The Holy Bible, King James Version
John 3:1 through John 3:16
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The
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. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus 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? 5Jesus 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. 6That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said
unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The 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. 9Nicodemus answered and
said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him,
Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye
receive not our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe
not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13And no man hath
ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
Today is Valentine's Day. Once a year, this day rolls around, a day that we are
supposed to show our love for someone special by giving them candies or flowers.
On this day our thoughts turn to love, and to those we love. How fitting then,
that our series on New Life for the New Year would take us to a study of the one
verse that many would say is the best loved verse in the Bible.
Love is a wonderful thing. A life without love would be a very dismal life
indeed, and it is love that gives us our new life.
"No Charge"
My little boy came into the kitchen this evening while I was
fixing supper. And he handed me a piece of paper he'd been
writing on. So, after wiping my hands on my apron, I read it,
and this is what it said:
For mowing the grass, $5.
For making my own bed this week, $1.
For going to the store $.50.
For playing with baby brother while you went shopping, $.25.
For taking out the trash, $1.
For getting a good report card, $5.
And for raking the yard, $2.
Well, I looked at him standing there expectantly, and a
thousand memories flashed through my mind. So, I picked
up the paper, and turning it over, this is what I wrote:
For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me, No Charge.
For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you prayed for you, No charge.
For the time and the tears, and the cost through the years, No Charge.
For the nights filled with dread, and the worries ahead, No Charge.
For advice and the knowledge, and the cost of your college, No Charge.
For the toys, food and clothes, and for wiping your nose, No Charge.
Son, when you add it all up, the full cost of my love is No Charge.
Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes.
And he looked up at me and he said, "Mama, I sure do love you."
Then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote,
PAID IN FULL.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Unknown
This "No Charge" kind of love is precisely the kind of love that we receive from
our Lord. His love gives us a fresh start, is given to us freely, and lasts
forever.
God's Love Gives A Fresh Start
While Jesus was going through the countryside preaching the message of the
Father, a young man snuck up to see him under the cover of darkness. He was a
Pharisee, and without doubt a learned man. He had seen many things, and had
studied the scriptures probably all of his life, yet he realized that he didn't
have everything he needed. Jesus told him something very shocking. He told him
that if he wanted to enter into the kingdom of God he must be born again. Being
"Born Again" seems to be a catch phrase of recent years, especially since
President Jimmy Carter gave this label to himself in an interview in 1976. Yet
it seems folks are calling themselves "Born Again Christians". It's amusing to
hears the phrase, because this phrase suggests that there is some other form of
Christian. On one hand you have the born again Christian, on the other you have
just the born Christians. Well, this is not the case, if you are a Christian you
are born again. Jesus said you MUST be born again.
A physician said to a pastor, "If you will explain to me the spiritual
birth, I will become a Christian." The pastor replied, "If you will explain
the natural birth to me, then I will explain the spiritual birth to you."
Neither is possible. In both cases we can observe and even cooperate with
the processes, but we cannot explain the why, apart from the power of God.
--Herschel H. Hobbs "My Favorite Illustrations" p. 191
We need this new birth because it gives to us a fresh start. A brand new
beginning. We receive this new birth in many areas. There is only ONE way to be
reborn, and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, but there are many
areas that this re-birth affects in our life.
One of these ways we are affected is by redemption. Our life's have been
redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Our sins are washed away and our lives are
clean again because we have been reborn.
Ephesians 1:7
7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
1 Peter 1:18 through 1 Peter 1:19
18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot:
Oh what a wonderful way to begin! Without blemish and without spot. God's love
gives us this fresh start.
We are also given a fresh start through reception into God's family. When we
receive the new birth that Nicodemous was inquiring after we are adopted into
God's family. We are not second class subjects, or servants snuck in through the
back door, but instead we become children of the King! What happens is that we
receive all the rights and privileges accorded to us by being in God's family.
What a wonderful way to start new! Going from being a sin-sick pauper to
becoming a prince.
We also get a fresh start through reformation. Not just a refreshing, but a
changing.
As John Wesley rode across Hounslow Heath late one night, singing a favorite
hymn, he was startled by a fierce voice shouting, "Halt," while a firm hand
seized the horse’s bridle. Then the man demanded, "Your money or your life."
Wesley obediently emptied his pockets of the few coins they contained and
invited the robber to examine his saddlebags which were filled with books.
Disappointed at the result, the robber was turning away when evangelist cried,
"Stop! I have something more to give you."
The robber, wondering at this strange call, turned back. Then Wesley, bending
down toward him, said in solemn tones, "My friend, you may live to regret this
sort of a life in which you are engaged. If you ever do, I beseech you to
remember this, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all
sin.’" The robber hurried silently away, and the man of God rode along,
praying in his heart that the word spoken might be fixed in the robber’s
conscience.
Years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service with the people
streaming from the large building, many lingered around the doors to see the
aged preacher, John Wesley.
A stranger stepped forward and earnestly begged to speak with Mr. Wesley. What
a surprise to find that this was the robber of Hounslow Heath, now a
well-to-do tradesman in the city, but better still, a child of God! The words
spoken that night long ago had been used of God in his conversion.
Raising the hand of John Wesley to his lips, he affectionately kissed it and
said in tones of deep emotion, "To you, dear sir, I owe it all."
Wesley replied softly, "Nay, nay, my friend, not to me, but to the precious
blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all sin."
We receive in Christ a new beginning with our new birth.
God's Love is Freely Given
One thing about God's love is its value. Even for the most miserly of us, it
represents a great bargain. It is given to us freely as a gift. You might wonder
why God is giving to us something so costly, for while it is given freely, it is
a rather expensive gift.
God gives us his gift because we need it. In our sinful, carnal state we are
bad, and need His love to redeem us.
Romans 3:23
23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
In order to overcome the wages of our sin, which is death, God chose to provide
for us a way to "get out of trouble". He gave His only son, to be a substitution
for the sins of EVERYONE! Through Christ we have eternal life, and God has given
this to us freely.
God's gift of love is given to those who believe. Salvation is explained quite
succinctly in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in Him shall not perish, but have eternal
life." Here is the key to fit the door, and that key is our belief. Salvation is
not equal to grace plus our works, plus our faith, instead salvation is equal to
100% grace.
Ephesians 2:8 through Ephesians 2:9
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
God's gift is given to us freely by grace when we believe.
God gift is given to us because He loved us first.
Romans 5:8
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
God gave us this wonderful gift of salvation even before we were aware we needed
it. He loved us while we were in effect strangers to Him. The beauty and wonder
of this verse is that we don't have to work our way up to perfection to reach
God. Instead He Himself has reached down to us to draw us toward perfection.
God's Love is Forever
You have probably seen all the commercials about Diamond's being forever. Well
let me tell you a little about Valentine's Day and it's impact upon dating. Our
society is increasingly materialistic and Valentine's Day is another shining
example. For the young man in love this day is a lose-lose situation. If a young
man has a girlfriend he is expected to buy her something. Now guys, when a woman
says "Awww…you shouldn't have.." don't believe her. That will get you in trouble
really quickly. And the diamond folks really like to push this diamonds are
forever advertising. On the other hand, if a young man is without a girlfriend
then Valentine's Day is quite depressing, albeit a bit cheaper.
The truth is, diamonds are not forever. They can be stolen, misplaced, or even
replaced. God's love on the other hand is eternal. It will last beyond this
life, and the material things we so enjoy. God's gift to us is Eternal life.
Sometimes we wonder a bit about what it will be like, or what it looks like, or
who will be there. A doctor once told this story: Early in my career as a
doctor, I went to see a patient who was just coming out of anesthesia. Far off
church chimes were sounding. The woman murmured, "I must be in heaven." Then she
saw me. She said, "No, I can’t be, there’s Dr. Campbell."
Well, I don't know if Dr. Campbell will be there, but I do know that eternal
life is mine. I know that God has redeemed me, and my place in heaven is
secured.
A prominent citizen in town was dying. As he lay in his lovely home, the best
doctors surrounding him, he whispered, with a note of despair, "I’m leaving
home, I’m leaving home." Across town there lay a solitary figure in surroundings
bare. Her modest home contained only the most threadbare of life’s essentials.
In her eye was a gleam. Before she died she was heard to say, "I’m going home,
I’m going home."
Romans 6:23
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Without God eternity would still be forever, but not nearly as nice. The gift of
love that we have been given changes our destination from the agony of hell to
the glory of heaven.
So, this Valentine's Day, won't you accept the one Gift that truly does last
forever. Accept the gift from the One who loves us more than any other. The gift
of life that God has granted to us is the greatest gift that has ever been
given. It is a gift that gives to us a fresh start, it is a gift that is given
freely, and it is a gift that lasts forever. It is also a gift that is for
everyone. Will you claim your gift today?
Charles S. Mims
