Nicodemus- Sho Baraka

He is lord over all... John 3:1-21

Do you struggle to believe Jesus is who He says He is? Do you struggle to believe Jesus is truly LORD overall? Do you struggle to believe salvation is truly yours and that you can fellowship with Him before death? Do you believe that He is concerned with your diet, friendships, purchases and interactions? I think many of us believe that Jesus is concerned with our soul and eternal being. However, I believe many of us also dance on the fence of understanding with regards to submitting all things unto Him, as communicated in 1 Cor 10:31.

Nicodemus sought out Jesus because he understood that He was no ordinary man. He knew that He had to be more than just a prophet and that His teachings were more than just mundane.

Once Jesus hit Nicodemus with the truth of salvation and eternal life, I can imagine him scratching his head in confusion. He probably had a similar response to the father in Mark 9, “I believe but help my unbelief.” The important catch is that Jesus didn’t just speak of an after life, he spoke to Nicodemus about a Kingdom. This Kingdom can only be understood once an individual was born again.

Many of us who frequent the Sunday gathering can find ourselves like Nicodemus. We know Truth is necessary for a life of righteousness. We know this man was more than just a prophet. But part of us can’t fathom forsaking our old ways of thinking. We still want to go on with business as usual. I would ask that you check your bank account and see what you spend the most money on. Evaluate the kind of people you spend time with. What is your favorite past time? What burdens your heart? Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, you can see what your heart truly loves.

When Jesus says He is LORD, that is no passing statement. When He is speaking of this Kingdom, this is a shaking up of everything we once knew. He is saying that you spent many years processing the world and your life through a particular lens. However, He has come so that you may have a more valuable perspective and way of doing things. This is not negotiable. This is definitive.

Many of us want Jesus just to change some stuff in our heart as if we have some things together. We learn a culture of Church, but we don’t adopt a Kingdom mindset. It’s easy to fall in love with the Christian culture and not the Christian Christ. It’s easy to learn Christian lingo and not know the Christian LORD. Pharisees understood a culture, but denied the power of Christ.

The Kingdom mindset is proactive, offensive and not just reactive to outside influences. We are to be a light in dark places.

This is the great issue with creation: we want to be GOD, but we fail miserably at it. The false god (flesh) in us desires to continue to believe that we have our own best interests at heart. We believe we know more than GOD. There is a way that seems right to man, but the end leads to death (Proverbs 14:12). This betrayal has been a thorn in our flesh since Genesis. But praise GOD, for we have a great redeemer who not only came to die for our sins but who also came to establish His Kingdom that is not of this world.

Because of the Kingdom mindset, sin is no longer our master. Money is no longer our lover. Status is no longer our goal. Sex is no longer our crutch. Fear is no longer our snare. Service is no longer a chore. Charity is no longer a burden. Hate is no longer our venom. Differences no longer keep us from fellowship. Love is no longer an option. Peace is our partner and joy is our song. Jesus is our LORD and Savior and that is no passing statement. We filter all we do through this very understanding.

Life will only be ruined when we play lord. We are terrible gods. It’s been proven through history and scriptures. He is the one true LORD and Savior. Once we believe that, our lives will reflect the Kingdom agenda of our Father.