(John 3:3)
�Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.�
I have been putting the tracts I write on a web page for about ten years. Once several years ago I received a rather abrupt email from a man who did not appreciate my tracts.
These tracts are almost exclusively very short narratives of incidents which have happened to me, or in some cases to those about me. I always try to �spin� some humor into those human encounters. My hope is that this will make the tracts more likely to be read.
In his email this man was very upset that I used humor as a communication tool. He said, as I remember the email, �Why are you wasting time writing funny things. The Gospel is serious and the time is short. We need to get out the message rather than taking time to tell jokes.�
Well, as a ballerina might say, the man was right on point. The only argument I would have with him is his assertion that humor is not a means of communication. Often humor is the most effective means of communication. The people at Geico Insurance certainly understand this fact. Their gecko, cave man, and other advertising �gimmicks� entice people to watch the commercials when they run over the television. Other commercials might be ignored; not these.
I am not saying that everyone should use humor. Some are gifted in that manner. To be brutally honest, most are not. Too many attempt humor and produce ridicule. What I am saying is that our witness needs to be heard. An attitude of �attack� does not produce a message which is received. It often produces something quite the opposite.
We need to be careful how we speak about Jesus.
But, as the email said, we do need to speak about Jesus.
Men and women, boys and girls, are leaving this mortal life every day. A few days ago in this area, a young couple met another car which was traveling the wrong way on the interstate highway. Lives were snuffed out in an instant. As I was writing the above paragraphs I heard an ambulance rush by outside my window. Possibly another life has �gone to their reward.�
The question is, �What was that reward?�
We, who have been blessed to find the Answer to the Sin Question have an obligation to others, as well as to Jesus, to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died in time so that others might live in eternity.
In truth, this obligation even extends to ourselves. When I play �catch� with my three year old grandson, I always tell him to get ready before I toss him the ball. He puts his hands out and catches the ball. If he isn�t ready he might not react quickly to catch the ball. The blessing from Heaven is more likely to come to the man who is ready to receive. An obedient heart is ready to interact with God.
A few days ago I bought a can of hash at the store. The cost was over two dollars for the can. Later I went to another store to buy eggs that I�d forgotten to get earlier. I found a can of hash on sale for nearly half the amount I�d paid just a few hours earlier. I wish someone had told me about the lower price before I paid the higher price.
Imagine a friend of yours waking in Hell. Imagine him saying, �I sure wish someone would have told me about Heaven before I got to this place!� Imagine that you could have told him had you not been �embarrassed� to do so.
Some excuse, huh?
We see the example of the Savior in this passage. He didn�t beat around the bush with a discussion about the weather. Jesus just took the conversation to the important point - Ye Must Be Born Again!
John McCain is running for President. The bus he travels on is called, :�The Straight Talk Express,� because he tries to tell things as they are rather than putting political �spin� on his speeches.
Jesus gave some �Straight Talk� to Nicodemus. �Jesus answered and said unto him��
I might begin a conversation, witnessing to someone, with a statement about how many people are bothered by religious questions and causes. WRONG! Jesus didn�t talk about someone else�s problem. He immediately spoke of the problem of Nicodemus. Jesus said, �Ye,� not someone else, �must be born again.�
Jesus does say this, seemingly in general. But, a closer look shows that the comment is meant for Nicodemus. Nicodemus had said that he realized God was with Jesus. Jesus didn�t say, �Thank you.� Jesus simply said that the New Birth is a necessity. Nicodemus had to realize that this statement was meant for him.
We tend to talk in generalities. We speak about the need for �reform.� We attack the �gay lifestyle.� We bemoan the fact that our churches are being denied their �free speech� rights. But, we need to talk about a (singular) person�s need for the Savior.
The politician deals with �voting blocks.� He seeks the �black vote,� or the �youth vote.� The polls track how man women are voting for Sen. Clinton. The television pendants speak of the veteran vote as being important to Sen. McClain. The �party� looks at how many states and primary votes have gone into Sen. Obama�s column.
God doesn�t work this way. Each person who comes to salvation in Jesus Christ comes as an individual. There may be one person being dealt with on a park bench, or there may be thousands responding to an altar call in a large city wide �crusade.� But, the Omnipresent God speaks to each as an individual.
There are no �stowaways� on the �Glory Train.� Each person saved is issued a ticket bought by the Blood of Jesus Christ at the Cross of Calvary. Only those �ticket holders� are allowed access into the Heavenly station.
Jesus directed His conversation with Nicodemus.
I was a pretty good shot with one of my military weapons. I could shoot the M-16 very well. I used to joke that I could shoot any blade of grass at 250 meters. �Just tell me which side you want me to shoot it on.� To be honest, I was much better in my mind than I was in reality!
However, put a .45 pistol in my hand and anything could happen. I still have no idea how I was ever able to �qualify� with that handgun. I told everyone that I couldn�t hit the broad side of a barn, even if I were standing inside the barn, with that thing. The only way I could do any damage was to take the bullets out and throw them.
The point here is that we can get someone�s attention pretty quick with a military weapon. But doing so does not constitute a conversation.
We can verbally attack people, and far too many of us Christians do so, and get the attention of those people. But this is not engaging in a meaningful conversation that might lead to conversion.
Realizing that talking to someone about Christ is an exercise in spiritual conversation, we need to begin with prayer - by name whenever possible - for (not �about� but �for�) the person with whom we are speaking. Then, realizing that we are coming on behalf of Jesus, we need to follow His example. Jesus never berated anyone with whom He dealt.
While never condoning sin, we need to keep a respectful attitude toward those with whom we witness. Calling them names is not calling them to Christ. There is a fine line between showing a Christ like concern over a person�s situation in sin and a condescending attitude of superiority.
Jesus conversed with Nicodemus. He did not attack him.
This is the manner in which Jesus directed His mission toward Nicodemus. Jesus came to this earth with the mission of seeking sinners to call to repentance and of offering Himself on the Cross so that this repentance might be laid upon the Savior.
No one has ever entered the doors of Heaven simply because they repented. This is a work of self. As such it is not Biblical repentance. The first part of true repentance is repenting (turning away from) any attempt to gain God�s favor on our own merit or in our own power. True repentance is turning from Satan and toward Jesus. We accept Jesus as our Savior based on His work at the Cross.
After this we can repent (turn away from) those things that will tend to keep us from full fellowship with Him.
Jesus came to call sinners. Jesus came to save sinners. Never let us forget that Jesus also came to empower, so that they could spread the message of sin and salvation, those who would accept His salvation so that they could continue His task.
We also see that Jesus engaged in some serious talk. ��Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again��
Jesus spoke to the need of Nicodemus. The amazing thing about this is Nicodemus didn�t even understand, himself, that he had this need.
Nicodemus came to Jesus to engage in religious discussion.
There is an editor of a weekly newspaper in this town whom I have engaged in religious discourse several times. He seems to enjoy the concept of religious discussion. I know a liberal pastor in this town. Again, I�ve spoken with him several times about religious matters. He has made a study of these things; this is a subject of great interest to him. I often ride on the city bus. There are many people with whom I�ve had religious discussions. All of these people have religious convictions. All of them have an interest in religious discussion. None of them, as far as I can tell, are Biblically Born Again.
It is not our interest, or even our enjoyment, of �religion� that signifies a heart truly repent toward God. It is a commitment to turn from trusting our own works, understandings, and even belief which are the need of our soul. What we need is that personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
You might remember the story of the woman at the well from the fourth chapter of John. Almost as soon as she saw Jesus she began to �preach� her religious beliefs to him.
Folks, religious questions and religious discourse are tricks of Satan. He gets us to talk about �religion� so he can keep our minds off of God. Religion is how man relates to his perceived notion of God. Christianity, however, is how God reaches down to draw sinful humanity to Himself.
Jesus spoke of the natural to Nicodemus.
One of the problems many preachers have is that they know too much theology.
Let me explain. We tend to talk like those with whom we interact. If I am among a crowd of university students my speech will take on a certain tenor and vocabulary. I will tend to season my speech with literary imagery that my friends understand. My son went to hear a friend of his from high school. The friend has joined a band. They talked of musical styles. I have one old friend who loves sports. We talk about sports.
Too many ministers are confined to their studies. They became familiar with all the religions �shop talk.� They will expound on the kenosis, the apocalyptic writings, the ecclesiastical forms of the various churches. This is what they understand. But, to the man in the pew they might as well be speaking Greek from the Attic, or a Koine fountain in the back yard.
Please, such study is not wrong. But, we need to understand that we are talking to an increasingly Biblical illiterate crowd. We need to speak plainly so as to be understood. We do not have to explain everything in high church jargon. We do, as the Great Commission demands, need to teach doctrine. But the basic formula we need to expound upon is that Jesus Christ died in time so that others could live in eternity.
To borrow phraseology from Paul: If I speak with the tongue of man and angels, if no one knows what I�m talking about, what good does it do?
I�ve been in churches where the pastor has preached a beautiful sermon. It was thought provoking and honoring to the Lord. But, his speech was peppered with so many theological words that the average man in the street would have thought he was charismatic.
Jesus spoke of natural things, as well, to Nicodemus. God uses pictures, in the Scripture, of things that are familiar to explain the things that are not familiar. All of the parables of Jesus were simple stories of every day events. The people understood as He spoke because He spoke to them.
Along with the stories and general teaching, Jesus spoke the New Birth to Nicodemus. That was the need. The stories and teaching of Jesus had a point. Neither did the disciples preach to entertain, or even to simply inform. True Biblical preaching reaches for a decision to be made.
Even as Adam turned his back on God in the Garden, so do we wish to see men turn their back on Satan as they reach out to the Savior. That is the purpose of our preaching. We teach, as well, but we must first see a person converted before they are candidates to learn anything of the Lord and His doctrine.
Jesus also spoke a sighted talk with Nicodemus. ��he cannot see the kingdom of God��
Jesus showed Himself to be the want of Nicodemus. We�ve said it before and it bears saying again, Nicodemus approached Jesus without an understanding of his true need. However, Jesus knew the real need of Nicodemus.
And, Jesus ministered to that need.
Some people called me at a church I formally pastored. They said that they had a need for, and then enumerated many items. I explained that we were a small church and we took care of our own first. We had very little resources. These people said that they attended, though not every Sunday, our church. Since the church was only running about ten in attendance, I knew that this was not truth.
I did direct the people to a local mission agency which had the means to help them. They became quite irate that I could not help them. I had to wonder what was their real need.
Another time a lady who lived down the street from us sent her young daughter to get money from us to �buy milk for the baby.� This happened quite often. Finally, one day I had no money. I emptied out our refrigerator to give them food and milk. The lady sent it back, saying that she didn�t need the food, �I need the money to buy our own.�
Another time I received a phone call from a man. He said that he and his wife were �evangelists.� He said that they were stranded in our town and needed two bus tickets to St. Louis, a hotel room for the night, and an evening and morning meal.
I said, �You have called the right person. I am going to preach at the local mission tonight. They will give you the meals. They have rooming for families in need. And, I am going to St. Louis tomorrow morning; I�ll give you a ride.�
They declined and said, �We need the bus tickets, hotel room, and meals.�
I was relating these stories to the local Rescue Mission director. He said that sometimes the worst thing you can do is the help some people. The first family was probably just looking to get something to sell since they had never contacted him about their �need.� The money raised would probably go for tobacco and liquor. The second were just running a scam as they flitted from city to city. The third, �Well, to be honest, you have probably been buying her drugs.�
The point is that there are people who are really in need. These we should help. But, we need to be sure that we are helping rather than enabling. But, as Ernie - the man from the mission - said, �The most important thing these people need is salvation from Jesus Christ.�
Jesus knew the true �want� of Nicodemus. He knew that the soul restlessness could only find true rest and fulfillment in true salvation. My granddaughter has a habit of saying �I need�� after she watches an advertisement of something she might want.
Folks, we might want a lot of things. What we need is Jesus. Only in Him can our souls find real fulfillment.
Jesus also showed Himself to be the Way for Nicodemus.
We are often told that there at thousands of roads to Heaven. We look about our cities and find all manner of church and cult. We find so many philosophies of life on the store shelf of daily living that we could become confused.
No need to wonder. Jesus is the only way to Heaven, peace with God, salvation from our sins, and peace and contentment in this life. The reason He is able to supply the latter is because He has supplied the first three.
We, as a race of humans, were created to have communion with God. Since the Fall in the Garden, we have been separated from Him. The only means we have to return to Him, to be fully human as we were intended to be, is to accept the salvation He has offered in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.
Jesus did one other thing for Nicodemus. This is something that we can also do for our friends. Jesus showed Himself to be The Witness to Nicodemus. Jesus told Nicodemus, �Ye must be born again.�
We can do this for those we know. We can offer them the true answer to their true needs. We can be witnesses of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
What about you? Have you ever experience this salvation offered by Jesus? Why not simply accept Him today! That isn�t a question; it is a pleading. You really do need Jesus in your life. That is a statement of fact.
Trust Him today.