MATTHEW 5 V 1-12

A lot of people consider the Beatitudes, which are the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, are a description of the Christian faith. Whilst they are a central part of Christianity, that is being rather too restrictive.

In this sermon I am using the New Living Translation of the Bible, and using simpler words to help those, who are perhaps reading of the story for the first time, to understand what Jesus was really saying.

Jesus was being followed by a crowd as he reached Capernaum from Galilee, and seeing the crowd, Jesus went up the mountain, and sat down to allow his disciples to join him. He sat down, which was the custom of a Rabbi to teach the crowd, religious leaders, and give instructions to his disciples, concerning life in the Kingdom of God.

The passage opens in some Bibles with the words, ‘he opened his mouth’, which meant Jesus beginning to teach in a grave and dignified manner, and is opening His heart and mind to the men who will become His disciples. Followers of Billy Graham will know he so often spoke of the heart as the centre of life, holding our emotions, directing our thoughts, and our hearts.

The Beatitudes, are recorded in the Bible by Matthew and Luke, to mark the beginning of Jesus' public teaching ministry. I have chosen to follow Matthew’s account, and whilst it varies slightly from Luke’s version, that is attributable to personal way of telling, and is in no way casting a doubt of the event. Each beatitude has three parts, a term of blessedness, to whom it is applied, and the reason for it being given.

The eight actions begin with the word blessed, which in some modern versions of the bible has become ‘happy.’ I think that was unfortunate, for it is misguiding to a person not familiar with the Bible to read, ‘happy are those who are poor.’ A person can be blessed and be happy at being so, but a happy person may not suitably be blessed. To be blessed, is to be in a state of well-being in relationship with God, and has a sense of divine aid, and has the godly joy of walking in the presence of Jesus, and Is to those who responded to the ministry of Jesus.

The disciples were those who had made commitment to accept Jesus as the Messiah. They were joined by the curious who had heard of Jesus, for news of Jesus had spread. Some were uncommitted, others were astounded by his teaching.

V3 God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Jesus would not bless someone living in poverty, but is referring to a poverty of spirit, which leads to an inability to use one’s own resources. and know they need God to help them, so put their trust in God. Such a man/woman can put all helplessness in God’s hands, and will know that God cand bring help.

There is nothing good in poverty, Jesus would never have blessed people whose lives were in poor living, and were short of food and necessities. Abraham Lincoln stated that God must have loved the poor, because he made so many of them, and the gospel message was there     to help them remove any misfortune.

Some of the people listening to Jesus must have been spellbound, for he was saying things which seemed to be the opposite of life as they knew it. He was saying the rich and Important people were not the well-off, it was the poor, the mournful, persecuted , hungry and thirsty who were.

V4 God blesses those who mourn for they will be comforted

Those who are desperately sorry for the sorrow and suffering in this world .One who is in bitter sorrow, and is mourning the dead. Someone who has care for another who is in sorrow and suffering. The blessedness is on one whose heart is suffering for his/her own sins, for out of their own sorrow will find the joy of God.

V5 God blesses those who are humble for they shall inherit the earth

Someone who has his/her instincts and passions under control; who has compassion and the humility to know their own weakness and own need. Who willingly is tolerant without resentment, and doesn’t take offence easily. Ready to wait for goodness. Those who do not try to make themselves as better than others to further their own agenda, and will inherit the earth because trust in God to direct events, and is in control of own emotions. Who has the humility to realize his/her own weakness.

V6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice for they shall be satisfied

To have a desire to be entirely confirmed to the mind of God, and long above all else, to be holy. They recognized God is the source of all righteousness, so they long for God’s righteous character to be alive to people on earth. They shall be satisfied by responding to his invitation to be in worship with him.

V7 God blesses those who are merciful for they shall receive mercy

This is a principle which runs through the whole of the New Testament. The gentle folk who do not try to assert themselves over other people. One who has full compassion for others. Have pity for all suffering and want to do good for people, and they will get rich reward. The kindness and mercy shown to them they will share with others.

V8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure for they shall see God

who pursue purity and uprightness on every area of life, for they will see the fulfilment in God. Jesus stated that purity pf heart was most important. They aim not for outward correctness, but inner holiness. Don’t seek external show, and try not to give offence, and will serve God with spirit, and have God at heart.

V9 God blesses those who work for peace for they shall be called the children of God

Those who pursue God’s peace will gain reward of being called sons and daughters of God, for they will reflect the character of their heavenly Father. They strive for peace, and to produce charity, they want people to love and care for each other, by teaching the gospel that love is the fulfilling of the law. They will make proper relationships between themselves and other men and women, for they are doing a godly work.

V10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right for the kingdom of heaven is theirs

Those who are laughed at, scorned and threatened. Persecuted and wrongly accused because of their faith. God is pleased when his people show they value him above all others in this world, and this happens when we courageously remain faithful amidst opposition for righteousness sake.

V 11/12 God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all evil things about you because you are my followers Be happy about it. Be very glad for a great award awaits you in heaven. Remember the ancient prophets were treated in the same way.

Those who were reviled, just as Jesus who experienced opposition and persecution, his disciples can expect the same reward . This reward may not come on earth, but it will surely be theirs. Throughout history beginning with Cain’s slaughter of Abel, they persecuted the prophets.

Matthew’s phrases show how essential to the teaching of Jesus. It should however, be realized the Beatitudes were given to Jesus’ disciples, to describe a way of life which is addressed to, and only possible for the committed Christian.’

How many times I wonder, have I heard it said if people only followed the sermon on the mount the Church would find a world of love and peace. This is sometimes said by people who want to bypass other parts of Scripture, which makes them uncomfortable, especially to their consciences. Do all those people actually live the teaching of the sermon?

 Two thousand years have passed since this sermon was delivered. We have seen how different are the principles of Jesus to those of the world; they are very opposed. That which Jesus praises, the world rejects.  The pride, bad tempers, selfishness abound as Jesus condemns.

 The teaching of Christ is different from a lot of professing Christians.  The trend of many men and women among those who attend Church, is to live to the pattern of society.  If all the people who (rightly) see the Sermon the Mount as leading to real Christianity, live their lives in accordance with its sound doctrine, accept, practice and fully live such doctrine, then we will have true committal to Jesus Christ.

May God bless his Holy Word to us, and may his Holy Name be praised and glorified.

 

 

 

 John R O M A N S , Chapter 1 Verses 16/17

 

Sunday should be a special day for the Christian Church. Today is Reformation Sunday, when we remember a German Augustinian Monk, on 31st October 1517 exposed the corruption in the Church, which was entirely in the Roman Catholic tradition, and reformed it to be a Church which became as a result of his commitment a Protestant Reformation 

 For I am not ashamed of  the gospel for it is the po salvation of God for salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

 In these verses we have the opportunity of advancing our Christian belief. We are granted teaching about God, Jesus, faith, salvation, righteousness. 

Paul explains why he is so anxious to preach the gospel, for it is the power of God. He wanted to be right by God and share the gospel with others, and could not see anything to be ashamed of.

The Bible should be the supreme authority for the Church, it contains the very words of the living God, enables us to get close to God, and all preaching should be from the Bible.

In the Roman empire, power was important and they were proud of their might, and were active in using their power. Paul had in mind the lack of power and the limited size of the Church .  He feared this may restrain the Christians in declaring their faith. Paul wanted it to be known that he was not  embarrassed because of the gospel, and never ashamed for it was the power of God that brings people to receive salvation.

God sent Jesus to lead the Jews to obtain salvation, but had later invited non Jews. The fact that God first made Jews, indicates the priority of the Jews in salvation history, and their election as God’s people. The term Greek refers to all non-Jews, and not just people from Greece.

The keenness of Paul to indicate he was not ashamed, was to emphasise that he was prepared to go to Rome and face the academic abilities of Roman debaters, something no one else had done.

This should be both inspiring and encouraging to Christians to-day. There are so many (alleged) Christians, who are most reluctant to declare their faith, even to friends. Such is prevalent when people hide Church membership, more so with men. I, as with other pastors, felt it was my duty and responsibility, to visit members who became sick, more so when in hospital. The male members did not wish me to attend in the hospital dressed as a clergyman. What a difference with Muslim members where the men are anxious to let it be known they were members of Islam.

I find it almost dishonest for a person to claim to be a Christian, that is being a follower of Christ, yet be so ashamed, to publicly hide from doing so. Our faith is a factual faith, recorded in history and not made up.  

It is well to think how we interpret faith. Everybody has faith, which we display when we see a doctor and accept the treatment he gave and take it readily. Many similar cases could be thought of.

. But what about Christian faith. Jesus Christ was cruelly crucified on the Cross,to pay the price for us to be forgiven, so  we should be ever ready and proud to claim ourselves as Christians. This is a major doctrine of Christian faith, we accept that to be truth without any qualifications, for this is a vital part of Christianity.

Faith is declared to be having things hoped for but not seen. We believe in God who we can’t see, and accept Jesus as our Saviour and all He did for us

Without ever having met Jesus. Faith is built upon the Bible, which will become for you a new way of life.

It is by faith we come to God and Jesus, and it is the only way. God loves all people and wants them to be saved. God knows when a person has reached a point in their life when He can choose to call them to accept Jesus into their life. You then pray to Jesus,and tell Him that you want Him to be in your life, and are willing to obey His teaching and commands. God in His grace will through faith in Jesus, accept you as being righteous and declare you to be justified; that means you are accepted by God just as if you had been a full Christian. You have salvation from God through the blood of Christ who gave you forgiveness, and made you clean for heaven.

You may wish to come to know God on a more person level, for God has spoken to us in the Bible, we are called to pray to God, and it is only by Jesus that we can approach God. God has revealed Himself to us by nature,, and in the order of creation of land, sky, and waters.

Most people say they believe in God, and think that is a profound statement, (but so does the devil), and that is no answer. You have to have a personal knowledge and commitment to your God, for you will never know the power of God by watching a television screen.

Jesus said forcefully, no one comes to God except through Him. The Bible,by which God speaks to us, states Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven among men by which we must be saved.

It is a sad fact that many people have no interest in God,,,and consider God and the Church irrelevant.  Yet when trouble comes and personal ills, God becomes an interest. Even atheists turn to God. I was amused one day whist waiting at a cemetery there was a humanist service, with the person conducting told people there were certain things they could do, and ended by saying if nothing works then turn to God.

I am sure that if I should conduct a poll and ask people if they claimed to be a Christian, I would be told  in almost every case they were, but they would find it hard to answer why they so claimed.  They would feel mortally wounded, if it was suggested they were not.

In order to call yourself a Christian it means more than just going to Church, perhaps not even doing that, nor does it include  watching Songs of Praise on television, or any other semi-social activity.

If a man or woman, attended a professional football social club and claimed to be a supporter, but didn’t attend matches or know the names of players, but stated they do watch the team when on television, they would be driven out of the door before they realized what was happening.

A true Christian would know and believe in the Virgin birth, the parables of Jesus, |His miracle deeds, His crucifixion, His death and resurrection and ascension.

When we talk of believing, this should mean accepting the subject under discussion,  committing yourself into fully believing it as fact. When you state you believe in Christ and God, you are declaring you have full faith that it is not an intellectual title or a casual statement, it means much more.  You have to believe fully in your heart this is so, and have no doubt that God raised Him physically from the dead; that is the heart of the Christian message.

So, when you do believe and are prepared to confess with your mouth, God accepts you as righteous.

I recognize the Church is not very helpful in the present time, and tends to proclaim a social gospel rather than spiritual one. The Bible is seen as a necessity for reading the lessons, but it needs to be fully taught verse by verse, and whilst this may be done in some evangelical Churches, it is not widespread in the main denominations, who are more prone to be liberal as a means of attracting people.

The situation is exacerbated by the anti-Christian governments,who have destroyed the moral code which we has been passed down as part of our Christian heritage.

I find it disgusting hypocrisy to see politicians eager to get invitations to the big occasions in Cathedrals, and even like to play a part in the service by reading a lesson, yet produce legislation which is distinctly against the Christian faith, and possibly ethnic faiths.  There is anxiety to degrade marriage, the very means of a nation’s stability, provide abortion pills which make women ill or kill, have sexual education in every school irrespective of parents wishes, and plays drown religion.

The Bible tells you are saved by faith. Great Christian men gave their lives to bring the message we have been looking at. Let Reformation Day remind you, that a lone German monk suffered much hardship to rid the Church of all improper practices, and return it to a Church fully committed to God’s Word. He was joined by men in other countries , John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli and Philip Melanchthon.

There is a tendency in some Western Churches to stray from the Bible in order to please the agenda of zealots of modern culture. Think of those famous words of Martin Luther, who when threatened of losing his life unless he recanted and accepted, the authority of the Pope and the leader of the Holy Roman Empire Charles V 

 I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures and by clear reason (for I do not trust in the pope or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen

 I close with the words of Scripture.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.

  

 

Nehemiah 8 ,v.1 to 4,  8 to 12  BIBLE SUNDAY

This morning is the day the Church celebrates God giving us the Bible.                                                    I want to turn with you to the reading from the Book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was a Jew taken into exile by the Babylonians and after they had been defeated by the Persians, he became a cup bearer to the King, and later became civil governor of Jerusalem.  The people of Israel had been taken into captivity and after 70 years were returning to Jerusalem, their spiritual homeland and capital then in ruins, to rebuild their lives and homes. 

The walls of the city had been destroyed and needed to be rebuilt been created.  Nehemiah realised that a nation needs more than material works and wealth, there was a need for a firm spiritual and moral foundation as well as wealth and material things.

Ezra the priest was present and preached the Scriptures to them.   In what is perhaps a new passage of Scripture for you, we have a glorious story of a people who gathered without coercion, devoting themselves to standing for something like five/six hours.

This indicates the tremendous desire of these people for truth. No complaining there if the service went over the hour! Some times when I first visit a Church I ask the Vicar/Minister for guidance as to how long I am expected to preach, and often told well after ten minutes people will begin to shuffle their feet.  (Not so bad in the Free Churches.)

Notice also that the place where they met was by the Water Gate, the seventh gate, a prominent number to the Jews, a number meaning perfection.  There were a series of gates, sheep, fish, east, etc. this gate was the symbol of the Word of God -- the water of the Word. There could have been no more appropriate place for them to assemble.

What a marvellous clear statement of how a church service ought to be conducted! The primary business of Christians is to understand the Word of God so as to think God's thoughts after him -- to learn to think like God. It is not only important to know what the Scripture says, it is even more important to know what it means!

This teaching had such a profound effect upon the people that we are told they wept as they listened. They did so because they realised how their lives had gone astray and they had wrong thoughts and ways.  When God’s people get away from loving and reading and obeying the Word of God they lose the blessing of God upon their lives. The cause of their problems lay in their own thoughts and attitudes. These people saw the holiness of God contrasted against the evil of man. How careful it was made clear what the meaning of Scripture was.

We so desperately need to tell in simple terms how he loves us, wants us to be saved, and for that purpose he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to show us by word and example how that becomes possible when we obey all that he tells us in that holy book we call the Bible. There are Church members who live knowingly and deliberately against God’s teaching, yet hypocritically carry on doing so. How God must weep when sees people singing hymns of praise in Church, listening to the Bible, (sometimes even preaching it) and then behaving totally in contradiction to what he has laid down.

When the Bible is faithfully preached as it is written, it points out the way are going astray, how far we have wandered from the pureness of Christ in thought word and deeds. God tells us what is wrong in our lives, and corrects us when we do wrong and teaches us what is right. How we all sin most often by mistake or carelessness, and God provided a way of forgiveness in letting Jesus die a cruel death on the Cross so that all who accept Jesus death was for their sins, would be forgiven.  The whole Bible is about God’s offer of salvation through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

We need the Bible to have a relationship with God and it brings us into the presence of God.  All true Christian ministry should be based on the Bible, it is our only authority for the Church to exist. The great tragedy of our day is how few churches seem to understand this power of Scripture. Whenever there has been a revival in the Church, at the forefront were men like Charles and John Wesley, or Evan Roberts in the 1904 Welsh revival, men who were boldly preaching the Bible.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the greatest preachers of modern times once stated, ‘the primary task of the Church and Christian Ministers is the preaching of the Word of God.  The decadent times in the history of the Church have always been when such preaching has declined.’ The Church was founded on the teaching of the Apostles and such was authoritative because it came from our Lord Himself, who claimed he was the only way to God. We should not be afraid to state this, for the Bible states ‘we do not have a spirit of timidity, we have the power of God’

It is fair to say Britain is in moral decline. It is like a car parked on a hill when someone releases the brake and it careers downward.  There is so much evil in society, even listening to news broadcasts creates fear. Murder was for so long a rare and major crime, now it is a daily occurrence hardly worthy of more than a passing paragraph in a newspaper. Fraud, theft, corruption stems from top of society to the bottom. 

Of all that is happening today, the most frightening thing is the lack of a sense of sin in society, a total lack of moral values -- but they do not feel they are doing anything wrong.. That is what the Word of God is given to correct. It awakens afresh an awareness of what is causing the wrong.  All the time honoured beliefs of morality and ethics have been abandoned so that nothing is considered immoral or improper by society. What is most alarming is that no one in authority seems to be concerned.

We have allowed secularists, atheists and activists for LGBT lobby to influence society and take over the country, in the process they are trying to silence us and forcing us not only to accept, but approve all they call for. People are free to live as they wish, God gave us free will, but all must be able to express an opinion without being threatened, and to state what the Bible says.

The Church, which is meant to be the conscience of the nation, has in the mainline denominations, conversely called to abandon biblical teaching to meet society’s culture.  Scripture reveals that as individuals, we have turned our backs on God's ways, and ignored his teaching. We have failed the young people who see an institution created by God for the purpose of providing spiritual and moral guidance, failing to point out what are clearly called sins in the Bible, and either incapable or unwilling to offer better. Children are now denied these foundations and are growing up without knowing the country’s religious faith and heritage. 

It is so easy to say that is just being old fashioned and dismiss. Old fashioned we may be, but we didn’t have 1in 2 divorce rate—such anti-social behaviour and juvenile delinquency- the highest abortion rate in Europe-= the highest number of teenage pregnancies in Europe-and the lowest Church attendance, we knew what being a Christian meant.

 The Bible comes to us from God, written over a period of thousands of years, consisting of 66 books, written by a wide variety of authors, each with different characters and occupations, living at different times over the years, most of them not knowing others yet what they wrote was never in contradiction, and was all as God wanted. The most sophisticated computer could not have composed such perfect harmony; the only explanation is the Holy Spirit was the guide and one dictating. The wonder of the Bible is all the writers declare they were writing under God’s inspiration.

Most of the men who wrote the Bible were simple fishermen, shepherds and the like, without a degree amongst them, and were moved by the Spirit of God. If they went before a selection committee for Church ministry, I doubt they would have been chosen.

That may seem hard or even cynical, but it is not meant to be, I say it seriously and being realistic. The teaching of the Apostles would be too fundamental for selectors to accept, for Christian orthodoxy has now been replaced by equality and diversity consideration.  I can say with confidence, preferment in the Church of England is dependent upon accepting not the Bible’s moral and ethical teaching, more on the calls of society’s activists.

The King James Version of the Bible has been described by academics and intellectuals alike as the greatest and most influential book of the ages, containing the most beautiful literature and the most perfect moral code ever devised. Yet a Court in Bristol said it contained words which a criminal offence and fined street preachers for using it.

Men and women have given their lives to take the Bible to the utmost parts of the earth and to live in primitive conditions.  Most could have earned an enormous amount more money with comfortable lives, but chose to serve the Lord. They were mostly well educated and learned people with brilliant minds, who God will richly reward.

It was once custom to have bible in pews and members could follow the readings for themselves as they were being read out, and follow as the sermon was preached. Most Churches had a Bible study class meeting , which is now a rare meeting.

If the churches of this land were faithful to the Bible preaching what it was saying, without amendments, do you think the nation would be in the condition that it is today?  Never has the Bible been more needed than now.

  JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

o a clo

                                                  JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

 JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

Ynext to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

d helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus  deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment JOHN 3. V3.

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

If I were to go and ask people I met passing in the street, ‘are you a Christian, and if so why do you think so? I would in most cases get a reply such as, ‘of course,  I live in this country’ or ‘I am because I believe in God.’  Perhaps a variation on those two.

Billy Graham relates how at one of his meetings a member of his team asked a man, ‘sir are you a Christian, and the man replied I have been a member of the Church of England all my life, and I am not changing now.

But not all people who attend Church are in fact Christians in the biblical understanding, either by belief or living.  The gospel this morning is one of the outstanding passages in the whole Bible, and helps define the difference between a true Christian and a make-believe one.  I hope our study of it, will help you whichever you are, and bring you to a close relationship with Jesus, which is what God wants from all of us. 

Jesus knew and understood all people, it was part of His divine omniscience, knowing the hearts of people.  He was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and many people were there who knew of the wonderful deeds, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  He understood how fickle people could be, so He took care they did not place Him in a disadvantage.

The Chapter begins by referring to Nicodemus. He was a member of the Jewish Government, a Pharisee, a Professor of Theology. Rich and religious, he tithed part of all his income, he was the sort of man many a Minister would welcome to be in his Church.

One evening under a mid-Eastern moonlit sky, he went to see Jesus. We are not told the reason for going st night. Perhaps he did not want to be seen, as it would have been an embarrassment for him, or perhaps the best time to be alone with the Lord.

He addressed Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, showing respect and courtesy to Jesus, for it was an honourable Office to Jews, and Jesus was not entitled to be called Rabbi, for He had not had any Rabbinical training.

 There are people now who don’t like to acknowledge that they are identified with the Church of Jesus, for fear of embarrassment or through being mocked.  There are many who are too proud to seek Jesus. 

 Nicodemus spoke highly of the work of Jesus, and conceded that God must have been with Him in order to do what Jesus had done. There is no need for anyone fearing to see Jesus, He is there for any person to call on Him at any time.

 Nicodemus recognized that he needed a change in his life, and wanted to go deeper, he wanted what Jesus offered.  Sometimes it may be difficult to admit this, but Nicodemus was ready to face up to it. 

How many of you might feel you are nice and friendly, honest and do your best to help others, you have attended Church most of your life, but apart from not attending Church, there are many people who have all those qualities who belong to other faiths, or are in fact atheists, more sincere than may Church members.

The religion of Nicodemus was that of doing good works.  The problem with a religion of good deeds is, that we can never know when we have done enough, but that is the basic religion of the world. 95% of the population today, believes that as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others and do no harm, you are a fully fledged Christian with a passport to heaven. 

Of the hundreds of funerals I have taken over the years, there has never been any doubt that the deceased had gone to heaven. The sad and cruel factor is the Church has encouraged people to believe so; if you doubt me, look at the liturgy in the funeral services.

Think for a moment, if you stood before Jesus to day and He asked you why should you be allowed into heaven, what would you say. Is there enough evidence in your life, to justify your admission?

Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger and emptiness.  He sincerely believed he was doing what he thought God wanted from him, yet he had an unsatisfied heart that led him to Jesus and risk incurring the wrath of his people. 

There are many lovely people now, I personally know some of them, who if only the Church would stop pandering to noisy activists, and got down to spell out in simple terms what Jesus and the Bible is calling for, would turn to Christ and be a valuable asset to the Church and Christian faith.

Jesus answered Nicodemus with that phrase, which has been immortalized by evangelical preachers, ‘you must be born again’.  Jesus didn’t say ‘you must think about it’ or ‘you must consider it’.  He said ‘you MUST be born again.’ 

Nicodemus took Jesus’ words literally, and asked ‘how can a man be born when he is old?’  Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.  In his heart there was a great longing.  He could see the effect Jesus was having on crowds, and longed to have that ability.  He knew it was beyond him.

Billy Graham tells the story of a lady on a bus in America sitting next to a Bishop.  She asked him, ‘have you been born again.’  The man answered, ‘I am a Bishop’.  The lady said, ‘I didn’t ask you that.  I asked if you were born again’.  The bishop later said he went home, read this chapter and realized his life had been missing something real, and he realized what the lady meant.

I get so much pleasure and inspiration from watching the services from American Churches, where the people seem to be so much more God centered than in this country, and when you see how the people are dressed as if they were going to meet the Lord, and it is a joy to see them with Bibles in their hands and the joy in their faces. Christianity is a joyful faith and we should enjoy praising the Lord and following in our Bibles.

Like many people today, Nicodemus felt he was too old to change, to set in his ways, but we can begin anew at any age.  So many people are desperately unhappy and unsatisfied because they are missing out in their lives.  They seek refuge in alcohol or drugs or gambling or whatever.  The thought of seeking spiritual help is beyond their minds.

If you think of a birth, the body exists before birth and can move and feel, but knows nothing of this world.  It cannot see nor communicate yet the world is all around it.  At the moment of birth, the embryo comes in to the world and can see, breathe and make contact.  The baby is born of the flesh. Women go through agony to give birth and enabling us to live, and continue to give care to their children after birth.

Jesus went through agony being beaten 39 times with a leather studded belt, collapsed after being made to carry his own Cross, to die on it after nails had been driven through his hands and feet; and still cares for his children of all ages still.

Jesus told Nicodemus he needed an experience analogous to his physical birth.  To be born again is to be changed in such a way, that can only be described as a re-creation. To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you. It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives inside of your heart, when you are ready to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and is the Saviour of the World. That He died to take upon Himself the sins we have committed so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before God.

Jesus then said, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of water and the spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’

The Kingdom of God is a society in which the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.  To lead a life, in which we submit all willingly to the will of God. What Jesus calls for is a complete transformation in our lives.  This means in our thoughts, words and actions. Something which goes beyond irregular attendance at Church, and a casual attitude to faith during the rest of the week.

People come to a point in life when they feel that they are going through the motion of religion, of having the ritual without there being any sense of the real thing.  If you come to that point in your relationship with God, and it happens to people all the time, you need to come before Jesus and ask Him to come into your life, and give you that new life.

At this time John had been baptizing, and it was a sensational event.  Many people now superstitiously think, that if they have their babies baptized that will ensure their entrance into heaven, a sort of once and for life matter, irrespective of a life in between, which is pure superstition.  Water may cleanse and may make you smell nicer, but that is not enough in God’s eyes.  What it stands for is important, but you have to grasp the full symbolism, which is repentance for sin, and the start of a new way of living. 

Most people don’t want to admit there is anything to repent of, they are perfectly good and God should recognize that. A Vicar put a notice outside his Church which read, ‘this church is here for sinners.’  The next week two thirds of his congregation were absent.

Jesus referred to the wind blowing and being heard without it being seen or knowing where it came from or where it was going.  When we are born again, we feel the Spirit of God inside us.  You don’t see God or control Him, but you see the effects when Jesus takes hold of your life.  You get that missing motivation; worship becomes more meaningful and necessary to you.  You don’t find so many excuses for not coming to Church.

When we are born of the Spirit, we have a new power within us which enables us to be what by ourselves we could not be. We see what a mighty change our Lord declares as being necessary for salvation. No one could be His disciple unless the inner person be cleansed. The change is not a superficial one, it is a change of heart and character, it is a complete resurrection of being.

Jesus gave a good illustration by talking of wind. We may not know where it came from or where going to, but we feel it even though we could not see it, but we may see the effects of it.

Many thousands of people went to the Billy Graham Crusades in the latter half of the last century.  Touched by rousing hymns, massed choirs, sermon by the world’s greatest preacher, they immediately had a Damascus road conversion.  Quite a lot of men became clergy and even bishops, other went back to their parishes and in the more mundane atmosphere of 1662 Matins, poorly put together services and indifferent preaching, fell away; whilst others with regular worship and a desire to know the Lord just grew in grace over time.

A person may attend Church regularly and love God and Jesus, but are deprived of the true gospel through  poor preaching by clergy, who are reluctant to be positive in their sermons lest they upset someone in the congregation. If a preacher does not receive a complaint these days, he/she should start to examine what they are preaching.

Having someone objecting to what you have said in  sermon, is like having a badge of honour.

Some times after a person has gone to Church for years regularly and felt nothing im particular, and then one day hears a word from he gospel, and it touched their heart, and all worship became more personal and profound.

I attended Church from school days, and it wasn’t until I was living in Mombasa in Kenya, and during a bible study, there learned what born in the Spirit means.

Jesus referred to an event in the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and complained about God, who in His wrath sent snakes which killed people.  When Moses prayed, the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and when anyone was attracted, they would be healed if they looked up at the pole.

God said, ‘my son will be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him will be saved from their sins’.

We have the whole message of the gospel in verse 16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,     ’

If you have ever lost a son (or daughter) you will know the sense of loss and pain which goes with it. This is what was sacrificed for you and me.

You are invited to make a comment