The “washing” here means our sins are washed away at the moment of salvation.
REGENERATION is the very same thing Jesus called being BORN AGAIN.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again (born from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God….The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”–John 3:3; 8
Regenerated or born again means you receive a brand new nature within, to be made truly alive for the first time in your life!
Eph 2: 4-5 “But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ.”
With that new nature comes a whole set of new desires:
hunger for God’s word,
the desire to please the Lord in our lifestyle,
a deep connection with God Himself,
a desire to know Him, be with Him, learn of Him
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Secondly, REGENERATION is instantaneous.
The very moment you repent of your sins and turn to Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit regenerates, rebirths you….you are born again that very instant!
So the new birth is:
Instantaneous–not a process, but then and there
Complete–one hundred percent finished
Forever–eternal life
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The second thing that Paul talks about is:
II. RENEWAL
Just as REGENERATION is the work of the Holy Spirit, so is RENEWAL.
“…according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”
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–RENEWAL takes place in our mind, our thinking, our thought life.
“You laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”–Col 3:9-10
“Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds.”–Eph 4:22-23
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”–Rom 12:2
RENEWAL is the daily, monthly, yearly, life-long process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
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ILLUS: Experiencing renewal is like tending to a garden; it requires:
intention (setting aside daily time for God),
patience (it’s a process),
watering (taking in God’s word),
weeding (removing hindrances, fleshly habits),
and plenty of sunshine (in God’s presence).
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The Bible says that when we are born again (REGENERATED), we are just like a baby that needs nourishment in order to grow.
1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,”
And as we feed on the Word of God, our minds are RENEWED!
Our thinking, our world view, the way we see people, God’s creation, all that pertains to life and living–all changes as our minds are renewed.
Paul said, “for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.'”–1 Cor 2:16
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So again, RENEWAL is not instantaneous like REGENERATION, it is intended to be a daily occurrence over a lifetime!
“Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”–2 Cor. 4:16
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I close with this:
You can’t experience renewal until you’re regenerated.
You can’t renew your old, sinful nature.
You need a new nature through REGENERATION to experience the renewal of the Holy Spirit in your thought life.
Jesus said, “No one puts new wine (the likeness of Christ) into old wineskins (your old nature). For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”–Mark 2:22
To be RENEWED and TRANSFORMED into the likeness of Jesus you must be REGENERATED, born again!