Isaiah 31:1-4; Matthew 26:40-41; John 3:1-6; John 6:63-64; Romans 8:1-13; Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:5-8; 2 Corinthians 3:1-10

Isaiah 31:1-4

1 Doom to those going down to Egypt for help! They rely on horses, trust in chariots because they are many, and on riders because they are very strong. But they don't look to the holy one of Israel; they don't seek the LORD.

2 But God also knows how to bring disaster; he has not taken back his words. God will rise up against the house of evildoers and against the help of those who do wrong.

3 Egypt is human and not divine; their horses are flesh and not spirit. The LORD will extend his hand; the helper will stumble, those helped will fall, and they will all die together.

4 The LORD has said to me: When the lion growls, the young lion, over its prey, though a band of shepherds is summoned against it, isn't scared off by their noise or frightened by their roar. So the LORD of heavenly forces will go down to fight on Mount Zion and on her hill.

Matthew 26:40-41

40 He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you stay alert one hour with me?

41 Stay alert and pray so that you won't give in to temptation. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak."

John 3:1-6

1 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader.

2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered, "I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it's not possible to see God's kingdom."

4 Nicodemus asked, "How is it possible for an adult to be born? It's impossible to enter the mother's womb for a second time and be born, isn't it?"

5 Jesus answered, "I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it's not possible to enter God's kingdom.

6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 6:63-64

63 The Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn't help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

64 Yet some of you don't believe."Jesus knew from the beginning who wouldn't believe and the one who would betray him.

Romans 8:1-13

1 So now there isn't any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

3 God has done what was impossible for the Law, since it was weak because of selfishness. God condemned sin in the body by sending his own Son to deal with sin in the same body as humans, who are controlled by sin.

4 He did this so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us. Now the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness.

5 People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit.

6 The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace.

7 So the attitude that comes from selfishness is hostile to God. It doesn't submit to God's Law, because it can't.

8 People who are self-centered aren't able to please God.

9 But you aren't self-centered. Instead you are in the Spirit, if in fact God's Spirit lives in you. If anyone doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, they don't belong to him.

10 If Christ is in you, the Spirit is your life because of God's righteousness, but the body is dead because of sin.

11 If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your human bodies also, through his Spirit that lives in you.

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn't an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness.

13 If you live on the basis of selfishness, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live.

Romans 7:6

6 But now we have been released from the Law. We have died with respect to the thing that controlled us, so that we can be slaves in the new life under the Spirit, not in the old life under the written Law.

2 Corinthians 3:5-8

5 It isn't that we ourselves are qualified to claim that anything came from us. No, our qualification is from God.

6 He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not based on what is written but on the Spirit, because what is written kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 The ministry that brought death was carved in letters on stone tablets. It came with such glory that the Israelites couldn't look for long at Moses' face because his face was shining with glory, even though it was a fading glory.

8 Won't the ministry of the Spirit be much more glorious?

2 Corinthians 3:1-10

1 Are we starting to commend ourselves again? We don't need letters of introduction to you or from you like other people, do we?

2 You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.

3 You show that you are Christ's letter, delivered by us. You weren't written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You weren't written on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 This is the confidence that we have through Christ in the presence of God.

5 It isn't that we ourselves are qualified to claim that anything came from us. No, our qualification is from God.

6 He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not based on what is written but on the Spirit, because what is written kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 The ministry that brought death was carved in letters on stone tablets. It came with such glory that the Israelites couldn't look for long at Moses' face because his face was shining with glory, even though it was a fading glory.

8 Won't the ministry of the Spirit be much more glorious?

9 If the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness?

10 In fact, what was glorious isn't glorious now, because of the glory that is brighter.