Believe
July 06|Encounters with Jesus Series
July 06|Encounters with Jesus Series
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Read: John 3:9-17
Listen: John 3
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Nicodemus asks, “How?” Jesus had given him an answer that revealed his need for spiritual rebirth. Jesus seems flabbergasted that this esteemed religious leader wouldn’t know the answer. He’s an expert in the religious texts. He’s studied under other prestigious rabbis. The people look to him for guidance. Jesus uses an example from Israel’s history to help Nicodemus understand that it’s only through Jesus that one can be spiritually born again. Jesus uses a key word twice in the next few verses—believe.
Belief is at the heart of Christianity. It’s the hinge point of the most recognizable verse from the Bible, “that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). But what do Christians believe? One simple way to remember it is using the four words: God, People, Jesus, Response. God created a world where he lived in relationship with humans. People rebelled and continue to rebel against God. Our sin creates a barrier between us and a holy God that we couldn’t fix. Jesus came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. His death and resurrection provide a way for us to have a relationship with God. We can respond to Jesus’s free offer of life by believing who God is, how bad of shape we are in and what Jesus did for us on the cross. We then live our lives in response to what Jesus did for us. We choose to follow Jesus to re-establish the broken relationship with God.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Believe. If you’ve never believed, don’t wait. Respond to God with belief and begin to follow him. If you’ve chosen to believe, thank God for sending Jesus to reconcile the distance between God and people. Return to the worship from the weekend service with the Ada Bible Worship team as they sing “Same God.” The lyrics remind us that it is God who is our Savior.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
July is SOLITUDE. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.