Daily Bread John 3
Daily Bread John 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Observation:
Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, comes to Jesus at night possibly for fear of what his friends might think. He cites the signs Jesus is performing as an indication that Jesus’ ministry is a work of God. Jesus realizes he is curious and gives him the secret of these signs he is doing. He tells him no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. Literally this means “born from above”.
Nicodemus takes him literally and wonders how someone can go back into his mother’s womb. Jesus explains that this is not a physical birth, but a spiritual birth. A spiritual rebirth happens when the Holy Spirit opens one’s heart to the truth of the Gospel and one accepts it by faith.
When one becomes born of the Spirit, their life takes on similar characteristics as the Holy Spirit. The word “Spirit” also means “Wind” or “Breath”. The Spirit was moving across the water when God created the earth. The Spirit led many to recognize that Jesus was the Son of God. Paul tells us without the Spirit’s help we cannot recognize or understand the things of God, for they are spiritually discerned.
Application:
Jesus didn’t just operate in the power of the Spirit to bring in God’s kingdom, He invited all of us to be born again and walk in the power of the Spirit. Being “born again” was a real popular part of the Jesus movement in the 70’s here in the U.S. Still today many of the members of the largest evangelical churches would be say they are “born-again” Christians.
Some people are uncomfortable with “born again” Christians because they seem so zealous about their faith. Jesus tells us we need to be “born-again”, or “born from above” in the sense being born of the Spirit. When we come to faith in Jesus and believe the famous words of John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever should believe in him would not perish but have eternal life”, we are born again.
Faith in God’s Word, specifically the Word about His Son, Jesus; changes us from the inside out. We are a new person, or a new creation in Christ, as Paul says to the Corinthians. Tomorrow is Easter when we celebrate Jesus’ rising from the grave. It is this very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Death could not hold him down because Jesus was born of the Spirit, He was born from above. The things of God are eternal. That is what it means to have eternal life. Eternal life is a connection with God’s life through His Spirit who lives in us through faith in His Son Jesus.
One day when we die, because this same Spirit lives in us, death will not hold its grip on us. The promise of Easter will one day ring true for us, and they will say He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!
Prayer: Gracious God we thank for the Good News that we are saved and born again because of what Jesus did and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Help us to experience the cry of Easter, “He is risen, He is risen indeed”, with the sure and certain hope because you live we will live too, In Jesus’ name and in the power of Your Holy Spirit, Amen.
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Observation:
Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, comes to Jesus at night possibly for fear of what his friends might think. He cites the signs Jesus is performing as an indication that Jesus’ ministry is a work of God. Jesus realizes he is curious and gives him the secret of these signs he is doing. He tells him no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. Literally this means “born from above”.
Nicodemus takes him literally and wonders how someone can go back into his mother’s womb. Jesus explains that this is not a physical birth, but a spiritual birth. A spiritual rebirth happens when the Holy Spirit opens one’s heart to the truth of the Gospel and one accepts it by faith.
When one becomes born of the Spirit, their life takes on similar characteristics as the Holy Spirit. The word “Spirit” also means “Wind” or “Breath”. The Spirit was moving across the water when God created the earth. The Spirit led many to recognize that Jesus was the Son of God. Paul tells us without the Spirit’s help we cannot recognize or understand the things of God, for they are spiritually discerned.
Application:
Jesus didn’t just operate in the power of the Spirit to bring in God’s kingdom, He invited all of us to be born again and walk in the power of the Spirit. Being “born again” was a real popular part of the Jesus movement in the 70’s here in the U.S. Still today many of the members of the largest evangelical churches would be say they are “born-again” Christians.
Some people are uncomfortable with “born again” Christians because they seem so zealous about their faith. Jesus tells us we need to be “born-again”, or “born from above” in the sense being born of the Spirit. When we come to faith in Jesus and believe the famous words of John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever should believe in him would not perish but have eternal life”, we are born again.
Faith in God’s Word, specifically the Word about His Son, Jesus; changes us from the inside out. We are a new person, or a new creation in Christ, as Paul says to the Corinthians. Tomorrow is Easter when we celebrate Jesus’ rising from the grave. It is this very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Death could not hold him down because Jesus was born of the Spirit, He was born from above. The things of God are eternal. That is what it means to have eternal life. Eternal life is a connection with God’s life through His Spirit who lives in us through faith in His Son Jesus.
One day when we die, because this same Spirit lives in us, death will not hold its grip on us. The promise of Easter will one day ring true for us, and they will say He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!
Prayer: Gracious God we thank for the Good News that we are saved and born again because of what Jesus did and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Help us to experience the cry of Easter, “He is risen, He is risen indeed”, with the sure and certain hope because you live we will live too, In Jesus’ name and in the power of Your Holy Spirit, Amen.
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