Hope in the Hurts - The Rescue Series Sample

The Greatest Do-Over

Our praise prepares us for the path of life. Our praises tell God of the love and faith we have in Him. In the book of Peter, the writer of the epistle gives us four things that are praiseworthy. As a believer in Christ, these are four “rescues” that God has given us in Jesus. 

The first praiseworthy thing is new birth. You have new life and a hope that lives on when you are rescued by Christ. This is a gift from Him. It has nothing to do with you but rather with God’s great mercy. This new birth happens through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. Resurrection, living hope, new life, and death, all in the same event. Do you see the irony of all those words being put together?

New birth is how life with God begins. In the gospel of John, we learn about a man named Nicodemus who had a knowledge of religion but not a relationship. He talks to Jesus and asks how a man can be saved. Jesus tells him that salvation comes through being born again. In order to be rescued from death and get into God’s kingdom, we must be born not only by water but by the Spirit. “A mother gives birth to their children, yet God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God.” Spiritually we are dead because of sin. Through Christ, by placing our faith in Him – His death and resurrection – His Spirit comes to live in us. He has paid for our sins. His death is our death, and now we are born again spiritually. 

It is the greatest do-over you could ever want. All your sin has been paid for on the cross and you are able to be born again. This is a blessing. Recently, I led a grown man to trust Christ in salvation. We prayed together. Afterwards, this grown man began to cry and said, “I feel like I just took a shower.” There is newness there. There is joy.

People love new births, don’t we? When a loved one has a new baby, we celebrate it. We announce it to our family or even on social media. Much like this, the Scriptures say that angels rejoice in Heaven over one that comes to know Jesus Christ. Being born again means that your faith is in Jesus Christ unto salvation. It means you are saved and rescued by Him.