Scripture – “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!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”
John 3:3-7 NIV
Observation – Jesus tells us that we can’t see the kingdom of God unless we are born again. Nicodemus would have been familiar with Ezekiel 36:25-27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Application – What does it mean to be born again? Many people believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on a cross to pay for humanities sins and rose from the tomb to defeat death and demonstrate his power over the grave. Mere intellectual acknowledgement of this does not make a person a Christian. To be a true follower of Jesus you need to, not only believe in him, but receive him as your savior through the confession of your sins and the surrender of your entire life to him. When a person “sees” the kingdom of God they understand that Jesus is the King of the kingdom and their job is to serve the King. There is only one King. As long as you think you are that king you are not born again, you have not received a new heart, God has not put his Spirit in you and you will not inherit eternal life (this means you are choosing to go to hell for eternity) Give your life to Jesus today, he loves you and has the best plan for your life. Whatever you think you are giving up in this life pales in comparison to what you will gain in Jesus.
Prayer – Lord, you say that no one can come to you unless the Father draws them, I pray that you will draw people to yourself so that they can fulfill the purpose for which you created them. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 