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Rebirth Required

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 3
Meditation: John 3:3

“Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

Shift Your Focus… Nicodemus was a very bright man.  He had given himself to much study and he’d grown quite famous as a teacher, but he had little wisdom as to how to be in right standing with God. He knew a lot about God, but he didn’t know God.

Nicodemus was rich.  Tradition tells us that he was one of the three richest men in Jerusalem.  But how much a person has does not change who they are!  You can have plenty of money, lots of fame, an enviable place in life, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a sinner in need of a Savior!

Nicodemus was not only rich; he was respectable.  He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the prestigious ruling spiritual body of Israel.  He was a rabbi.  Jesus refers to him in verse 10 as “Israel’s teacher”, which suggests that he had attained celebrity as a master communicator.  However, what we’ve achieved doesn’t change who we are before God.  The truth is, hell will be populated with a lot of respected people, because admiration, though not necessarily a bad thing, does not equal salvation!

Nicodemus was rich, respectable, and he was religious. He was a Pharisee!  He kept the Mosaic Law to the smallest detail.  He was morally pure to a degree that you and I can’t imagine!  But religion doesn’t redeem the heart; religious ritual is not the same as right relationship with God. Titus 3:5 reminds us, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us….”

Nicodemus was a person who did all the right spiritual things, knew all the right spiritual language, had gained everyone’s spiritual admiration, but was still empty on the inside because he was still spiritually lost!

That’s why Jesus said, “Nicodemus, you must be born again.” He is simply saying that human beings must have two birthdays to get to heaven.  We must have a physical birthday, and we must have a spiritual birthday.

Jesus uses the picture of physical birth to point out the need for spiritual birth because of the obvious comparisons.  To begin with physical birth provides life.   All babies have life because they are born!   Likewise, spiritual life cannot begin until spiritual birth occurs.

Not only that, physical birth means a brand new start.  No baby is born with a past!  They only have a future!  So it is with the spiritual birth.  When you get saved, you get a brand new start.  Your past is wiped away and the future begins!  That’s why Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

And finally, physical birth takes place because of the suffering of another.  A mother literally, through the pain of childbirth, comes close to death in order to bring life into this world.  Jesus didn’t come close to death—he experienced death so that you and I might be born again.  Spiritual birth rests squarely upon the pain and suffering of another!

So what does that mean?  It means that salvation requires a new beginning.  Not just a reformation of your flesh, but a rebirth from death to life. It means that someone else had to die so that you could be reborn.  That’s why you can’t do it on your own.  It only comes through depending on the complete and adequate supply of God’s saving love through Christ’s suffering for your salvation. It means because of Christ’s adequacy, you can have a brand new beginning and an unending future with God.

Have you been born again?  If you haven’t, I would suggest that you pray the prayer below. If you will pray it from your heart, you will be born again!

“A man can eat his dinner without understanding exactly how food nourishes him. A man can accept what Christ has done without knowing how it works: indeed, he certainly would not know how it works until he has accepted it.” ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer… Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner.  Please forgive me.  I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, and rose again from the tomb to give me eternal life.  Come into my life and be my Savior and Lord.  And with your help, from this day forward, I will live for you.

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Divine House Cleaning

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 2
Meditation: John 2:17

“His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’”

Shift Your Focus… I have always enjoyed this story of Jesus cleansing the temple. I love the robust image it paints of him.  It stands in stark contrast to most of the historical paintings as well as the more recent images we get from the portrayal of Jesus by filmmakers.  For some reason, artists from the Renaissance on up to this very day have given us a feminized Jesus—soft, tender, doe-eyed, almost porcelain-like.

That is not the Jesus of John 2:13-16,

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

Jesus doesn’t appear all that soft in this encounter, does he?  As a matter of fact, he opened up a can of comeuppance on these merchants of religion, and no one dared stop him.  Go down to your local Saturday Market and do that, and see what happens.  People typically don’t take too kindly to having their economic systems so abruptly disrupted.

Jesus was different.  He was right—and people knew it. His anger was one of righteous indignation and holy zeal for the House of the Lord.  This kind of house cleaning was long overdue, and if they didn’t overtly cheer him on, inside the worshippers were secretly applauding.

Now as much as we enjoy this story, it really is incomplete if we don’t fast-forward to our time and ask how Jesus would respond if he walked into our church today.  How much more zeal would Jesus have for his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit—that is, the church?  How much more holy fire and righteous indignation would he display for that which he suffered and died to redeem?

You see, in the new economy of the Kingdom of God, the church has replaced the temple as the dwelling place of God in the earth.  Of course, that refers more to a people than a place—and yet both are the church.  What would Jesus see in your church—in you, in your brothers and sisters in the local community of Christ, and in the activities that take place in your church building?

I have a sense that each of us, both people of worship and places of worship—are due for a little divine house cleaning.  How about we get started before the Lord of the church has to show up and do it for us!

“Learn to break your own will. Be zealous against yourself.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

Prayer… Lord, fill my belly with zeal for your house.  Let it consume me as it did you.  Zeal not only for the physical house in which your people gather, but also in this house made up of body, soul and spirit, in which your Spirit dwells.

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Perfectly Merging Grace and Truth

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 1
Meditation: John 1:14

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Shift Your Focus… In our efforts to share the Good News with a lost world, how do we bridge that gap between a loving God and the repulsiveness of the sinner’s sin?  By perfectly merging grace and truth, that is how!

That is what Jesus did. He embodied grace and truth, perfectly merged within one man. Take, for instance, his interaction with the adulterous woman in John 8. Picture the scene:  This sinful woman is standing in the center of a circle, surrounded by self-righteous religious leaders who want her stoned.  Imagine her humiliation, caught in the very act of adultery—a private act now a very public sin. Nothing can hide her shame—and make no mistake, sexual sin is shameful, degrading to the people involved, destructive to innocent families it affects and odious to God.

This woman is standing before Jesus, exposed, humiliated, tears dripping to the sand. She has been used by men all of her life, and now she will pay for it with her life.  She sees the stones; she knows her guilt. Now, all eyes are on Jesus—what will he do?

After some time, Jesus speaks and says to those who want her executed, “Ok, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” And with that bombshell, one-by-one, from oldest to youngest, they walked away, leaving only Jesus and this sinful woman face-to-face. What now?  Would Jesus give her a good moral tongue lashing.   No, he just gently asks, “Where are your accusers?  Has no one judged you guilty?”

She replied, “No one, Sir.”

At that, Jesus offered these grace-truth words that would utterly right this sinner’s upside-down life:  “Then I don’t either. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Behind this amazing display of grace and truth, as Walter Trobisch said, what we find is that Jesus “accepts us as we are but when he accepts us, we cannot remain as we are.”  Jesus brings our sin to the surface, and when we acknowledge it by confession and repentance, totally, graciously and forever forgives it.  The adulteress went away forgiven, with a new clean heart and a brand new chance at life.  Only grace and truth can do that for sinners.

Perhaps that is why prostitutes, publicans, and other sinners responded to Jesus so readily.  At some level, they recognized their sin. That was why forgiveness was so appealing to them…and still is!

What does the world need more than anything right now?  What does your sinful next door neighbor so desperately need?  The same thing you need: A whole lot of truth and a big dose of grace!

“Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God; the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger.”  ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer… God, help me to model grace and truth as Jesus did!

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Constant Casting

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Peter 5
Meditation: I Peter 5:7

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Shift Your Focus… Someone has said that “worry is a thin stream of fear which, if encouraged, becomes a wide channel into which all other thoughts flow.”  English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote, “Anxiety is not only a pain which we must ask God to assuage but also a weakness we must ask Him to pardon—for He’s told us to take no care for the morrow.”

So rather than holding onto those worries, allowing them to become a river of fear, our Christian call is to cast them onto God. That’s what Peter says. Cast your worries, fears and anxieties on God.  All of them!  Big ones, for sure.  And even the little ones.  He will take them all, because he cares that much for you!

That means you will need to practice the art of constant casting. You will not simply be able to cast your cares onto God once and be done with them for good.  You’ll need to cast them continually because you will never be far from problems.  And those problems will continually be feeding that tributary of worry, and that tributary will be continually flowing into that river of fear that threatens to sweep you under.  That’s just the reality of your life.  Mine, too.

So the next time you find yourself worrying—which will probably be within minutes after reading this post—just cast it back to God and say, “Lord, this one is too big for me.  Here, you handle it.”

Sounds simple, I know, but just try it.  Try it for a week.  Take every single one of your anxieties, worries and fear in the next seven days—all of them—and consciously cast them onto God, and just see what happens.

If you will, God’s promise—not mine, but God’s—is that you will find yourself in his care (I Peter 5:7) and experiencing his peace (Philippians 3:6-7).

“The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.” ~Hudson Taylor

Prayer… Lord, here they are—all of my problems.  They are too big for me.  I refuse to stay up late worrying over them one more night.  Since you’re up anyway, why don’t you worry about them?  So I give them to you, and in exchange, by faith, I will rest in your care and receive your peace.

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The Tyranny Of The Holy

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Peter4
Meditation: I Peter 4:1-2

“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.” (The Message)

Shift Your Focus… I am going to step out on the limb of vulnerability here and assume that you struggle with sin as much as I do.  And like me, you probably read the last line of verse two and said, “Yes!  That’s exactly it!  I’ve been tyrannized by the selfish, sinful things that I want.  I’d rather be ‘tyrannized’ by the things that God wants.”

Of course, the word “tyranny” carries a negative connotation.  Yet is it’s meaning really that far off from what you want from God as it relates to rulership in your life?  Check out this definition:

Tyranny:  A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler. Absolute power.

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I want in my life. I want the righteous, perfect will of God to tyrannize my moment-by-moment, living, sleeping, breathing, eating, thinking, dreaming and doing life! I want the tyranny of the holy in my life.

So how can I personally enter into that kind of dominating, existential rulership of God over me? First off, and very simply, I need to invite God to have that kind of control in my life.  Though he is Master of the Universe, he never violates the human will—so I must invite his rule.

Beyond that, there are some other clues here in this fourth chapter of I Peter as to how I can come under the absolute rulership of God:

I must learn to think like Jesus—particularly in how I think about my temptations and sufferings (verses 1-2, 12-14).  He allowed both trial and temptation to draw him more deeply into the Father through prayer.  They caused him to become more dependent on God, not more independent.  They caused him to become more obedient—if that was even possible.

I also ought to think once in a while—perhaps a lot—about the judgment of God (verses 3-6, 15-18).  I know it’s not popular to think of God as a God of judgment these days, nor to dwell too much on negative thoughts.  But the truth remains, God is holy, and there will be a payday for sin someday.  That sobering reality, even if it is negative, isn’t a bad motivation to do what is right.  It’s shouldn’t be the only motivation, or the first motivation, but I must learn to think of sin in my life as a clear and present danger.  Furthermore, there is a positive side to judgment as well—the final reward for resisting temptation, patiently enduring trials, and doing works of righteousness.

Likewise, I need to live with an awareness that the time is drawing near for the Lord’s return (verse 7).  Jesus is coming back—perhaps even today.  The signs are clear and his promised return is certain.  In view of that, Peter says in his second letter, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” He then adds, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (II Peter 3:11-12,14)

Finally, in between my present challenges and my ultimate destiny, I ought to put Christ-likeness into practice in my daily life (verses 8-10).  That means I must love others, even the unlovely, like Jesus.  I must treat everyone as if they were an honored in my home—and with a Christlike attitude, no less.  And I must marshal all of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power within me to serve others in practical, kind, and God-honoring ways.

That my friend, is how you invite the tyranny of the holy into your life.  As you and I increasing allow that kind of dominating rulership to hold sway, the tyranny of selfish, sinful behavior will be the biggest loser.

“Always seek peace between your heart and God, but in this world, always be careful to remain ever-restless, never satisfied, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.” ~Jim Elliot

Prayer… Lord, my humble yet passionate prayer is simply this:  Hold absolute sway over my entire being!

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Payback Is A Blessing

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Peter 3
Meditation: I Peter 3:9

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.”

Shift Your Focus… It’s everywhere—on talk radio, the street corner, the classroom, the football field, in the home.  People are throwing bombs, verbal bombs, that is.  Rather than wining arguments through respectful persuasion, which is what wise, intelligent, mature people do, they are resorting to name-calling.

We live in an age where we are taught to stand up for our rights, defend ourselves, respond tit-for-tat, and never let anyone intimidate us—and getting nasty to do it is now our weapon of choice.  On “the street,” you are tagged as weak if you let someone get away with any kind of personal offense without throwing a few nasty bombs back at your antagonist.

But is it really a weakness or is it wisdom to overlook an insult?  King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived outside of Jesus Christ, wrote saying,  “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”  (Proverbs 29:11)

If you tend toward anger and are quick to retaliate when you have been offended, you might as well hang a sign around your neck that reads, “I’m a fool.” But if you have developed the ability to control your emotions when irritated, Solomon would call you prudent.  A prudent person is one who shows discretion, has tremendous foresight, and uses careful judgment.  It is a person who responds with patience rather than anger.

Proverbs 16:32 describes that person this way: “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”  Proverbs 20:3 states, “It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.”

You will most likely have opportunity for either foolishness or prudence this week, perhaps even today, because someone has insulted or irritated you.  When that happens, just remember:  You were not called to retaliation—nor to foolishness, but to blessing.

So be a source of blessing, even to the people who don’t deserve it, and God will bless you for it.

“He best keeps from anger who remembers that God is always looking upon him.”  ~Plato

Prayer… Lord, increase my patience this week with those who would irritate or insult me.  Remind me that I have been called to give out blessing to those who would curse me.  Enable me through your indwelling Spirit to love them just as you love me even when I have offended you.

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Integrity As Evangelism

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Peter 2
Meditation: I Peter 2:12

“Live such good lives among your unbelieving neighbors that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Shift Your Focus… One of the greatest examples of integrity given to us in Scripture is the Old Testament character, Daniel. Daniel is remembered best for his miraculous deliverance from the lion’s den, but what got him there in the first place was his integrity.

He was a man of such solid character and indisputable integrity that his enemies couldn’t accuse him of any wrongdoing, so they accused him of “right doing”—and threw him into the lion’s den. But God used Daniel’s integrity not only for his deliverance, but to shame his enemies and as a platform to share his faith with the king of the Persian Empire.

Hopefully your integrity will not get you thrown into a lion’s den—although that does make a powerful testimony. But your integrity will open doors to share your faith with those who otherwise might not be ready to listen to the Good News.

In this verse, Peter says that your unbelieving neighbors will one day have to give glory to God if you live in such a way that your behavior matches what you’ve said you believe. That’s the irresistible power of the life of integrity. But that irresistible power doesn’t stop with just your unbelieving neighbors.

Even a godless society will have to take notice when, collectively, Christians live out what they preach (verses 13-17). So will the people in your workplace. When you “walk the walk” in the marketplace, people who don’t like you because of your faith will have to take notice of the God you claim (verses 18-20). And in the home, Christian wives will win their unbelieving husbands not by preaching at them, but by loving them as if they were loving Jesus himself. Likewise, husbands will really impress God if they love their wives as if they were loving Jesus himself (3:1-7).

It goes without saying that we need to be ready to verbalize our witness to unbelievers (3:15), but we will never be effective with our words if we first don’t have the witness of a life that matches those words. And even when we are prevented from speaking verbally, there is undeniable and irresistible power just in the integrity of our lives alone.

Our lives are Gospel…or at least they should be! So go forth and do the Good News. Be Jesus—then you’ll have the right to talk about him.  As St. Francis of Assisi said, preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words!

“Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.”  ~Oswald Chambers

Prayer… Lord, on this day, help me to so live my life that people will see you in me.  Help me to be such a person of integrity that through the purity of my being, others will be drawn to you.