John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
In the board game, Monopoly, there is a property that is cherished by almost everyone. It is not Park Place, the most expensive real estate on the board, although getting it and its twin, Boardwalk, can end a game in one move. The downside of Park Place is that it is the least landed on property on the board, statistically speaking, so getting the big payout is rare.
In the movies you sometimes see people who get arrested giving the officers a business card and telling them to call the number. And when they do, they are suddenly and unexpectedly released. The influence of the person on the card is so great, that it gets them out of trouble. Or maybe they just hand them their cell phone after dialing and the President of the United States is on the other end of the line.
We have all been arrested by sin and have been found guilty before the Judge of the Universe. No earthly person, no worldly connection can carry the weight of this load. There is no ‘get out of jail free’ card available. There is a penalty to be paid, but the price is too great for anyone to pay and survive.
But Jesus…. Our text for today ends the chapter in the Bible that has its most famous verse, John 3:16, which is about believing, so that we might receive eternal life. The religious leader, Nicodemus has come at night so as not to be discovered. He wants to confirm what he suspects, that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah.
But he gets more than he bargained for in that moment. He gets Lesson One in spiritual formation. In order for you to enter heaven, you must have a fresh start. You have to have a spiritual birth. You must have a specific start date to your spiritual life. You might not remember the date, but there had to be a birthday event, subtle though it may be.
And the reason we need a new spiritual start is that God’s wrath already has landed on us. We have already received a sentence by the Judge, and we don’t have the ability to get ourselves out of it. There are no Bond agents willing to post for us.
But is we trust that Jesus’ death, the death of an innocent, pays our fine, then we are set free from the debt and we can live a new life. Trusting in God’s provision provides what we need.
The wonderful thing about this eternal life that we enter at our spiritual birth is that is begins now. We don’t have to wait until we are in the ‘by and by’ of heaven. We get to experience God’s life starting now. We participate with Him in our life.
The real question is this: Are we willing to trust God’s way out of our problem? Are you willing to accept His “Get out of Jail Free” card?
The Arnold Journey 