Focus Verse: John 3:8
To begin this morning, I want to share with you another God moment in nature.
One morning, Apostle Huntsman and I were sitting on the front porch, just talking and sharing. Then there were several moments when neither of us was speaking. I was looking across the cul-de-sac at the tops of the tallest trees when I saw them begin to move, and I could hear the sounds of the wind blowing. Every other plant around us was perfectly still, but the tops of those trees were swaying. I made a comment to Apostle Huntsman, saying “Look at the tops of those trees and how they are blowing in the wind, but there is no wind blowing anywhere else around us”.
As we continued to watch this unfold, we could literally see the wind advance toward us as the trees, shrubs, bushes began to sway and bend. The wind was moving not just through the tall trees but through every leaf-bearing plant between the tall trees and the front porch where we were sitting. It was like a wall of wind moving toward us.
It reminded me of a wave at the ocean building and forming from afar off and gradually moving toward the shore.
In a matter of seconds, the trees directly in front of us were moving. We had literally seen the wind blowing. I knew that this was another God moment for me. God has never shown this to me in this way before - seeing the wind as it blew from tree to tree advancing toward us.
After awhile, the scripture which God gave to me was:
John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
This scripture is part of the interaction when Nicodemus came to see Jesus late one night to talk. In verses 2-3, he said:
2 Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see (understand, be aware of, know) the kingdom of God.
That statement caused Nicodemus to question what he had heard. He asked Jesus how he could enter into his mother’s womb again and be born again? Jesus replied in verse 5: Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter (arise, go in through, be set) into the kingdom of God.
Jesus talked about being born again. The word born or gennao (ghen-nah’-o) means that everyone who is born of the spirit has been regenerated; begat; conceived; delivered of; brought forth.
Nicodemus, who was a learned man, a Pharisee, had not heard these words before and did not understand what Jesus was telling him.
To be born again; born of water and of the Spirit; to enter into the kingdom of God.
He had seen the miracles performed by Jesus, and he declared to Jesus no man can do these miracles... except God be with him. But he could not see; he could not understand how to receive that spirit; how to enter the kingdom. He could not grasp this or believe it because he only knew the law and did not know the spiritual meaning of what Jesus was telling him. I personally question whether he had ever had a spiritual experience with God because if he had, it seems that he would have been able to understand what Jesus meant by being “born again”.
Thinking about this led me to remember a message which I had given a while back called “Trusting in What You Cannot See”. For the title of this message, I will again use that and add to it: “Trusting in What You Cannot See and Believing in What You Do Not Yet Understand”.
As Apostle Huntsman and I watched from the porch, we saw the wind blowing through the trees. In the spirit, the wind (or the Greek word pneuma) means breath, a current of air, Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit. Wind is God’s breath or the spirit of God. The following scriptures reveal this to us:
- John 20:21-22 Jesus appeared to the disciples after speaking to Mary outside of the tomb and said Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
- Acts 2:2 When the disciples were in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost, there came from heaven (from the higher elevations) a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
This was God’s breath being breathed into the disciples. The Holy Spirit was blowing through them and others. They were changed forever after that happened, and they changed forever the lives of so many who received Christ and were born again.
Albert Barnes wrote the following commentary on John 3:8 which describes this verse so well, and I would like to read it to you:
“As in this case of the wind, the effects were seen, the sound was heard, important changes were produced by it, trees and clouds were moved, yet the wind is not seen, nor do we know whence it comes, nor by what laws it is governed; so it is with the operations of the Spirit. We see the changes produced. Men just now sinful become holy; the thoughtless become serious; the licentious become pure; the vicious, moral; the moral, religious; the prayerless, prayerful; the rebellious and obstinate, meek, and mild, and gentle. When we see such changes, we ought no more to doubt that they are produced by some cause - by some mighty agent, than when we see the trees moved, or the waters of the ocean piled on heaps, or feel the cooling effects of a summer‘s breeze. In those cases we attribute it to the “wind,” though we see it not, and though we do not understand its operations.
Everyone that is born of the Spirit is, in some respects, like the effects of the wind. You see it not, you cannot discern its laws, but you see its effects,” and you know therefore that it does exist and operate. Nicodemus‘ objection was, that he could not “see” this change, or perceive “how” it could be. Jesus tells him that he should not reject a doctrine merely because he could not understand it. Neither could the “wind” be seen, but its effects were well known, and no one doubted the existence or the power of the agent.”
Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on John 3:8". "Barnes' Notes on the New Testament". "//www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/john-3.html. 1870.
As Apostle Huntsman and I watched this God moment, we didn’t know where the physical wind was coming from or where it was going. It was loud enough for us to hear so we were alerted to it. So it is with the Holy Spirit - we may not know where it has come from or where it is taking us, but we do know that the Holy Spirit will direct us. But we have to be open to receive the Holy Spirit.
I believe “wind” in the natural can teach us about the Holy Spirit. There are several factors to learn about - the causes of wind, density, and movement - so let’s take a look.
What is Wind?
Wind is air in motion. As the sun warms the Earth's surface, the atmosphere warms too. Warm air, which weighs less than cold air and is less dense, rises. Then cool air (denser air) moves in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind blow.
The density of the air is key to creating the wind so what is it? First we have to understand that the air in our atmosphere is made of molecules of different gases such as nitrogen and oxygen. https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/sky/air1.htm
Density is a measure of how closely these molecules are packed together. The closer together they are, the greater the density. Since air is a gas, the molecules can pack tightly or spread out. The density of air varies depending on several factors, one of which is temperature. Like other materials, warm air is less dense than cool air. Since warmer molecules have more energy, they are more active. The molecules bounce off each other and spread apart. http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Earth-Science-Concepts-For-Middle-School/section/7.3/
So as the sun warms the air, its molecules begin to feel that soothing warmth and become more alive. They can spread apart from each other and have room to move around. They feel that freedom from being packed together with their other molecule friends. They become very active and energized, enjoying their new-found freedom. This is what causes the warm air to rise. When it does, the cooler air moves in which results in the movement of the wind.
So let’s think about this in the spirit.
When God breathes on each of us and the Holy Spirit becomes alive in us, this is similar to the S-U-N warming the atmosphere and energizing the molecules which causes the air to rise.
As the S-O-N “warms” us, the molecules in our minds become alive; they can move around; their surroundings are not as dense so they have the freedom to “bounce off each other and spread apart”. With this “warming”, the Holy Spirit has begun the transformation process in our minds.
- Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
When the S-O-N warms and breaks down this “density” of our minds, which are filled with religious traditions of men, there is more space to “have our fill” of the truth of the gospel in those newly opened areas. The saying to “have our fill” means “to have, consume, or experience as much (of something) as one desires or is able to”. (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/have+had+our+fill+of+something).
With more space to “have our fill”, God can fill and transform our minds to the truth of the gospel; to ideas that are different from what we have heard from the religious system; and to the deeper meanings of the Word of God.
If the minds of those whom we need to reach are so dense with clustered-together, impenetrable molecules and mind-sets, they will not be able to learn the truth of the gospel. They will continue to believe that they have to die to go up yonder to see God and be with him. That is just wrong because it is not what the word says!
But by the transformation of their minds with new understanding, they will know that what flows through us is the refreshing truth that God is with us; God is in us; and we don’t have to leave this planet called Earth because God made it to be inhabited forever.
- Isaiah 45:18 God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited.
Now there are those in the religious system who are still where we used to be. Some are more “dense” in their thoughts than others; what I mean is that their “density levels” are higher. Remember that density here means the measure of how closely molecules are packed together. Some have minds that are very impenetrable and immovable in their thoughts of heaven and hell and where God is and who God is. They know what they know, and they are not open to expanding their knowledge for something that they do not yet understand. This is what Jesus was warning Nicodemus about - don’t reject a doctrine just because you don’t understand it. People today should not reject a deeper meaning of the word of God just because they don’t understand it. Their minds are dense and closed up because they know what they want to know, and they fear anything different.
When we accept Christ and take a stand for our faith, we cannot fear.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
We must discern what is truth, but we cannot fear what we do not understand.
Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Remember my experience with the wind? We can hear the wind and see the effects of it. We believe that the wind changes the positions of plants, trees and vegetation because we can see it, but we don’t always understand how it happens or where it is coming from.
It’s the same thing with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit changes us. We have seen its effects, but we don’t always understand how it happens. We can even look back on our lives and understand where the Holy Spirit has intervened in the direction of our lives and carried us through some very difficult situations and some awe-inspiring events. We still don’t understand it, but we have seen and lived through the “effects” of the Holy Spirit; therefore we believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit.
God is telling us to be encouraged. Trust Him! Let the Holy Spirit guide us. We may not be certain of where He will lead us next. I know for a fact what God has shown me regarding the house in Clarksville and the books in the basement, but I don’t understand exactly what it means or how it will come about. Nevertheless I know that I believe in what God showed me.
Just because we may not understand what the Holy Spirit is doing right now or what we think he is not doing, Trust in What You Cannot See and Believe in What You Do Not Yet Understand.
~ Deaconess Rachel West
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