The Holy Spirit and Regeneration Part Two

5. The reason people do come to Christ is because the Spirit draws irresistibly
.

Because we are born dead in sin, with no ability to love or treasure Christ, the Spirit must
give a person a new heart. This new heart has the ability to see and understand
spiritual things, and is made to walk in God’s law, whereas the old heart only saw
spiritual things as foolishness and was not able to submit to God’s law.

Deu 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul, that you may live.

Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will
remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Eze 11:20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they
shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Eze 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I
will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and
be careful to obey my rules.

Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creation.

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come.
2Co 5:18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation;

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

a. The sinner is raised from his state of spiritual death

and made alive in Christ.

Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life
to whom he will.

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--
by grace you have been saved--
Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

The Spirit draws, and effectually calls the sinner to Christ. All who are given to Christ by
the Father hear this special inward call, and come to Christ willingly.

Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will
never cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him
who sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he
has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

Rom 1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Rom 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he
also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Rom 9:23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he
has prepared beforehand for glory--
Rom 9:24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the
Gentiles?

1Co 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
1Co 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God
and the wisdom of God.

1Co 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to
bring to nothing things that are,
1Co 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1Co 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from
God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
1Co 1:31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Gal 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his
grace,
Gal 1:16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among
the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that
belongs to your call--

2Ti 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but
because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the
ages began,

Heb 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called
may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that
redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Jud 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called,
beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

1Pe 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called
you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you.

a. Both faith and repentance are requirements of salvation, yet the Bible
makes it clear that these

requirements are divine gifts wrought in a person by

the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

Act 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Act 11:18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying,
"Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Act 16:14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a
seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to
pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Act 18:27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and
wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who
through grace had believed,

Php 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only
believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

2Ti 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
 b. Part of the regenerating work of the Spirit is to reveal
divine truth. The only reason that a person understands and
believes the gospel is by the enablement of the Spirit.

Last week we saw that faith and repentance are requirements of salvation, and yet both of
these elements are divine gifts. How are they requirements and yet gifts at the same
time?

1. The Holy Spirit awakens us to see the beauty of Christ.

A. Our spirits are dead, the Holy Spirit breaths life into us. Now Christ becomes more
desirable to us than anything this world can offer. We want Him above all things. And
when we want Him above all things it will be impossible not to repent and place our
faith in Him. Because:

1. In every choice there is a predisposed preference. Our desires or preferences

always precede the decisions of our wills to act. Mark Kieler says, “The will is
servant to the inclinations or preferences of the person.”

G.S. Bishop said this:

“Does the will stand apart from the other great faculties or powers of the soul….as almost
a “man within a man?” Or is the will connected with the other faculties of the man,
(like the tail of the serpent is connected to his body and head so that where the tail
goes the head goes)? Is not the order: “As a man thinks in his heart so is he?” First
thought, then heart, then will, then action….Does not Gen. 3:6 tell us, for it reads,
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, (self perception and
understanding was first), and a tree to be desired, (lust and affections came second),
she took and ate thereof, (the will and actions followed).

The order of the will:

1). the mind understands the options

2). there is a preference or inclination for one option over and above the others

3). the will automatically selects that option

4). the action occurs

Charles Spurgeon:

The will is well known by all to be directed by the understanding, to be moved by

motives, to be guided by other parts of the soul, and to be a secondary thing.
Philosophy and religion both discard at once the very thought of free-will; and I will
go as far as Martin Luther, in that strong assertion of his, where he says, "If any man
 doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free-will of man, he
knoweth nothing of grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright." It may seem a
harsh sentiment; but he who in his soul believes that man does of his own free-will
turn to God, cannot have been taught of God, for that is one of the first principles
taught us when God begins with us, that we have neither will nor power, but that he
gives both; that he is "Alpha and Omega" in the salvation of men.

So in order for any person to understand divine truth, the truth that believes that Jesus
Christ is to be desired more than anything else; the divine truth that says, “I would
leave everything for the sake of Christ, counting the things in my life nothing
compared to knowing Him. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Now lets look at the Biblical evidence that shows the ability to believe the gospel is a gift
from God.

Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them
to little children;
Mat 11:26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Mat 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the
Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Mat 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Mat 16:16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Joh 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone
who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me--

Gal 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his
grace,
Gal 1:16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among

Intro:

Turn to John 17:1-10.

1. What has the Father given Jesus? He has given Him authority over all people.

A. What is the purpose of this authority? The purpose is to give eternal life.
 B. Who is this eternal life for? It is for all those that the Father has given Jesus.

1. According to these verses, is this eternal life for everyone? No. It’s only for a
specific group of people.

2. (Verse 6) - Who did Jesus make the Father known to? He made the Father known to
the people that the Father gave Him.

A. Where were these people when the Father gave them to Jesus? They were in the
world.

3. (Verse 9) – Who is Jesus praying for? He is praying for the ones that the Father has
given Him.

A. Who is Jesus not praying for? He is not praying for the world.

B. Why is Jesus only praying for the ones that the Father has given Him and not for
the rest of the world?
Those whom the Father gave Jesus belonged to the Father.

1. for they are thine; not merely by creation, and as the care of his providence,
but by eternal election, and special grace in calling; which is a reason why Christ
prayed for them, and an argument why the Father , and would regard his prayers.
John Gill.

We have been discussing the Holy Spirit and regeneration over the past several weeks,
and as I said in the beginning, this is the most important part of discussion, because
this is where it all starts. If you don’t have salvation, you don’t have the Spirit. You
can’t start with the gifts, or the filling of the Spirit, because apart from regeneration,
being born again there is no Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is given as a gift at the moment of salvation:

Eph 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Eph 1:14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the
praise of his glory.

When a person hears the gospel and believes, at that very moment the Spirit comes and
indwells them. He gives them new desires and affections toward God and His people,
and begins to give that person victory over sin.

6. The Spirit regenerates all those chosen to be saved.

Charles Spurgeon:

The greatest absurdity in the world is to want to have a wider gospel than that recorded in
Scripture. I preach that every man who believes shall be saved—that every man who
comes shall find mercy. People ask me, "But suppose a man should come who was
not chosen, would he be saved?" You go and suppose nonsense and I am not going to
give you an answer. If a man is not chosen he will never come. When he does come it
is a sure proof that he was chosen. Says one, "Suppose any one should go to Christ
who had not been called of the Spirit." Stop, my brother, that is a supposition thou
hast no right to make, for such a thing cannot happen; "Every man that cometh shall
be saved, for no man cometh to me except the Father draw him."

So what Spurgeon is saying is that only those who have been chosen by God will come to
Christ. Only those who are chosen by God will be regenerated by the Spirit.

This is saying nothing different than what Jesus said when he told the crowd in John 6:

Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will
never cast out.

Joh 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will
raise him up on the last day.

Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have
spoken to you are spirit and life.

Joh 6:65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is
granted him by the Father."

a. The Bible loudly affirms the sovereignty of God. God is free, doing all that He
pleases .

Psa 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Psa 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and
all deeps.

1Ch 29:10 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And
David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and
ever.
1Ch 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory
and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the
kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
1Ch 29:12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand
are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD and said:

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be
thwarted.

Isa 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I
have purposed, so shall it stand,
Isa 14:27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is
stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Isa 46:9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am
God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet
done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'

Isa 46:11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I
have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

Isa 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me
empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for
which I sent it.

Jer 32:17 'Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your
great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Dan 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does
according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"

Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible."

c. Election precedes salvation.

Election is not salvation. For example, as the president- elect does not actually become
the president of the United States until his inauguration, so those chosen for salvation
are not saved until regeneration.

Rom 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it,
but the rest were hardened,
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may
obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the
word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

7. Application- Some evidences of regeneration.

a. They have new affections towards God, and His

children.

1Pe 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him,
you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

1Co 16:22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!

Eph 6:24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the
brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
1Jn 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him.

1Jn 4:21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love
his brother.

1Th 4:9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for
you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,

b. Their love for God is shown by their obedience to

Him.

1Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his
commandments.
1Jn 2:4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and
the truth is not in him,
1Jn 2:5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we
may know that we are in him:
1Jn 2:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walk

Luk 6:46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

Joh 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Joh 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

c. They continue in the faith.

1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they
would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they
all are not of us.

Mar 4:16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear
the word, immediately receive it with joy.
Mar 4:17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when
tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

2Pe 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and
overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
2Pe 2:21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of
righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment
delivered to them.
2Pe 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own
vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."
d. They are concerned with personal holiness .

Heb 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one
will see the Lord.

2Co 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every
defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

1Pe 1:15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1Pe 1:16 since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

3Jn 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God;
whoever does evil has not seen God.