Born Again and Ready
About this sermon
In “Born Again and Ready,” Pastor Dean Odle argues that conversion is the beginning of the Christian race, not permission to return to habitual sin. Beginning with Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John 3, he presents the new birth as a real work of the Holy Spirit received through heartfelt faith, repentance, and confession of Christ. He then contrasts a merely verbal profession with obedient faith, drawing on James 2:17 and Titus 1:16.
Chronological teaching outline
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The service opens with worship centered on God’s greatness, Christ’s reign, and the repeated exhortation to be ready for Jesus. Odle prays that Christ will return physically to rule the nations and establish peace.
After welcoming visitors, Odle warns of apostasy and presents fulfilled messianic prophecy as evidence for Scripture and Christ’s uniqueness. He states the sermon’s two-part thesis: one must be born again, then continue walking with, knowing, and obeying Christ.
Reading Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, Odle describes the new birth as supernatural and Spirit-given. He says conviction exposes humanity’s sin and need for the remedy found in Christ, and he recounts his childhood encounter with that conviction.
From Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 6, Odle identifies habitual works of the flesh and argues that Scripture warns professing believers not to be deceived about inheriting the kingdom. He pauses over drunkenness and uses his own past to illustrate how repeated compromise leads farther than intended.
Odle connects Revelation’s call to overcome with the reality of final judgment, then reads Romans 8 to distinguish walking after the flesh from walking after the Spirit. His interpretation is that being in Christ must be evidenced by a Spirit-directed life.
Odle recounts being born again as a child, drifting into drugs, sexual sin, drunkenness, and ambition, then being confronted at nineteen by a Christian employer. He presents his repentance as the point when he stopped merely claiming faith and surrendered his life to Christ.
Odle describes a serious heart crisis and proposed bypass surgery. He says prayer, an inward instruction to postpone surgery, and subsequent improvement confirmed God’s care to him. The editorial package records this as his personal testimony, not an independently verified medical conclusion. His main application is that he was not afraid because he knew Christ and believed he was ready.
Matthew 25 provides the closing picture. Odle interprets the lamps as Scripture and the oil as the Holy Spirit and a living relationship with God. The wise virgins cannot transfer their oil to the foolish; each hearer must personally come to Christ and be ready.
Odle rejects emotional manipulation and places responsibility on each listener to respond sincerely. He warns hearers to repent before death or Christ’s return and closes by praying for forgiveness, cleansing, the Spirit’s presence, truth, and power.
After the prayer, Odle gives a brief Fire & Grace School of Ministry application announcement and dismisses the congregation.
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Lightly edited for readability while preserving the speaker’s meaning and substantive statements.
- 0:00:04
[music] You know, no matter what we're facing in here this morning, the Lord is greater. Amen. He's [music] greater than any struggle, any thing, any word, any diagnosis, anything. Great [music] is the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Let's just worship him this morning and praise his name. You give life. [music] You [singing] are love. You bring light to the darkness. [singing and music] You give hope. You restore every [singing and music] heart that is broken. [music] Cuz great are you Lord. [singing] [music] Great are you Lord. Great [singing] are you, Lord. It's your breath. [music] It's your breath in our [singing] lungs. [music] So we pour out our praise. Pour [singing] out our praise. It's your breath in our lungs. So [music] we pour [singing] out our praise to you only. [music] Cuz great [singing] are you, Lord. Great are you, Lord. [music] Oh, great [singing] are you, Lord. Let's sing that verse [music] again. You give life. You [singing] are love. [music] You bring light to the darkness. [music] You give hope. You [singing] restore every heart that is broken. [music] Cuz great [singing] are you, Lord. [music] Great are you, Lord. Great [singing and music] are you, Lord. It's your breath. It's [singing] your breath in our lungs. [music] So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. It's your breath in [singing] our lungs. So we pour out our praise. You only is your breath [singing] [music] in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. [singing] Pour out our praise. Is your breath in [singing] our lungs. In our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only [singing and music] you cuz great are you Lord. Great are [singing] you Lord. Great are you Lord. And great [singing] are you Lord.
- 0:03:07
[music] And all the earth and [singing] all the earth will [music] shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. [singing] These bones will sing. Great [singing] are you, Lord. Great are you, Lord. [singing] [music] Oh, and all the earth will shout your [singing] praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones [music] will sing. Praise [singing] are you, Lord. When all [singing and music] the earth will shout your praise, our hearts will [music and singing] cry. These bones will sing. Great are [singing] you, Lord. Is your breath in [singing] our lungs. [music] So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. [music and singing] It's your precious word in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. You only It's your breath in our [music and singing] lungs. So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. It's [singing and music] your breath in our lungs. So we [singing] pour out our praise to you. [music] Cuz great [singing] are you, Lord. [music] Great are you, Lord. Great are you, Lord. Great [singing] are you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. All the earth and all the [singing] earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will [music] cry. These [singing] bones will sing. Great are you, [singing] Lord. Yes, Lord. [music] Oh, and all the earth will shout your praise. [singing] Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing praise are [singing] you, Lord. It's your [singing] in our lives. [music] So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. It's your [singing] breath in our lungs. So [music] we pour out our praise to you. It's [singing] your breath [music] in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. It's your breath in [singing] our lungs. So we pour out our praise. you only [music] cuz great [singing] are you Lord. [music] We love you. We love you Lord.
- 0:06:10
Great [singing] are you Lord. [music] You are worthy of our worship [singing] today. [music] Great are [singing] you Lord. I love you. I [music] love you. I love you. Tell them this morning, great are [singing] you Lord. [music] Thank you Jesus. Praise you Lord. You are [music] worthy Lord. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord. Let's give the Lord a hand clap offering. Thank you Lord. [applause] [music] [music] Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. [music] All right. Praise the Lord. God is so faithful. He's so good. He's merciful. And his merciful. [music] His mercy endures forever. Thank you, Jesus. His grace is sufficient. His strength is perfect. You know what? That keeps me going. It keeps me going. God's goodness keeps me going. You know what? His unfailing love, his faithfulness keeps me going. Amen. What about you? Does it keep you going today? Amen. [music] Thank you, Lord. [music] [music] [music] [music] Holy [singing] is the Lord. [music] Holy is the Lord [singing] [music] seated on the throne [singing] train of his robe. [music] It fills [singing] the temple. [music] Worthy [singing] is your name. Worthy [singing] is your name. [music] Let the [singing] heavens rejoice. [music] Let the earth be glad. [singing] Say among the nations. [music] Our [singing] God reigns. Our God [singing] reigns forever in [music] the reign.
- 0:09:18
[music] Our [singing] God reigns. [music] Our God reigns [singing] forever. your [music] king of praise. Worship [music] and [singing] adore you. Oh Jesus, we adore you. [music] Perfect [singing] lamb was slain, risen from the grave. Halleluah. Halleluah. Our [singing] God reigns. [music] Our God [singing] reigns [music] forever. Your king [singing] of praise. Our God reigns. [singing] Our God reign. Our [singing] God. [music] forever. Your [music] kingom [singing] reigns. He reigns. [singing] Oh, he reigns. [music] He reigns. He reigns over all [singing and music] the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The [singing and music] only one true to God. The only one who saves forever. Jesus reigns. He reigns. [singing and music] He reigns. Over all the earth. He reigns. [music] He reigns. The [singing] only one true God. The only [music] one who s forever. [singing] Jesus reigns. [music] Our [music] [singing] God reigns. [music] [singing] Our God reigns [music] forever. Your kingom reigns. [music] Our [singing] God reigns. Thank you, Jesus. Our [singing and music] God reigns forever. [singing] Your kingom our God. [music] Thank you Jesus. [singing] Our God. Thank you Lord. Forever your kingdom reigns. [music] Thank you, Jesus. Bind us [singing] on our knees.
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