Message by Larry Thacker Jr from March 17, “Born Again”
Due to circumstances at the time, we jumped over chapter 3, so now I am filling it in so that we can pick up in our study with the resurrection in two weeks.
If I ask you if you’ve been born again, you probably know what I’m asking. It’s the basic message of our faith. But I wonder how many outside of the church, especially among the younger generations, would recognize that phrase. Sadly, many who do understand and would answer “yes” to that question don’t really know what it means. Research suggests that as little as 5% of the population in the U.S. actually meets the definition of a genuine Christian.
So, when we share the good news, it never hurts to have it fresh on our minds, told in various ways, giving us a variety of approaches to sharing it with others. With that in mind, let’s look ad the familiar story from John 3:1-21. Here Nicodemus, a Pharisee, ruler and teacher in Israel, comes to Jesus at night. He knows by the miracles that Jesus has performed that He must be sent from God, but apparently Nicodemus wants to know more. I am certain there was more to the conversation than John wrote down for us, but what we have is a concise and informative presentation of the truth of the gospel by Jesus Himself. John 3:16 is probably the most well-known bible verse in the world. And why not? It is the essence of the message. Let’s see what new insight we might gain as we drop in on this amazing conversation between Nicodemus and our Lord.
