Daily Dose of the Word of God - John 3: 5-15

Jason Turner, Director of Congregational Engagement

Transcript

Jason Turner  0:07  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. It’s Wednesday, January 21st. Today’s reading is from John 3: 5-15 with the spotlight on Jesus, and with the Apostle John as our guide.

Jason Turner 0:26  

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.’ 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.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 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. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except The One who came from heaven -- the Son of Man. 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.”

Jason Turner 1:38  

When I was in Army Chaplain school at Ft. Jackson, I had to participate in a required training called “NIC at Night.” It refers to the U.S. Army Night Infiltration Course, a challenging Basic Combat Training requirement where Soldiers low-crawl 100 meters under live machine-gun fire and simulated explosions at night. The training builds resilience, confidence, and battlefield awareness. For me personally, I had moments where I was like, “What is this 40-year guy doing here?” I survived. God provided and gave me a new perspective. It was a nighttime experience that I’ll never forget! Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish Pharisee, had an encounter with Jesus at night that he would never forget. It’s speculated that Nicodemus was afraid to meet Jesus in broad daylight, so he met him at night. Either way, Nicodemus had questions for Jesus. One Christian writer states, “As a member of the Jewish ruling council, it would have been his responsibility to find out about any teachers or other public figures who might lead the people astray.” During the in-depth encounter, Jesus confronts Nicodemus with the truth. A resounding theme comes from the Gospel of John. Being born again. Whoever wants a saving and eternal relationship with Jesus Christ must be born again, born from above, a new birth. We have a natural birth through our biological mother and a spiritual birth through Jesus Christ and the power of his Spirit (the Holy Spirit!) I think it’s great that this year’s youth group them is “born again” from John 3:3. Nobody enters God’s Kingdom without being born again.

Jason Turner  3:42  

Let's pray. Loving God, we pray for more kingdom expansion by individuals being born again and being part of Christ's body. Thank you God that you so loved the world that you gave your one and only Son and this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Christ, anyone can have a whole and everlasting life. Amen.