April 3, 2022- Several men had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. This is a celebration of those in the Jewish faith to recognize what their God had done for them over the land in Egypt many years ago:
In that day, the word of the Lord came to His prophet, Moses, about sacrificing a male lamb for every male among the Israelites. The lamb had to be one year old, and without blemish. These lambs would be sacrificed by the entire “assembly of the congregation of Israel” (Exodus 12:6 NKJV) at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. The blood from the sacrifices of the lambs would then be used to paint on “two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses” (Exodus 12:7). Then the people would eat the meat of the lambs over a fire, with unleavened bread. The Israelites were to leave nothing behind.
In return the Lord would “pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment: I am the Lord” (Exodus 12:312). The blood on the door posts and the lintel of the houses was a sign to the Lord which houses the Israelites were in.
And so, it happened, and the Lord fulfilled His word to His people. The children of the Israelites were saved, and the first born of the Egyptians and their animals were killed. This was to be the last sign (of ten) to the Egyptian pharaoh to let His people go. The action of the Lord passing over His people is what became known as the Passover.
While the Pharaoh did command Moses to take his people and leave, the Pharaoh would later pursue the Israelites to the Red Sea. But this part of the story is for another time.
See Exodus 12:1-30
However, the men in our story came to Jerusalem several centuries later to celebrate the Passover. Now as the sun had set over the land, a powerful man, a Pharisee known as Nicodemus visited one of these men at night. He came to see Jesus Christ for Nicodemus had heard of the miracles and the signs that Jesus had performed and knew that God had to be with him. (John 3:2). Jesus told him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3).
To be Born Again
You can imagine the confusion that must have struck Nicodemus’s face in that moment, especially as he asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4).
Jesus replied to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Do not marvel that said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind flows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8).
Confused, Nicodemus asks Jesus “How can these things be?” Jesus gave him a lengthy explanation:
Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
John 3:10-21
Photo Credit: Wix Media
Are You Confused?
When you accept Jesus Christ, your spiritual life is born because you are now born of the spirit as Jesus Christ said. Being born of the spirit alone, does not bring you to salvation, it brings you to awareness of the world, and the spiritual war fares. To be saved, you must be baptized in full submersion of water, and the name of Jesus Christ must be called upon your life.
You have become purified, your sins forgiven, and you are made a new. Sure, your physical debts will not go away, but your spiritual debts (your sins) have been forgiven, a pathway to God has been opened, and a place in heaven could be yours. All of this, because you believed in Jesus Christ as the savior. As mentioned before the Holy Bible tells us that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
A disciple of Jesus known as Peter, explains:
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because
“All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8)
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:22-25
As you accept Jesus as your savior, the Holy Spirt will start working in you, making you understand and keeping you away from the sinful things that keep you away from the kingdom of heaven. Revelations 21:8 says, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” In addition, Revelations 22:15 says, “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Accepting Jesus
Do you want to accept Jesus? Say this prayer:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!
When you are reborn, do not race too fast. For we are a work in progress in the presence of the Lord. The Holy Bible says that he who says he has no sin is a liar, and liars will not inherit the kingdom of God (see 1 John 1:8-10). With that being said, I explain to you that there are things that will be harder for you to get rid of, but do not worry, because the Holy Spirit is working with you, and within you to make you righteous before God.
When you accept Jesus and God, ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you by showing you the things to do and the things to avoid. Turn from your sins, for the first lesson Jesus Christ taught us was to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). Find a church that is filled with the Holy Spirit, which preaches Jesus Christ and the gospel correctly. When you find the right church, get baptized.
If anybody finds inspiration from what I'm writing, and wants to learn more about Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit please contact me. I will be rejoiced to hear from you.
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