A Private Chat With Jesus

Imagine spending an evening with Jesus. What would you ask him?

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Nicodemus had that opportunity and Jesus shared with him some profound and sublime truths!

Here’s the story:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”  Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

(John 3:1-21)

The Conversation

We are going to take a journey through this conversation. Imagine you are sitting with Jesus, Nicodemus and asking questions, engaging in the conversation with them.

Here are the two men: Nicodemus – educated, powerful, privileged – but ignorant. And Jesus – uneducated, weak, unprivileged – but wise and all knowing!

Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus as a great teacher – an anointed teacher!

Jesus started the conversation with a startling truth – you must be born again!

Immediately Nicodemus professed his ignorance. How can you be born a second time?

With that, Jesus can commence his teaching. Here’s what he said.

What Jesus Taught

There is only one way into the kingdom of heaven and that is rebirth by water and the Spirit. The water is baptism a public testimony of faith in God. It is a representation of dying to self and rising to new life in Jesus.

The spirit is spiritual life. It is also the indwelling Holy Spirit, God’s gift to his believers. This is given to us when we are saved.

There is also a unique moment in our spiritual lives when we begin to enjoy the presence and power of the Spirit in our lives. Paul urges us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). That total giving yields a new power in our lives because the Spirit now has all of us. Now God can do everything he wants to in our lives. It means transformed minds and lifestyles; it means that we are fully led by the Spirit and may even include miracles, signs, wonders if that is God’s plan for us.

Jesus makes it clear that this is not a birth of flesh but a birth of Spirit meaning spiritual life, discernment and vision.

Just as we grow after we are physically born, we grow after we are spiritually born. This growth is nourished by worship, prayer, the Word, service and other disciplines.

The Spirit takes us where he wants us to go and has us do what he wants us to do. People cannot see the Spirit in us – they only see the evidence of the Spirit in us. Just as we cannot see the wind but we can feel it and see the evidence of its work!

Do you understand these things?

Nicodemus did not! Jesus came to make things clear so we must listen and pay close attention to what he says. He has told us how to live, how to thrive. Therefore, we must pay attention to everything he has said. He has told us to believe, obey, love and tell.

The Gospel  

We must share the full gospel, which Jesus spells out for us here.

God loves us. He gave Jesus for us. Jesus came to heal, teach, give an example, die for our sins, be resurrected for our eternal life, ascend back to heaven to intercede. Jesus came not to condemn but to save.

Our Reasonable Response

When we consider what Jesus has done for us, we can readily agree to die to ourselves and surrender to him. Just as God made it all about us, we must make it all about him! When we live for Jesus, we work to save the world.

Jesus said there were two options: believe and have eternal life, refuse to believe and embrace condemnation.

Light and Dark

Jesus gave us two contrasting realities: light and dark. In the light he brings he brought life and revealed truth. He has invited us into the light.

He pointed out that  the world ruled by Satan and is darkness. There is a hatred for the light because in the light there is revelation, condemnation, guilt and shame. People naturally love darkness because we are selfish and our motives are depraved.

We are called to live by the truth. The truth sets us free from darkness and shows us the way to eternal life. The truth gives us a reliable way to live, Jesus is the truth.

Your Turn

Reaffirm your faith, share this post, write a comment, be encouraged today! I am praying for you.