Sermon Nuggets – Fri. Feb 15 2008
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Theme- Born Again
Verses John 3:19-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (NIV)
Our reflections on the meaning of being Born Again included having a new Start, a new Spirit, a new Savior and today we look at a new Standard.
The figure of light has many implications in the Bible. It is interesting Jesus also uses it here when Nicodemus came to him at night. Perhaps Jesus was also pointing out to Nicodemus that he was hiding something. He doesn’t want his fellow Jews to know that he is interested in Christ. Perhaps he had a reputation to uphold. He might fear what his friends would say. But most importantly the darkness of sin needed the light of forgiveness that displayed itself in a whole new purpose and way of living. Even Nicodemus' good life needed a new standard. He needed to come to the light.
The new standard is God’s standard. People who can live their own way are living apart from God. People that live God’s way do so with a changed heart. The light exposes our desires and not just our deeds. We are measured now by His holiness and righteous not by our manipulative ways of judging others and ourselves. According to the law it was wrong to kill; Jesus has a new standard telling us that when we hate, we sin. The old standard condemned adultery; the new standard tells us the problem is our inward lusts and thoughts. (See Matt 5-7)
Walking in the light is the same as walking according to the will of God. We have a new mind, a new understanding that sees things differently. Before Jesus comes into our lives we never saw spiritual reality before, but now we are new creatures; 2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
One summer I worked for man named Jim Vaus. Before Jim became a believer at a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles. He was a underworld figure working with a notorious Mickey Cohen. But Vaus was born again in 1949. His life as a wire tapper ended. He spent many weeks looking up people whom he had offended, injured, and stolen from. He returned everything he possibly could and apologized. He sought restitution and lived his life seeking to help trouble youth. I worked at his camp for kids from Harlem and East Harlem in New York City as a summer missionary in 1968. He lives by a new standard than selfishness, money, and self fulfillment. He now lives for the Lord and for eternal purposes. This new standard affected his thinking, his motives, his meaning, and his actions. He was born again by the Spirit of God.
But most stories don’t have to be so dramatic. Most just live for their own pleasures, interests, and pride. Many might be very respected and honorable, like Nicodemus. But without Christ we all are in darkness.
The Gospel message doesn’t have to be fully understood by the seeking soul, it only need to be received in simple faith.
Pastor Dale
