1/20/2013. John 3:1-15. Born of Water and the Spirit- my devotional

John 3:1-15                                                                                                                   Sunday, January 20, 2013

Key verse 3:5;                                                                                                                Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”

    Dear Lord God, thank you for this wonderful trip and opening my eyes to great and wonderful things. Thank you for helping me to be part of something really big. Truly convergence is happening in my life. I can have a sense of the will of God and living in the will of God. I pray that you may open many doors before us so that there can be ways to send people as missionaries to go to NW Ontario. I pray that you may establish a “ground family” in Sioux Lookout, who can be the way to send missionaries to up, all the way to Hudson Bay. Lord, please give Pastor Steve strength and grace to carry his cross. And, reveal your word in my heart. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: This is What You Need.  (1-8)

Verses 1-8 read, “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”  “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritgives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youmust be born again.’ ⁸ The 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.” ^(NIV)

By this world’s standards, Nicodemus pretty much had it all: wealth, education, position, and respect. However, something was still missing –something essential. Nicodemus suffered from a gnawing emptiness that would not leave him alone. In fact, he was suffering from the symptoms of spiritual death. Ephesians 2:1 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” Nicodemus was desperate.

There is only so much this world can satisfy our hearts. Dustin Hoffman was swimming in the French Riviera one day and a piece of human stool floated by his face. He thought to himself, “This is as good as it gets on this planet.” Even the French Riviera can get very disappointing. This luxury Inn is as good as it gets. But it too can get disappointing. What about careers? Doctors have a very hard life. They are on call and have the pressure of providing great care to their patients. They are under a lot of stress. A nurse job is also very stressful. What about a famous Pastor? I am learning that they are so busy with communicating and talking and writing that they don’t even have time to exercise. Lance Armstrong, the great cyclist who won 7 Tour DeFrance races has been stripped of all his laurels and life is empty for him. Anything this world offers, that is not of God, can get empty really fast. Especially as we age. It all becomes meaningless. What is there to live for if it were not for Jesus and the expansion of the Kingdom of God?

Augustine said that each person has a God sized hole that only Jesus can fill. Nicodemus must have been feeling this. He must have felt so empty. He had it all and yet he came to Jesus for something that he could not get, satisfaction and joy and peace that can only come when one has a relationship with Jesus and when one can see the Kingdom of God.

I grew up not seeing the Kingdom of God. I was a son of this world. I was spiritually blind. As a result I lived for this world. I lived for pleasure. I lived for human glory. I lived for human recognition. I cold not get enough of these things. I was empty inside. I was never satisfied. And even though I searched for things in this world I was never really found it. As I got older I would only be depressed that I could not enjoy things anymore and I would wait for the end to come. That is the sad end for all who can not see the glorious Kingdom of God. But how can we see the kingdom of God, practically?

Jesus got right to the point. “No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born of the water and Spirit.” We need to be born of water and Spirit. We are born of water when we confess our sins and sincerely repent of them before God. We are born of the Spirit when the power of God enters our life. It begins with repentance and faith. And this does not mean superficial things, like drinking and smoking. It means deeper repentance, like repenting of unbelief.

When I was a new believer, I remember that I struggled very hard to not believe.  I didn’t know why I didn’t believe. Jesus was giving me every reason to believe. But in 1986, at the MSU  UBF Summer Bible Conference, I repented of unbelief. I opened up my heart to Jesus for the first time. I shed tears. My heart was moved and the eyes of my heart were opened. I was born again.  At church today, 26 years after believing in Jesus, I repented of creating an atmosphere where there was no unity in my family. I answered an altar call, laying out my burden at the cross of Jesus. I simply trusted in Jesus that he could make everything all right and he would guide me and my family along the right path. When this happened my eyes welled up with tears. My heart was changed.  I had release and joy and peace. I had made a huge mess in my relationships. But Jesus forgave me and he gave me trust that he would make it right.

What is the evidence that all of these things have happened?  We cannot see the Spirit, but its effect is clear:  a new life in Christ. That is evidence. I can have a new life in Christ today because of the work of the Holy Spirit at the church service. This same power of God can work in the hearts of First Nations peoples and in the hearts of my family and the hearts of those I study the Bible with and also in the hearts of those who are struggling with ministry. Everyone can be born anew when they are born of God through water and Spirit.

Who does the life giving work of God anyway? Is it us? No, it is God. He changes hearts. When we go as missionaries, we do not depend on ourselves. God will lead the way. God will change hearts. He will raise disciples. That is the faith that any missionary must hold onto as they go into new mission fields.  I want to go with this faith into the heart of Northwestern Ontario.

Part 2: How Can This Be? (9-15)

Verses 9-15 reads, “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. ¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Because of their sin, God sent poisonous snakes among the Israelites back in the day of Moses. The people repented and God had mercy on them. Anyone who believed the Lord’s word and looked to the bronze snake lived. God was using faith as the dividing rod. Likewise, we are saved from our sins when we look to the cross of Jesus and believe in Him. He was lifted up of our salvation.

We can try and try to figure things out and wrack our brains and tire our hearts trying to make sense of things that require faith to understand. There is an element of intellect in our walk with the Lord, but faith is the greatest element. Salvation and redemption through the gospel does not make sense. How can it be that simple and yet so powerful? How could trusting in the living Jesus to bring unity to my family change my entire situation and future? I need to look to Jesus on the cross, lifted high. I need to see him reigning in heaven. I need to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart. Even when things don’t make sense, I need to lift my eyes from this world and I need to focus them on Jesus the author of my faith.

I also need to stop thinking about the snakes on the ground. I need to stop worrying about how to survive comfortably in this world and trust Jesus to lead my life. I pray for the missionaries going into Mexico to have faith that looks to Jesus and fix their eyes on Christ. I pray that missionaries that go to reserves in NW Ontario may look to Jesus and not the dangers and hardships.

Prayer: “Father we thank you for a new life in Christ.

One  word: Be born again.