Sooner or later, we must all walk out of the darkness and into the light.

Bound by:

  • RELIGIOSITY (The idea that man must make himself or herself right before God)
  • And BLINDNESS (The inability to understand the ways of God)
  • And SHAME (The realization that we do not have the character to meet the standard)
  • And FEAR (The hopelessness that comes from being exposed)

Nicodemus set out to meet with Jesus.  Something drew him to the greater good, and so he set out to meet the teacher in the secrecy of night.

 

John 3  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.”

9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

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

16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

 

In this dark time, we are all in need of a “Nicodemus Moment”.

 

And since the beginning of time, God has predestined us to have it.

 

You see, we must decide if HE is the answer or if we truly want to leave our destiny in the hands of those very things that Nicodemus faced.

 

The world is in chaos.

Our choice can be to continue fighting a battle we can not win or to find our only hope of victory:

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Jesus could have told Nicodemus, “No.  I won’t meet you at night.  Come out into the open.”  But He didn’t.  He gave him the chance to test Him in all that He had to offer.

 

And so it is with us.  

Can we truly do it alone?  

Can we truly see without Him allowing us to see?

Can we truly survive on our own character?

Can we truly survive and defeat the fear?

For me, the answers to all of those are NO.  NO, I cannot.

 

Lord, Restore me and Renew me.  Revive my life and Fill me.

Give me hope …  And a future.

Give me the right to be your child and to call You Father.

Come: know me and search me and find every offensive way in me.

Lead me in your ways everlasting.

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR0lxbIP4

Gracefully Broken by Matt Redman

Take All I Have In These Hands

And Multiply, God, All That I Am

And Find My Heart On The Altar Again

Set Me On Fire … Set Me On Fire

Take All I Have In These Hands

And Multiply, God, All That I Am

And Find My Heart On The Altar Again

Set Me On Fire … Set Me On Fire

Here I Am, God, Arms Wide Open

 

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Coach J