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by Sandy Shaw
Nicodemus comes to Jesus Christ one night and Jesus goes right to the heart of the issue immediately. We are reading in John Chapter 3. Nicodemus, you must be born again, and then, you will be on the inside, and then you will be able to see.
Notice how Jesus skips all the palavers, and Jesus gets right to the point. Study this passage carefully because there are essential lessons and truth to be gleaned from this conversation. This is by no means a superficial encounter.
Jesus could have spent so much time ‘counselling’ but He doesn’t.
This is the point of entry. This is the door into the Kingdom of God. If there is such a thing as a spiritual ladder then this is the first rung. If a man is not born again, he is not even on the road to eternal life.
Jesus does not tease, nor does He mislead, nor does he waste time.
Over these past few years this has almost become an overworked phrase. We hear it said of certain people that they are ‘born again Christians’, as if it were possible to be any other kind.
This all appeared to begin with a miracle. Something happened and it became a problem that caused Nicodemus to have a restless mind. This question would not go away, and an interest somehow began to grow. There was a seeking that was determined not to give up. There was a hunger that drove him to go and meet personally with Jesus Christ. That always has to happen. There was a thirst for spiritual reality and living water.
Nicodemus has taught dry barren theology, and he realised that.
He longed for that which was real and refreshing and alive and relevant, and he wanted what Jesus had.
He had been in the church of the day for years, and he had never been satisfied. How many are exactly in that position. Imagine being in the Church for 5 or 25 or 45 years and being unsure and uncertain about the most vital issue in this life!
Three times in this conversation Jesus Christ emphasises the necessity of being born again – of being born anew – or being born from above.
That happened after Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
Jesus had been to the Cross. Jesus had shed His Blood to wash away our sin. Jesus had laid down His Life. Our Passover Lamb had been sacrificed and God the Father accepted His perfect sacrifice on the Cross.
Nicodemus – unless a man is born again – he cannot see. Do you still hear people say with regard to spiritual things – “O, I don’t see that – I cannot see that – I don’t see life that way.” This is why!
Nicodemus, unless a man is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Have you ever heard people say, “O, you wouldn’t get me in there, and involved in all that”.
Nicodemus has some more questions to put to Jesus, but Jesus one theme here to this religious man is “You must be born again”.
All this came true some three years later for Nicodemus and all the others but just in case you are wondering how one is born again let me spell it out now. In the book of Acts every person who came into the Church of Jesus Christ repented of their sins and turned to God, having come to believe in Jesus. They were baptised in water and received the Holy Spirit. Check it out.
If you know of any other way whereby a man can come into the Church of Jesus Christ do let me know!
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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