A Word about the Master of New Life

 

Today I want to share a word about the Master of New Life as I comment on verses from John 3. Let’s begin by reading John 3:1-8:

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  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.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

In my younger days I had the privilege of serving my country in the US Army and also in the National Guard.  From time to time I had the opportunity to fly in helicopters which I thought was quite exciting and actually safer than flying in fixed wing airplanes.  After all, helicopters don’t have to charge down a runway at over 100 miles an hour just to get off the ground.  Of course, that does not mean there is no risk involved in riding in a helicopter.  One risk that I learned about is what pilots call the “Jesus Nut.”

The fuselage of a helicopter basically hangs from its rotors.  On smaller helicopters, these rotors are attached to the helicopter by a single, very large nut. The slang name for this nut is the “Jesus Nut,” because, it that nut came loose, or gave way, everyone in that bird could find themselves meeting Jesus before they were expecting to.  

Of course, under those circumstances you might find that you would be surprised at what you discovered!

Nicodemus was a prominent member of Hebrew society who also met Jesus.  When he did so, he also got surprised at what he discovered. Let’s begin by looking at John 3:1-8, above.

JESUS SAID WE NEED NEW LIFE:

Jesus associated with all kinds of people:

• Poor and rich. 

• Sick and well.

• Powerful and humble.

Unlike a politician who sticks his finger in the wind to see which way it was blowing, He told them all what they needed to hear, not just what they wanted to hear.

Nicodemus was a powerful leader in Israel and a prominent member of Jewish society. He was a member of the “right” religious party, and he was hosting Jesus in his own home. All of these would lead him to believe Jesus might cater to him, and he probably expected Jesus to approve of his life and himself.

Jesus, however, told him Nicodemus the honest truth. He said that his life was empty, rotten, and useless. He said that the Spirit of God went where it wanted to go, but it didn’t want to go into the life Nicodemus had. He said he needed to abandon it and get a new one. As one of my former pastors said, “He didn’t need to turn over a new leaf, he needed a new life!”

Next let’s look at verses 14-18:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

JESUS SAID THAT WE HAVE BEEN PROVIDED NEW LIFE:

Jesus, who said that He had come to seek and save that which was lost, wanted Nicodemus to have new life. He wanted to give him what Nicodemus could not do for himself. God has been doing this since Adam and Eve first sinned. For example, when the Israelites rebelled on the way to the Promised Land, God sent snakes to kill them, but he gave them a way out, by simply looking at a bronze snake lifted on a pole. Jesus now was offering more than physical life.  He was giving eternal life.   

One important fact that Jesus told Nicodemus is that this world is already condemned. The Scriptures are clear about that. Everyone all sinned, and we have gone our own way. We have all rejected God’s way, and we have all decided to take the path to destruction.

There is hope for us today, however, the same hope that Nicodemus was being offered. New life comes through Jesus: It comes by a person, not a program. It comes by a sacrifice, not a system of belief. It comes by believing, not by our behavior. It come though the personal work of Jesus!

Finally, let’s consider verses 17-21:

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

JESUS SAID THAT WE MUST CHOOSE NEW LIFE: 

The choice in the matter belonged to Nicodemus:

• He could choose God and God’s way or another way.
• He could choose to be freed from condemnation or to remain in it.
• He could choose light, or he could choose darkness.
• He could choose truth or evil.

To believe means to choose and we choose by believing in Jesus as the source of our new life. To believe means to trust in Jesus for your salvation. To believe is to rely on Jesus only for your salvation. To believe is have no “Plan B”.

In the example from the Old Testament above, the Israelites who looked upon the snake lived, those who didn’t, died.  In the same way, those who trust only in Jesus receive eternal life, and those who don’t die eternally.

We, too, must choose. We will either choose for or against Jesus. We will choose either for or against grace. We will choose either eternal life or eternal death.We must chose before it is too late!

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is the Master of New Life. The only way we can have the new life we need is for Jesus to give it to us. The only way Jesus will give it to us is for us to trust in Him alone. Have you chosen Jesus today?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt