How To Change For Good

“How to Change for Good”

John 3.

There are certain things we ALL KNOW in life.

You don’t Tug on Superman’s cape.

You don’t Spit into the wind.

You don’t tug on the mask of the old Lone Ranger AND?

I suggest we don’t always know as much as we think we do. And sometimes we miss the obvious.

Here in John 3, Jesus reveals something that that is an ESSENTIAL truth of life. So much so, that to miss it is to MISS EVERYTHING. If you don’t get this one right you will never go anywhere Spiritually in life.

Let me restate that-you will go SOMEWHERE, but it’s not where you want to go.

This is something Jesus says we MUST do. Something we must do if we want to GO TO HEAVEN and know the meaning of life. Something you must do to change, to CHANGE FOR GOOD.

We are going to read the record of a conversation between a powerful, wealthy, influential man known as Nicodemus with Jesus, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth.

Nicodemus was famous, honored, deeply religious and yet incredibly empty inside. So hearing of the Great Truths that were taught and the miracles that were performed he came to Jesus one dark night.

You might ask, “what value could a conversation between some religious guy named Nicodemus and a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth have to do with me today?"

Answer:ABSOLUTLY EVERYTHING.

For this is not merely a conversation between two men.

It really a conversation between GOD AND MAN.

If we were going to “Nominate” someone to represent Humanity to God we could not have found a better “Rep” than Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a highly intellegent, cultured, moral individual. As close to being a “Good Person” as one could ever hope for. But there was something MISSING in his life.

There was a hole in his heart.

Despite that fact that he was famous, a leader in his country and faith, he was dissatisfied. Maybe that’s how you feel right now, dissatisfied. You have tried so much of what this World has to offer, and you are still searching.

Sex, material things, philosphpy, even religion. You’ve tried it all, and just about given up. The words Jesus gave to Nicodemus have unlocked the mystery of life for countless millions through the centuries.

And they will unlock the mystery of life for you too, if you listen with all of your heart. As we examine this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, we find three movements. In the first we see Jesus and Nicodemus FACE to FACE (v. 2-3) then MIND to MIND (v. 4-8) finally we see them HEART to HEART (v. 9-21)

Read John 3:1-10

John 3:1 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 and said to him, "Most assuredly, 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, "Most assuredly, 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 the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"

Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?"

“BORN AGAIN”

The idea here is of change. Becoming something different then what you presently are. Starting over again.

A New Beginning. Certainly we are a society that is obsessed with change. Look at all these TV shows like “Extreme Makeover,” where people radically transform their lives through cosmetic surgery,and more.

We all love the idea of starting over in life.

Being “Born Again.” Have you been Born Again? The numbers of those claiming to have had this experience are higher then ever. There are approx 285 million Americans, and almost HALF of them claim to be “Born Again”(46%) 86% of Born Again Christians believe “The Bible is totally accurate in its teachings” 98% of Born Again Christians say their faith is very important to them, comepared to 52% of all adults.