{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Houston's First Baptist Church","title":"The Believer and the New Birth","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1760,"description":"In this sermon the speaker continues a series on the believer’s relationship with the Spirit and the Word, focusing now on the \"new birth\"—the moment a person is born again. He emphasizes that conversion is a single, definite event, not a gradual process, and illustrates this with personal anecdotes about his own birth, marriage, and a transformed church member named Sid. He explains that the new birth makes a person a completely new creation, citing 2 Corinthians 5:17 and the story of Nicodemus in John 3, where Jesus insists that one must be born of water and the Spirit. The preacher argues that this transformation is not merely external religiosity but an inner, spiritual rebirth that replaces the old nature entirely.\n\nThe sermon then explores how the new birth occurs, interpreting Jesus’ teaching as pointing to the cross as the method by which the old self is crucified and a new nature is implanted by the Holy Spirit. He warns against relying on religious rituals or emotional experiences alone, urging listeners to seek a Bible‑centered, faith‑based conversion. Finally, he extends an invitation to those who have not experienced this new birth, or who wish to reaffirm it, offering counsel and prayer for anyone ready to respond.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/o5yzRQYlXr9ParDz0W15WXJmDEyj_QNDo8tzYNqSRoc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wN2Ew/Yjg4MTI1YTdmNDVi/Mjc2NWZiNDkwYTBi/OTU4MS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}