Choosing Darkness - Himalayan Heights – July 12 Readings: John 3:19-21 – Judgment

John 3: Born Again

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  John 3:19-21

It is one of the strangest and most powerful confrontations in Jesus' life. A Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to him by night to discuss his teachings and Jesus blows his mind by telling him he must be born again. There is som much power and theological importance in these verses. We will spend the entire week looking at this encounter. Each day, read the entire 21 verses and then come back to meditate on the highlighted section.

There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

10 “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11 “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven —the Son of Man.

14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

Through the Bible Readings: Ezra 5-6, Acts 12, Psalm 81:4–10, Proverbs 17:9–11

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:  Choosing Darkness    

Don't you feel sorry for all those bugs and creepy-crawlies that have to live in the darkness, never seeing the bright sunshine? I do! I decided the other day that I would do something about the plight of these sad creatures. I found a rock and with my mighty strength (since this story is imaginary, my strength can also be imaginary) I hoisted the rock and exposed all of the creatures to the light of day. They began to cheer and thank me for giving them the light and chasing the darkness from their lives. You believe me, don't you?

Of course not. If you turn over rocks where bugs are and they are exposed to the light, what do they do? They dig for more darkness. They are not living in the darkness because they can't find the light but because they prefer life in the darkness.

Ever hear an evangelist or some preacher say, "People are hungry for the gospel, they want to come to Christ, they are just waiting for you to show them the way." Someone has to ignore an awful lot of Scripture to make a statement like that. The Bible teaches that we are born in sin and in our natural condition, we prefer it. We love darkness. If someone shines the light of truth on us, we react just as we do when someone turns on a bright light in a dark room. We cover our eyes and turn away. As verse 20 says, those who do evil hate the light and avoid it.

God sent his Son into this world with a message of love, of hope, and of light. He offers salvation to all who believe in the name of Christ. Think of it - all our sins forgiven, a place in heaven forever, being accepted into God's heavenly family. It is an offer too wonderful to turn down, right? Who would deny the love of Christ? That is precisely what millions upon millions upon billions of people do.

The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 

How do we turn such people around? We continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of love and grace and forgiveness and new life for those who believe in him, and we live out the gospel in front of them. Then...we wait. We pray. We hope. It is only the Holy Spirit of God who can open hearts to the gospel, who can make blind eyes see and make the deaf hear. Those who love darkness rather than light can only be made to love the light when the Spirit of God begins to awaken a desire within them. Wait on the Lord.

Father, I thank you that salvation is in your hands. Help me to be faithful in proclamation and in my personal walk, so that you can do your work through me. 

Think and Pray:

Is there someone you are praying for, hoping for, someone who "loves darkness rather than light?"
Remember that your job is to faithfully proclaim Christ and to live out the life of Jesus in front of that person, to pray and to hope while you wait on the Spirit.
Pray for that person now.