Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 16

January 16;   John 3:7;   71/260(VI);   ‘The Way It Is’

John 3:7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

A Pharisee, named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, for fear of the other Pharisees knowing he had come to Jesus.  He began to question Jesus, stating that the religious leaders knew Jesus came from God because no one could do what the Lord Jesus did unless they did come from God.  Isn’t that incredible, they knew based on the works of Jesus that He came from God and yet they did not honor Him because of jealousy and pride.  Jesus abruptly stops Nicodemus and tells him that he must be Born Again.  Nicodemus did not know what the Lord was talking about – religion often does not know the way to God.  Religion is man-made rules, giving the ideas of those men or women on the things of God.  Since eternity is at stake, it is incredibly dangerous to listen to anything anyone teaches about God that cannot be backed up by the Word of God.  The Lord Jesus did not mince words, He ‘told it like it is.’  The only way anyone can go to heaven, when they pass on, is to be Born Again. That means believing Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He led a sinless life and died a substitutionary death on the cross, paying for our sins with His blood.  Jesus told Nicodemus he must make Jesus his Lord and Savior.  Jesus did not say this arrogantly, but He simply told Nicodemus and us what we must do to receive eternal life.  How cruel it would be if He never told us how to be with Him forever in heaven, but He did.  Religion never changes anyone, but when someone is Born Again, if they are sincere and will follow Jesus, their life will change dramatically for the better.