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 thou art a teacher come from God: for no man an do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God John 3: 1-3.

I read an interesting statistic that said over one-half of all Americans say that religion is important in their everyday lives. In other words, millions of Americans are concerned about God and believe that they should go to church and enjoy a meaningful worship experience. But the same article indicated that in the 1950’s, that number was seventy-five percent.

It appears that somewhere over the past one-half century, the interest in religion has declined. As Americans become less interested in the things of God, the status of our communities has become unstable.

You see, our interest has to go somewhere; we have to be dedicated to something. Either we love God and pledge Him our faith, or we pour our devotion into countless other pursuits. The choice is ours to make.

When Jesus walked this earth over 2000 year ago, religion wasn’t a choice you make in life; it was your life. In fact, it dominated every aspect of your existence. Religion dictated how you dressed, what you ate for supper and the steps to take to get your healing. Unfortunately, when free choice is taken out of religion, life will soon become extreme and unrewarding.

But for some people, religion just isn’t enough. It was this way for Nicodemus. He came from a family that was part of Jerusalem’s ruling class. He inherited wealth and position. He attended the best universities, and graduated with honors. He was also a Pharisee, an elite scholar and professor of Jewish theology. If someone needed an answer to dilemmas involving the Jewish faith, Nicodemus was the man to see.

As a Pharisee, Nicodemus pledged himself to be righteous and separate from sin. He vowed to keep every detail of the law. What started out as ten simple commandments, the foundation being loving God and your neighbor, had grown to hundreds of do’s and don’t that required a career religious professional to interpret. What started out as a sincere desire to be saved became a burden so heavy, that the people lost sight of God Himself.

Nicodemus had everything he needed to consider himself successful. He had money, brains, status, reputation and a family name. Yet something on the inside wasn’t right. There was something on the inside that was still missing. After reaching the pinnacle of professional righteousness, Nicodemus still had this lingering hunger and thirst that gave him nothing to show for his accomplishments but emptiness.

Nicodemus saw something in Jesus that he had never seen before. Jesus had something that far exceeded religion and tradition. Out of years of service to the Jewish faith, there were no yokes being broken, no burdens being lifted, no healing of diseases or casting out of demons. But everywhere that Jesus went, He left a trail of spiritual life and peace unlike anything that Nicodemus ever witnessed. When he could no longer forbear, Nicodemus went to have a talk with Jesus.

We know that you are a teacher come from God...John 3:2. When Nicodemus started his interview with Jesus, he used the professional approach. He said, "we know", indicating that he represented the whole of the Pharisees. Yet in actuality, Nicodemus was acting out of his own spiritual need. If you want Jesus, you can’t carry everybody else with you. Enter ye in at the strait gate...Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life...Matthew 7:13, 14. Even the five wise virgins knew that they could only carry enough oil for themselves (see Matthew 25:8).

Nicodemus recognized God moving in the ministry of Jesus. "No one could do all the God pointing, God revealing acts that you do if God weren’t in on it" John 3:2 Message. Nicodemus had been in upper level religion for years, but nothing pointed to God or revealed God. What a wake-up call to discover that after year of doing religious works, God wasn’t in any of it.

Jesus explained to Nicodemus that he must be born again John3: 3. While these words were disturbing to Nicodemus at first, Jesus had to let him know that there was much more to serving God than "obeying the law". So many people today think they can get to heaven by scoring points. That which is flesh is flesh, that which is spirit is spirit see verse 6. They are trying to do the impossible. There will always be sacrifices to make, ceremonies to keep and religious days to observe. But none of these things can produce spiritual life. Only Jesus can.

Nicodemus didn’t get what he expected, but he got what he needed. Jesus laid out for Nicodemus the entire plan of salvation, and it affected him. It affected him so much that when the Pharisees tried to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus reminded them that the law doesn’t judge a man before it hears him see John 7:51. Jesus had what Nicodemus needed.

If you give Jesus a chance, He will transform your life beyond all you can imagine. There is no experience quite like Jesus moving in your life. He wants to save you, and deliver you from all of your fears. He is eager to give you out of His abundance, and to establish your life in righteousness. He has exactly what you need.