Nicodemus - the man with all the Knowledge
In our 'Lockdown -3' devotions, we're making our way through the wonderful salvation words in the Bible and today, with the letter 'B', we turn to 'Born Again.'
In some parts of the world, USA most notably, a 'Born Again' Christian denotes a certain kind of Christian, "I'm a Born Again Christian" as opposed to other kinds of Christians. But as we shall see, the only kind of true Christian is a born again one.
On one occasion a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus came to see Jesus by night, fearful of what his fellow religious leaders would think of him if he came by day. As a general rule all the religious leaders hated Jesus. It was a simple jealousy thing - Jesus was popular and they were not.
Probably sincere, Nicodemus seemingly flatters Jesus telling him that his miracles demonstrate that he has come from God.
Jesus' response gives us help about all flattering comments that may come our way - he ignores them! And since Jesus is deeply concerned about the man who has taken a risk to see him, he points out this man's greatest spiritual need. Time is short, there's no time to beat around the bush,
"I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Truth is not Enough
Nicodemus knew his Bible inside out but he had no relationship with God. Nicodemus possessed a deep knowledge of the Old Testament but he was outside of God's kingdom and indeed could not even see the kingdom of God. Proof was to be found in his complete misunderstanding of Jesus' spiritual kingdom words:
"How can a man be born when he is old?"
What this man needed was a thorough and miraculous experience which only the Holy Spirit could produce. A miracle that would open his blind eyes, change his heart and bring him into God's glorious kingdom.
The mere possession of knowledge - even significant knowledge - was not enough.
My dad, not well educated himself, used to say that the only BA that mattered in this life was Born Again! He was right, for that is the only BA that will be known in heaven.
Born Again by the Spirit's Word
It may seem strange that a man with knowledge of God's Word was not born again, since it is by the Word of God that we are born again!
"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)
Nicodemus' knowledge of Scripture and doctrine was a theoretical one, not a heart knowledge or a life knowledge or a humble knowledge. James says "humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you." (James 1:21).
But though Nicodemus was not a true believer when he spoke to Jesus that night, we have every reason to believe the words Jesus spoke were employed by the Holy Spirit to bring him new life in the months ahead. For we read that he along with Joseph of Arimathea helped to bury Jesus, before he rose from the dead, "Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds." (John 19:39)
The powerful words of Jesus - which included the truth that Nicodemus was not yet born again - were used by the Holy Spirit to bring about the miracle of new birth! Nicodemus was never the same again, his life was transformed, he became a new creature in Christ, the old was gone and the new had come.
The evidence? Here he is asking to help bury the religious leaders' Number One Enemy! If that was not Holy Spirit courage, I do not know what is! Nicodemus was standing shoulder to shoulder with the man his colleagues hated and plotted to kill! What a change! From secret visit to public and risky allegiance! Wow!
For Us?
So we should ask ourselves, are we born again? For sure we will know. No baby is unaware that it has changed living quarters and begun to breathe air! Everyone around also knows it has been born! So it will be with us - we will know if we are born again and so will everyone around us.
For we who are born again, how thankful we should be for that miracle of grace.
And for those we love who are still in the dark? We should pray that the miracle will happen to them. And since it will happen only through the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we should do everything in our power to share the Word with them, the Gospel, the dynamite of God.
One way we can do that in lockdown is to direct all our friends to our online church services. Every Saturday I put a link on Facebook to our Sunday online YouTube service in the hope and prayer that one of my hundreds of 'friends' will listen and the Lord will use those words to convert their souls.
A SONG FOR THE DAY
Our song for the day is a reminder that the Spirit of God not only makes us born again, He is needed every moment of every day. (This version of the song is made beautiful musically by incorporating Gabriel's Oboe in the mix.)
Holy Spirit, living Breath of God,
Breathe new life into my willing soul.
Bring the presence of the risen Lord
To renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me;
Give me faith for what I cannot see;
Give me passion for Your purity.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.
Holy Spirit, come abide within;
May Your joy be seen in all I do—
Love enough to cover ev’ry sin
In each thought and deed and attitude,
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my striving into works of grace.
Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.
Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show Your power once again on earth;
Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.
Lead us on the road of sacrifice
That in unity the face of Christ
Will be clear for all the world to see.
Why don't you sing along HERE.
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our Father in heaven,
We thank you today for every good gift. Teach us to find all the blessings that you shower on us even in these lonely days. And teach us to not only count them but to bless you for them.
We thank you for sending your life-giving Holy Spirit upon the church. Teach us every day what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Help us not to resist Him or grieve Him by our sin.
We ask you to forgive us for all our sins and according to your promise cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We ask this in the Sovereign name of Jesus,
Amen
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