Time Changin’ and Being Born Again!
An old farmer and his wife had turned in for the night and they were just about to fall off to sleep when they heard the clock in the main room begin to chime. They heard it chime nine o’clock, ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.
Finally, the wife turned to her husband and said, “Just what time is it anyway?”
The farmer replied, “;I don’t know, but I’ll tell you one thing, it’s later than it’s ever been before”.
Years ago, it being time to set the clocks back, we overheard a dear sweet lady sitting behind us at church share with her friend, “If God would have intended for the time to be changed He would have changed it Himself!”
Here we are, a few days after setting the clocks back, and we still don’t like it. I’m like a lot of folks, just leave it one way or the other. Daylight Savings ends the first part of November.
In the Bible, over in John chapter 3, there was a man by the name of Nicodemus. Nic probably wouldn’t have liked the time change much either. Nicodemus, being a Pharisee, was a leader of the Jews. He went over to see Jesus one night because he had some things he needed to talk to Jesus about.
…“Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Now, Nicodemus was a feller who, for almost all of his entire life, thought that he knew for certain that he was going to go to heaven when he died ... that is until Jesus arrived on the scene.
Jesus tells him something that makes him realize he just may be wrong. Notice that Nic never actually asked a question, but Jesus answered the question that was in his heart.
Jesus answered and said to him, “I tell you the truth, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
But Nic just didn’t get it. “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?”
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” With just those five little words ("You must be born again."), Jesus knocked out every single religious prop that Nicodemus had ever leaned on!
Nicodemus was thinking about his heritage; he was descended from Abraham. And he was a leader of the rule keepers. But Jesus said, “Nic, you must be born again!”
I’ll never forget, I was visitin’ with an eastern Colorado cowboy a few years back. We talked for a good bit and the conversation swung around to God and church. I asked him two simple questions. The first one was, “Are you goin’ to heaven?” He answered, “Yeah, I reckon so.”
The second question was this, “Well, how do you know?” “I know because my grandma was an active member here in the Catholic Church.” I told him how your works don’t get you into heaven. It’s only by grace that you are saved, but he figured he was goin’ to heaven on the works of his grandmother! We’ve got to tell others, “You must be born again.”
The heaven ticket he was holdin’ was fake; it was no good. How about you, friend? Make sure before the train leaves the station. Know Jesus, know life! You must be born again! Amen!
Choose Jesus, choose life! And find a Bible believin’ church where you “fit in” and know, grow, and follow Christ! Tell others! See y’all at church and keep PRAYIN’ for HIS HARVEST! And y’all KEEP PRAYIN’ for RAIN! Amen