Recorded July 07, 2024, with Rhonda Harrison.

It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast

with Rhonda Harrison on 1017 Bay FM. Good morning

and thank you for joining us for Champions in

Christ. Hope you're having a great day. We're

going to dive into the Word of God today and

we're going to talk about first talk about Nicodemus

and we're going to go to John chapter 3. Verse

John 3 · chapter mention

one, we're going to start off right there. It

says there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,

a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by

night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that

you are a teacher come from God for no man can

do these miracles that you do except. God be

with him. And Jesus answered and said unto him,

Truly, truly I say unto you, except a man be

born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born

when he is old? Can he enter into a second time

his mother's womb and be born? You know, Nicodemus

was being a leader of the Jews and a Pharisee.

um he knew the he knew the scrolls he knew the

old old scrolls and teachings of the law and

so he was having a hard time with some of what

jesus was saying and so he came to him by night

he didn't want other Pharisees and people See

and to know that he's secretly meeting with Jesus,

but he had questions You know and my hats off

to him that he wasn't afraid. He was hungry He

was hungry to know more about this Jesus even

though other Pharisees Hated Jesus and really

came hard against him Nicodemus was very curious

And so he came and asked him and Jesus answered

him and he said truly truly I say unto you except

a man be born of water and of the spirit. He

cannot enter into the kingdom of God that which

is born of the flesh is flesh and that which

is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not at

what I said, that you must be born again, for

the wind blows where it will, and you hear the

sound, but you can't tell where it comes and

where it goes. So is everyone that is born of

the Spirit. In other words, You can't understand

the things of the spirit can be understood by

your spirit man not by your flesh And so Nicodemus

is trying to figure this out in his mind, but

this is a spiritual matter This isn't a physical

rebirth. This is a spiritual rebirth because

when Adam sinned sin got in our spiritual bloodline

and our bloodline period and He when that happened

and he fell from the grace and the glory of God

of in Eden and he was kicked out of Eden there

had to be a sacrifice to get rid of our sin and

so Jesus chose to come from heaven be born of

a virgin Mary grow up on the earth be that ultimate

sacrifice for us shed his blood and he had to

be able to say no to sin he had to have the same

temptation Adam did and he had to be able to

not sin he had to be a sinless lamb for by one

Adam sin came into the world by the second Adam

he took care of the payment for that sin. So

Hallelujah, Jesus was the second Adam. It speaks

about that in the New Testament also. Okay, so

he's explaining to Nicodemus. This is a different

type of birth, not a natural birth. And so Nicodemus

answered him in verse nine and said, How can

these things be? And Jesus said, are you a master

of Israel and and you don't know these things

truly truly I say unto you we speak that what

we do know and testify what we have seen and

you don't receive our witness if I've told you

earthly things you believe not how shall you

believe if I tell you heavenly things you know

he's trying to explain to the two Nicodemus you

know the Pharisees you aren't interested you

you're not wanting to hear it you you don't get

it you're you're you know, judging and you're

just not interested. And so he goes on to tell

him Jesus speaking said, and no man has ascended

to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,

even the son of man, which is in heaven and as

Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

even so much more. The son of man must be lifted

up that that whosoever believes in him would

not perish but have eternal life. For God so

loved the world that he gave of his only begotten

son that whosoever believes in him should not

perish but have everlasting life for God sent

not his son into the world to condemn or judge

the world, but that the world through him might

be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned

but he that believes not is condemned already

because he is not believed in the name of the

only Begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment

that the light has come into the world and men

love darkness more than light because their deeds

were evil for everyone that does evil hates the

light neither comes to the light. Unless his

deeds be shown and examined, but he that does

truth comes to the light and his deeds that his

deeds may be shown clear. They are wrought in

God, you know, he this is he's saying a whole

lot all of that Jesus said back to Nicodemus

and answering his question How can these things

be and he explains, you know God loves God so

loved the world That's amazing all by itself.

You know, he could have just ended it and started

over with a new creation, but he didn't. He loved

his creation. He loved mankind. He loves us right

in the place we are at. If you are right now

in a in a pool of sin, he loves you. It doesn't

change how much he loves you. He is such a good

God. He loves you right where you're at. You

know, sometimes our children make mistakes. Doesn't

change that we love them. Doesn't mean we're

happy with what they're doing, but we still love

them. And God loves us even in a greater way

than we could even love our children. And that

love never changes. If you're doing drugs right

now, God still loves you. If you're drinking

alcohol right now and getting drunk, God loves

you. If you're committing an awful tragedy right

now, God still loves you. It's hard to think

that there is a love that great, but God loves

you. He knows we are but man on the earth and

He knows our framework. He knows us like no one

else. He loves you, but he does not love sin.

He hates sin. That's why he came on the earth

to destroy it and to be the payment for sin.

So you're already forgiven. The minute you receive

the free gift of Jesus Christ, you're already

forgiven. And you know, it says he washes you

white as snow. He washes that sin as just completely

gone. You may remember it. He doesn't the Bible

says he forgives and he forgets it's thrown into

the sea of forgetfulness. It's it's thrown as

far as the East is from the West. He loves us,

but he is the light of the world. He is the light

of the world. But man as we read in verse 19,

the light has come into the world for all of

us to be born again. But there are those that

love darkness rather than light because their

deeds are evil. You know, if you love sin is

the Bible says sin is fun for a season, but that

season is over. and then it's like gravel in

your mouth it's not fun it's not fulfilling it's

not satisfying you know the only thing that can

fill that void in your heart maybe you've been

looking around and you've been searching other

religions like buddhism or hinduism or some of

the other things jehovah witness or different

Places that are not of God You know, they don't

talk about Jesus being the son of God dying on

a cross for our sin and rising again And he is

the son of God. It's father son and the Holy

Ghost. These three are one So he is available

He is available his mercy and his grace his mercy

never ends Never ends his mercy never ends You

know, in first John four nine, it says in this

was manifested the love of God towards us because

God sent his only begotten son into the world

that we might live through him and herein is

this love not that we love God, but that he loved

us and sent his son to be payment for our sin.

He was payment for our sin. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

But our hearts, if your heart is full of evil,

if your heart is wanting to just do evil things,

then we got to search our heart. We've got to

open up and let God in. Ask for help. Jesus will

run to you if you ask for help. He's a whisper

away. He's right there. God is spirit. Jesus

is spirit. God is everywhere. The Bible says

you can't go anywhere Nothing separates us from

his love not height nor depth nor width nor heavens

nor hell nor sin It doesn't matter his love.

He will love you no matter what choice you make

He will love you if you choose to deny his gift

and say no, thank you and live in an eternal

hell, which is real Heaven's real and hell's

real and there's no in between and the choice

is up to us. He gave us free will he loves us.

So so very much, you know, but we can we can

accept him and that's the beginning of a whole

new life for you. Let's turn to Luke. We're going

to go in chapter 8 and we're going to talk about

something Jesus is going to give a parable here.

it says in verse 4 and when much people were

gathered together and were come to him out of

every city he spoke a parable and he said a sower

went out and sowed a seed and as he sowed some

fell by the wayside and it was trodden under

and the fowls of the air devoured it some fell

upon the rock and as soon as it was sprung up

it withered away because it lacked moisture and

some seed fell among the thorns and the thorn

spring up and choked it another fell on a good

ground and it sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold

and then he said when after these things he that

has ears to hear let him hear what Jesus is saying

and his disciples said what might this parable

be so then he begins to explain it. And he says

unto you are given to know the mysteries of the

kingdom but to others in parables that seeing

they might not see and hearing they might not

understand if you don't have a heart and a desire

to hear the word of God and to let God move in

your heart and change you then you won't understand

parables but if your heart is open and you want

to know and you want to receive and you want

to know how your creator loves you and what he's

done for you and what he promises you the word

of god is full of the promises and the blessing

of god and that's all god wants for you is goodness

and blessing and favor and health and strength

and vitality and the power of the holy ghost

and love love love love but the enemy will tell

you otherwise But he's a liar. And so here is

what it means. He said, unto you is given to

know the mysteries of God. Now the parable is

this, the seed is the word of God. Those that

hear by the wayside are those that hear, and

then the devil comes and takes the word out of

their heart, least they should believe and be

saved. Takes the word out of their heart, doesn't

even get a chance to go down in it, the enemy

immediately takes it away. there's no fallow

ground there there's no heart ready to receive

then they that are on the rock verse 13 which

when they hear receive the word with joy but

they have no root which is for a while believe

and in the time of testing fall away you know

that's the rocky that's the that's the rocky

when you know you can't plant very much on a

rock because there's there's no depth of soil

there's no fallow ground There's no there's no

moisture to help it grow. And so that's the where

our hearts are verse 14. And then there's that

which fell among the thorns and they are they

which when they've heard the word go forth and

and it's choked the word is choked out by the

thorns which are the cares and the riches and

the pleasures of this life and they bring no

fruit to harvest. You know sometimes the Word

of God is sown in your heart you can hear. the

word preached you can go yes and receive it with

joy and then because of the comfortableness especially

in america we are the most blessed nation on

the planet and we're very comfortable or if you

have a lot of wealth and assets and a lot of

things to enjoy which god is happy that we are

blessed he does not want everybody poor you can't

preach the gospel without money you can't be

poor and preach the gospel so God wants you blessed.

He wants the word of God out there. He wants

you enjoying life. He gave us this beautiful

earth to enjoy. You know, he doesn't mind that

you have things as long as things don't have

you and sometimes when you get comfortable and

you have the big house and the cars and the boats

and on the water and. Your life gets full of

caring for those things your business to keep

that money coming in to take care of it You know

the riches of this world the pleasures of life

Maybe you're a big traveler and you're enjoying

life all over the place and in the beautiful

countries around the world and God's okay with

that But he still wants place in your life. He

wants to be number one Numero uno because those

things can choke out the word right and then

you're desolate again our heart can change we

want to keep it open before him and then he goes

on and he says but then there's on good ground

are they which have an honest and good heart

having heard the word keep it and bring for fruit

with patience No man when he has light a candle

covers it with a vessel and puts it under a bed,

but he sets it on a candlestick which they which

enter can see it for nothing in secret that will

not be made manifest. Neither is anything hidden

that will not be made known. Take heed how you

hear for what who what you have to whom it's

given and whosoever has not for him it will be

taken away for him that seemling have so if you

know the word of god if you have a good heart

and you receive that word you are a light into

the world you are an epistle read of men people

are looking at your life and they'll want to

know that jesus because they'll see a love in

you they'll see a light in you they'll see a

fire in you they'll see a joy in you because

the joy of the lord is our That's right when

you get born again when you ask Jesus you get

a joy And as you read the word he fills you as

you as you talk to him in prayer and talk to

him Just like we're talking right now. He will

fill you with joy and that joy will be your strength

You know, if the devil can get your joy, the

enemy can take your goods. So you got to keep

that heart pure and right and and get things

out of there that aren't aren't of God. You know,

many times the enemy tries to get us to take

things in our heart, the cares of the world or

or work or heaviness or burdens. No cast your

cares on him because he cares for you. That's

why he's there. He's there for you. And I want

you to know we're going to go to a couple of

songs and then I'll come right back and we'll

talk again. SINGLE For me I'm scared to sing

this song, cause you know it's coming 100 % 100

% That's how much God wants of our heart. That's

how much he wants of our life. He wants us 100

% When you give God everything he gives you his

everything Right now if you want to receive Jesus

that we've been talking about just say this prayer

dear God forgive me of my sin Wash me clean.

I receive Jesus as a free gift of salvation I

thank you for it. Help me Lord fill me with your

Holy Spirit Teach me to be more like you in Jesus

name. Amen If you prayed that prayer today, we

want you to connect with us on champions in Christ

3 at gmail .com We'll send you a new Bible Welcome

to the family of God God has got a lifetime of

fun for you and strength and power, glory and

health. So go out and make it a great day today.

Know that He loves you, we love you and you are

a champion in Christ.