Because I Said So

GENESIS 1:3 “BECAUSE I SAID SO – GOD”

A) Four Pictures of “God signs” .......

* “God said” – 46 times ... “The Lord said” – 219 times ... “Jesus said” – 65 times.

B) In today’s modern family when a child asks dad if they could have something

or go somewhere, dad will say, “Ask your mom.” (Vise-versa)

* My dad died when I was two years old, so I didn’t have that privilege.

C) When I was little, just like many of you when I wanted something, or wanted

to go somewhere, I would ask my mom if I could have it, or could I go.

* If she didn’t want me to have something or go somewhere, she would say, “no.”

D) Like most kids after hearing the word no, I would ask, “why?”

* My mama, just like some of yours would simply say, “Because I said so.”

* That’s not the case in many of today’s modern families.

E) If you will just look around, you will see that we are living in what the Bible

calls perilous times.

* Every crazy, sick and diabolical thing that can happen is being done in society today.

* There is nasty, corruptible pieces of filth imaginable coming across our TV’s today.

F) Cartoons aren’t even clean anymore ... Marriages are not lasting long at all.

* We have children having children ... Husbands are killing wives, and wives are

killing husbands ... Mothers are against daughters and fathers are against sons.

G) Right is being called wrong, and wrong is being called right.

* Our nation has passed laws legalizing same sex marriage, and there are churches that

are embracing it.

H) There are churches that are saying that it’s alright to live any type of corrupted

life-style you desire just so long as you come to church and pay your tithes.

* They are sugar coating the Word of God trying to say that it really doesn’t matter what

you do, just so long as your intentions are good.

I) And hear me out ... It doesn’t matter if your intentions are good if your heart

isn’t right, and your soul is on its way to hell – What good is being good?

* So with that in mind I want to begin this message, “Because I Said So,” with this:

YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN – John 3:1-21

A) Nicodemus – He was a ruler of the Jews, meaning he was a member of the Great

Sanhedrin, or Great Council of the nation.

* That would be about as equivalent as that of a senator of our day.

* So he was part of a ruling body of the Jews – He was a lawmaker.

B) The Bible also says that he was “a man of the Pharisees.”

* The general rule was that the Pharisees were bitterly opposed to Jesus.

* They refused to receive His doctrine – They called Him an imposter, even illegitimate.

* The most slanderous words spoken about Jesus while He walked this earth was spoken

by the Pharisees.

C) But we see here that God’s grace is greater than all sin.

* Even a Pharisee could be touched and converted to Jesus. (The Apostle Paul)

* But Nicodemus was a well-respected guy in the realm of Judaism, religion.

* Now I want you to watch the story as it unfolds. (Paraphrase down through v.7) .......

D) There are three words in v.7 that I want to point out ... Read verse.

* Immediately, Nicodemus was curious about these words Jesus used and began to wonder.

* Him, being the intelligent man he was, should have known what Jesus was saying since

Jesus was speaking in Aramaic (Old dialect of Hebrew) as well as Greek.

E) The first word is “must” which is the Greek word “dei” (day), and it means,

necessary (as binding), imposing an obligation.

* The next word is “born.” ... The Greek word is “gennao” (ghan-nah’-o) and means,

to procreate (properly, of the father) conceive, be delivered of.”

* The last word is “again.” ... The Greek word is “anothen” (an’-o-then) meaning,

“from above.”

F) And I don’t think Nicodemus caught that word right off.

* Because he was still thinking about the word, “gennao” (ghan-nah’-o).

* Must be born again – “Dei gennao anothen.” ... Then Nicodemus asked, “How can a

man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s .......”

* Then Jesus goes on and explains to him about the new birth.

LET’S MOVE FORWARD NOW TO OUR DAY AND TIME

A) People ask, “Why ain’t “being good” not enough? ... Let me tell you why .......

* If you ask Jesus why do you have to be born again, He’d say, “Because I said so.”