The First Nic at Night: He Knew he was Missing Something – What was it?

Who was Nicodemus? He was a Jewish religious leader, a Pharisee. Kind of like a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He had power, prestige, influence, good morals, and position, but he was still missing something. He had a hole in his soul. Nic’s been looking to fill that hole in religion — in the books of Moses, the Torah, the Scriptures, the Prophets. Yet, he still couldn’t find it. Then Jesus came into his life.

I had that same feeling for many years. I kept looking for that “something” in the world and I couldn’t find it. I had a hole in my soul and I was looking to fill it in the wrong place, with the wrong people. Then Jesus came into my life.

Let’s dig in to Nic’s encounter with Jesus…

John 3

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t. be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

John the Baptist Exalts Jesus

22 Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.

23 At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. 24 (This was before John was thrown into prison.) 25 A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. 26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”

27 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. 28 You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ 29 It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. 30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

31 “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33 Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. 34 For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. 36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

John 3 NLT

Here John the Baptist makes another reference to the “Bridegroom”. The church, again, is the bride. John the Baptist is the best man. The great wedding feast is coming! Jesus is coming back for His bride — us — His true born again believers. That’s the Rapture and it can happen at any moment!

What Does Being Born Again Really Mean?

I turn again to the Bible study by Levi Lusko in the free YouVersion Bible app:

What it really means is to be born from above and given new life. This entire discourse is a contrast between human and divine, physical and eternal, spirit and flesh. Nicodemus is talking on human terms, Jesus on supernatural. Jesus draws attention to the heart—not the chambered, muscular organ that pumps your blood, but the essence of man, the soul, who you are in an eternal way. The part of you that can never be buried. It takes faith, as does any worldview, atheism included. That is how we are saved: through nothing but belief and trust in the Son. Nicodemus—in spite of his culture, position, fame, and religion—needed to be born again. Believe nothing else; look to Jesus.

Levi Lusko

Do YOU Believe and Trust in Jesus Christ ONLY?

Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation and heaven! You can’t get there by going to a church, or a priest, or by baptism when you were a baby, or any type of “good works” like sacraments or serving. It’s only when you…

Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.

  • Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
  • Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
  • Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
  • Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.

Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…


Soli Deo Gloria — All Glory to God Alone!

Top picture from FreeBibleImages.com by Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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