Hello! Class. Let's begin...
Jesus. What is the very first thing that pops into your mind when you hear that name? Joy? Peace? Patient? Love? Healer? Many things pop into my mind but the one that stands out the most is, SAVIOR. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, that is who He is. He wants to save you today from yourself, He wants to wipe away all of your sin, and welcome you in His' Kingdom. Does that really sound bad? I laugh at the people who think serving God is boring. Those of you who don't have a relationship with Jesus -Are seriously missing out. You can go ahead and have all this world...all I want is Jesus.
Jesus and Nicodemus
John 3:1-21
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,f that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.g 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But 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.”
When did you first meet Jesus? How? The entire gospel comes to a focus in verse 16. TRUE love is NOT self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. God sets the pattern of true love here, the basis for all love relationships: If you love someone dearly, you will be willing to pay dearly for that persons love. God paid with the life of his Son., the highest price he could pay. Jesus accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that he bought for us. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like his--we must willingly give up our own comfort and security so that others migh
t join us in receiving God's love.
One heart at a time,
-Tina
