Subscription Lists
Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
When Jesus looks at a man and when He moves around and among men, and when He sees a faith that is real and deep and which has that desire and longing to grow and mature, Jesus will be prepared to share and reveal many things to that man. We move into John Chapter 3 in our studies.
There was a man in Jerusalem who wanted to go further and he is called Nicodemus. He wanted what Jesus could give. He had a thirst for that which was spiritually real. He had seen the miracles, and now he was hungry for the Word of God. He was ready for something more – for something deeper. Over these past forty years I have seen some people go further with God than others and there is a very simple reason and explanation.
As you read these studies are you ready to deeper with God? To a very real degree, we can choose how close we are to God and how intimate our fellowship becomes with Jesus. This has very little to do with emotion. It is a decision we make.
Nicodemus was a man in a prominent position. He was a religious teacher. He was trained to answer theological questions. He would know all the orthodox doctrines. He would have had everything all neatly worked out – then Jesus Christ came along.
He had no experience of the Holy Spirit and Jesus came along and shook and disturbed his cosy little intellectual academic world.
He was among the top theologians in Israel, and was supposed to have answers for everyone. He still had a lot to learn and he humbly recognises that.
One night he came to see Jesus. At least he had the courage to go and have a talk with Jesus, and they spent some time together. He made the effort.
His religion had been the religion of good deeds, and what Jesus Christ says to Nicodemus is so relevant to our present day, when it is said – “try your best – try hard to be good – try hard to be kind – never hurt anyone”. These things are still said to me.
This never satisfies anyone and it did not satisfy Nicodemus. “How do I get into what you are doing?”
Nicodemus was about to learn some of the most important truths in the world.
Nicodemus – your world needs such a radical change, that you need to be born again.
Nicodemus – what you need is like being born all over again.
Nicodemus – unless you are born again, you are not even able to see the Kingdom of God. At the moment, you are a blind man. You cannot even see. He was a blind leader of the blind.
Nicodemus – you certainly cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless you are born again.
Nicodemus – at the moment you are on the outside and you know that I know that you are on the outside. Have you ever felt like that?
Do you ever feel like that or do you know people who feel like that? They know and realise that they are on the outside, and all this is foreign to them. It appears to sound like something from a different world! It is. That is why we must seek to love such people with the love of God.
Nicodemus – you must be born again. 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.
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.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Word from Scotland" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.