{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Houston's First Baptist Church","title":"The New Birth","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1637,"description":"In this sermon the speaker begins by reading John 3:1‑8, where Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, comes to Jesus at night and is told that \"no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.\" The preacher explains that Jesus is not merely a teacher from God but God Himself, and that the new birth is a spiritual rebirth by water and the Spirit, not a physical return to the womb. He contrasts the external religiosity of a \"white‑sepulcher\" like Nicodemus with the internal transformation that only the Holy Spirit can bring, emphasizing that baptism or good works are insufficient without a regenerated heart.\n\nThe message then moves from the biblical story to practical application, describing the new birth as a radical, life‑changing experience that erases the past and creates a new nature capable of loving God and rejecting sin. The speaker warns against merely reforming outward behavior, using the example of an educated thief who still sins, and insists that true conversion requires total surrender to Christ’s lordship. He challenges listeners to examine whether they have truly been \"born again,\" urging repentance, faith, and a complete submission to God’s will as the only way to enter the kingdom and win the \"game of life.\"","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}