Day 15 - Advent Morning Minute with Pastor Jason Cullum VERSES: John 3:1-2 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” KEY THOUGHT: Jesus turned first century Jerusalem up-side-down. His teaching and miracle working was inciting the crowds and created enemies of the religious rulers of the day. Jesus never wasted an opportunity to call out their hypocrisy thus becoming an enemy of the establishment. Nicodemus was a high ranking leader among the Pharisees…the religious establishment. In fact he was considered one of the wisest among the group and many times was the one who the people sought out to settle disputes. So when he arranges a meeting with Jesus it is both surprising and dangerous. It’s no surprise he set this meeting up at night. When we feel like we’re doing something that might not be right, we typically do it in the dark. A daylight conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee wouldn’t have been seen as a good thing and Nicodemus truly was intrigue by Jesus and wanted to learn from Him. But he got more than he ever expected! Some of the most powerful verses in the Gospel are found in this exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus. By the time the conversation was over, Nicodemus was a new man and not only knew the true identity of Jesus but had a better understanding of God. So Nicodemus came out of the dark and began defending Jesus. In John 7 he defends Jesus before the Pharisees as they plot to kill Jesus. And after Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus comes forward to claim Jesus’ body and prepare Him for burial. Nicodemus was risking his name, his position and his power to step out of the darkness and into the light with his belief in Jesus. We see him growing throughout the story of Jesus. God specializes in finding and changing people we consider out of reach. It took a while for Nicodemus to come out of the dark, but God was patient him as he matured and grew. God looks for steady growth, not instant perfect. How well does your present level of spiritual growth match up with how long you have known Jesus? PRAYER: Dear God, please give me the insight and courage to do the work you have for me. Don’t let me be afraid to stand for what I know is true and right. Let me proudly and boldly live out my faith today. Father let me be an ambassador for you today and reflect your love for your children to everyone I meet. And Father if I have grown stagnate in my spiritual walk, rekindle the passion in me to draw near to you.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:41:21 +0000
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