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1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:1-17 NRSV)
If you're of a certain age, you have probably heard of a TV network that had programming for kids that aired at night by the name of Nick at Nite. The major network was Nickelodeon. For some kids, the arrival of Nick at Nite was a dreaded time because it meant bedtime. I'm not an expert at Nick at Nite, but some of the programs were a little more "grown up" than the stuff offered during the day. Shows like Mary Tyler Moore, Donna Reed, Taxi, MASH, and others were on Nick at Night.
Night time is the right time for those who don't want to be seen doing what they're doing. Take for example, this "leader of the Jews," named Nicodemus, whom we'll call Nick. There was something about him that made him want to know more about Jesus. Notice his opening remark to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God. Wow. Nick could not have said this in broad daylight within the hearing distance of other religious leaders. This gives Jesus the opening for some of the greatest truths the world has ever heard.
Hear the first one. Jesus says that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are "born from above." One cannot understand spiritual things if one stays only in the physical world. The things of God are supernatural as we should be too. Supernatural things mean nothing to natural men and women. Oldest versions of this passage gave us, "You must be born again." (This is very popular with the Baptists!). it means the same thing, but seems clearer in the version we read above. Either way, Nick misses the point. "How can anyone be born after having grown old?" And he exaggerates it by asking if a man can enter his mother's womb to be born again (He really missed the point!). Jesus explains it further, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being both of water and the Spirit." Here's the truth,"What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Hear the second one. This one the Baptists really love! As should we! Drum roll please. This is powerful by the way.... "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life." This is the Good News in one sentence. It is the most powerful declaration of God's love and purpose we can find in the Scripture. It comes after this interesting conversation between a pre-believer/religious leader and the Savior of the world. To his credit, after Jesus' death we see Nick again, this time helping Joseph of Arimathea with Jesus' burial. Many believe that Nick did come to faith as a believer. He heard the message. God loves the world. That means you and me. A dear friend, now in Glory, once spoke at a retreat where he said that the verse became real when he changed the word world to his first name. "For God so loved Skip, that He gave His only Son, so that Skip may believe in Him and may not perish but may have eternal life." Powerful. And true.
Dear Baptist readers, please know I've been picking on you in love and respect. How I wish all believers would focus on the saving message of Jesus like you; your commitment to providing settings and opportunities to bring people to Christ is world class and a model for all Christian churches.
Dear friends, this is the most powerful passage you can hear today; that God loved you so much that He sent Jesus on your behalf. It serves no purpose, though, if you don't do something about it. Just like Nick. He had a wonderful story to share with whoever would listen, but as he thought about all Jesus told him, he realized that he would gain everything if he would allow God's Spirit to allow him to be reborn from above, in a spiritual way, so that he could better understand the supernatural world, and he did. So should you. Do not let this eternal life changing opportunity pass you by.
PRAYER: Father God, for Your love, I am thankful. I pray that Jesus would indeed be my Savior. I invite Him into my heart and life. I confess that I am a sinner and repent of my sins and ask that Jesus would guide and bless my life from this point on. This I pray in His strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Serve the Lord Jesus today!
Receive my blessings of peace and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
