Two thousand years ago, a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus came to Jesus to ask Him about heaven. He was a learned, deeply religious, powerful man. But His religion had failed to give him real joy, peace, and assurance, and he wanted to know how he could be sure he’d make it to heaven when he died. In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef shares how the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus reveals the heart of the Gospel and the assurance of heaven.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading
[00:00:06] The Way.
[00:00:07] Who Will Go To Heaven? by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:13] Two thousand years ago, a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus came to Jesus to ask
[00:00:18] him about heaven.
[00:00:19] He was a learned, deeply religious, powerful man.
[00:00:23] But his religion had failed to give him real joy, peace and assurance, and he wanted
[00:00:28] to know how he could be sure he'd make it to heaven when he died.
[00:00:33] Nicodemus had seen the power of God at work in Jesus as he performed miracles and spoke
[00:00:38] with heavenly authority, not like the other rabbis.
[00:00:41] Nicodemus came to Jesus with flattering words, but our Lord quickly cut to the chase in
[00:00:46] John 3.3, zeroing in on the most important truth.
[00:00:51] Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
[00:00:59] Jesus essentially told him that his works and status had no bearing on his entrance
[00:01:04] to heaven.
[00:01:05] The only thing that mattered was that he was born again.
[00:01:10] Nicodemus was flabbergasted.
[00:01:12] Born again?
[00:01:13] Surely someone cannot re-enter their mother's womb.
[00:01:17] But Jesus got his full attention, assuring him that being born again is not about something
[00:01:22] you do, rather it's about allowing God to do something in you, something radical in
[00:01:29] your life.
[00:01:30] God must change you completely by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:34] It's not just believing in Jesus or claiming to be a Christian.
[00:01:38] You must be utterly made new.
[00:01:42] As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.
[00:01:48] The old has gone.
[00:01:50] The new is here.
[00:01:53] Now a false teaching has infected the modern church.
[00:01:56] It's that people can be a Christian believer and continue to live an immoral lifestyle.
[00:02:01] My friend, you cannot be half-born again.
[00:02:05] You can't say, I'm a Christian, but I can't help living this lifestyle.
[00:02:10] No.
[00:02:11] The true gospel comes with power.
[00:02:14] God loves sinners just the way they are, but He does not leave them the way they are.
[00:02:20] True salvation, being born again, transforms a person from the inside out, which means
[00:02:26] that though we yet sin on this earth by the power of God's Spirit, we fight against
[00:02:31] it.
[00:02:32] We repent of our sins and ask for God's restoration, and He gives it freely.
[00:02:38] Will you let go of the delusion that you are morally good enough to be accepted by God?
[00:02:44] You cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
[00:02:48] God has produced spiritual rebirth in countless people across time and space, and He can
[00:02:53] do it for you too.
[00:02:55] Friend, to go to heaven, you must be born again.
[00:03:01] Let's pray.
[00:03:02] Father, thank you for making me new by the power of your Spirit, for giving me new
[00:03:07] life through Christ.
[00:03:09] May I remember that the old is gone and the new is here, so that I seek to live according
[00:03:15] to my heavenly citizenship.
[00:03:18] But pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.
[00:03:21] If today's devotional encouraged you, we'd love to hear about it.
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[00:03:30] My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusef.
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