Nicodemus, a respected Bible teacher and council member, slipped through the night to meet Jesus because he sensed a deeper emptiness no religion could fill. Jesus gathered all the images Nicodemus knew—Creation’s water and wind, Exodus’ parted sea, Ezekiel’s cleansing water and new heart—and declared, “You must be born again… born of water and the Spirit.” This morning, Pastor Steve Schobert will press that same question on us: Do you truly know what it means to be “born again,” and has the water and wind of God’s Spirit ever remade your heart?

There are some messages that do more than inform you. They uncover something eternal that was there all along.

In “Water and Wind,” Pastor Steve Schobert opened John 3 and showed us that Jesus was not introducing Nicodemus to a strange new concept. He was unveiling the pattern God had been revealing from the very beginning: new life comes by water and by wind.

For our North Cities family in Garland, TX, and for those across Murphy, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Wylie and beyond, this message was a clear, biblical call to see the kingdom of God the way Jesus described it. And for people throughout Dallas County, Collin County, and Rockwall County, it was a reminder that the gospel is not self-improvement. It is new creation.

Nicodemus Had Religion, But Jesus Offered New Birth

John 3 begins with a man named Nicodemus.

He was educated, respected, religious, and influential. He was the kind of man most people would assume already had everything spiritually in order. Yet when he came to Jesus, the Lord cut past all of his credentials and said:

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

That had to be shocking.

Nicodemus was not lacking information. He was lacking transformation.

And Pastor Schobert made the point unmistakably: Jesus did not tell Nicodemus to try harder, clean himself up, or become more disciplined. Jesus told him he needed nothing less than a new birth.

Water and Wind Were There From the Beginning

Pastor Schobert then took us back to Genesis.

Before the first creative word was spoken, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. In the original language, the same word can carry the meaning of wind, breath, or spirit. So from the opening lines of Scripture, we see these two elements working together:

  • water

  • wind

Creation itself begins with water and wind.

The same pattern appears in Eden. The garden was watered by rivers, and God met humanity there in relationship. From the beginning, water and wind speak the language of life, fellowship, and divine action.

Jesus Was Speaking the Language of Creation

When Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born of water and Spirit, He was not inventing a new theology on the spot. He was speaking the language of creation, redemption, and renewal.

He was saying, in essence:

You do not need a minor adjustment.
You need God to do in you what He does at the beginning of all things—
create life.

Water and Wind Marked Israel’s Redemption Too

Pastor Schobert showed that the pattern continues in Exodus.

When Israel stood trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, God sent a strong east wind that parted the waters and made a path of deliverance. Israel walked out of bondage by water and wind.

That was not just dramatic history. It was prophecy in motion.

Throughout the wilderness:

  • God led them by His presence

  • gave them water from the rock

  • sustained them through His power

Water and wind kept showing up because God was teaching His people something: deliverance always comes by His initiative, not human ability.

And Jesus was telling Nicodemus that entrance into the kingdom would happen the same way.

The Prophets Promised Cleansing, Renewal, and a New Heart

Pastor Schobert then moved into the prophets, especially Ezekiel.

God promised:

  • clean water that would cleanse

  • a new heart

  • a new spirit

  • His Spirit placed within His people

Then Ezekiel saw the vision of dry bones, and the wind of God brought life into what had been dead. Later, he saw water flowing from the temple, and everywhere the water went, life followed.

This is one of the strongest insights from the message:

The Old Testament had already been pointing toward the kingdom Jesus was announcing.

So when Jesus asked Nicodemus,
“Are you a teacher of Israel and do not know these things?”
He was saying: This has always been the plan of God.

Pentecost Was the Fulfillment of What Jesus Announced

The message then moved from promise to fulfillment.

Jesus told His disciples to wait for the promise of the Father. And in Acts 2, when the day of Pentecost had fully come, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind.

The same Spirit that hovered in Genesis, that parted the Red Sea, that breathed life into the valley of dry bones, now filled the house and filled the believers.

And when the people asked what to do, Peter answered with clarity:

  • Repent

  • Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins

  • Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

That is water and wind.
That is the new birth.
That is how the gospel is obeyed.

This Was Never Just for One Group of People

Pastor Schobert made this especially clear: this promise was never limited to the disciples, to Jerusalem, or to one century.

Peter said it was for:

  • you

  • your children

  • all that are afar off

  • as many as the Lord our God shall call

That includes people in Garland.
That includes families in Rowlett and Wylie.
That includes students in Richardson and workers in Plano.
That includes homes in Murphy and communities all across Dallas, Collin, and Rockwall counties.

The water still flows.
The wind still blows.
The promise still stands.

The Gospel Does Not Patch You Up — It Makes You New

One of the strongest lines in the message was this:

The gospel doesn’t just reform us. The gospel makes us a brand-new creation.

Pastor Schobert closed by drawing from Titus 3, where Paul says we were once foolish, deceived, and enslaved—but God saved us by:

  • the washing of regeneration

  • the renewing of the Holy Ghost

Again: water and wind.

This is why the message matters so much.

Because so many people think Christianity is about becoming a slightly better version of yourself. Jesus never offered that. He offered new birth.

Jesus Is King, and His Kingdom Is Open

The conclusion of the message came with a powerful kingdom invitation.

Jesus is King. Not one option among many. Not a spiritual add-on. Not a helpful teacher among others.

He is the King over everything.

And Pastor Schobert made it plain: entering His kingdom begins with repentance. Repentance is renouncing every lesser kingdom and every false ruler:

  • money

  • pleasure

  • ego

  • escapism

  • self-rule

Then comes baptism in Jesus’ name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

That is not a symbolic religious exercise. That is the way people are born again into the kingdom of God.

A Word for Garland and the Surrounding Cities

North Cities, this message was more than doctrine explained. It was an invitation issued.

For Garland, TX and for Murphy, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, and Wylie, there is hope today.

For people across Dallas County, Collin County, and Rockwall County, there is cleansing today. There is deliverance today. There is new life today.

Because the same truth Jesus preached to Nicodemus is still true right now:

You must be born again.
And God still does it through water and wind.

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