God pointed us to Nicodemus not to celebrate him, but to learn what not to do. On February 2nd, 2025, a prophecy was given over this church. The Lord directed us back to it for this message. Here's what it said:
There's a shift that's coming, says the Lord. For I am giving an opportunity of growth, of exponential growth. However, it is up to you if you choose to take part or not.
I encourage you not to be like Nicodemus, who had the opportunity and decided elsewhere. Learn from Nicodemus.
When I call those who follow me, I tell them to clothe themselves. So clothe yourself with humility. Clothe yourself with goodness and kindness. Clothe yourself with righteousness, peace, and joy. For everything funnels through that, for that is the representation of my Holy Spirit, says the Lord.
And as you go forth and you accomplish what's on your list, please do not forget about mine. For your list is out of order, says the Lord. My list is in order, for I am a God of order. Do not think that I will neglect you or your family in time of need, for I have more than enough, says the Lord. More than enough. More than enough.
Clothe yourself in dignity and strength and power. And most importantly, clothe yourself in my word, in the armor of God. So that when the rain comes and the wind blows and the enemy comes knocking at your door trying to tempt you, remember his temptations are always the same. Did God really say? That's exactly how he started. That's exactly how he will finish. He will always question what I say. That's exactly how pride starts.
And know this: when you begin to ask those questions, if you know the answer, of course I said it. But you are challenging my character, says the Lord. That is pride.
But when you are asking and saying, "Did God really say he'll provide? I've never heard that before," and you actually go and seek my word and you find the answer — now the truth has been revealed. But it is still up to you, says the Lord. It is still up to you to accept it and walk it out.
And when you do, and when you choose to obey, my glory and my anointing will follow you, says the Lord. For I go before you and I prepare the way. But you have to actually follow the path, says the Lord. And when you do, watch the things that I will do through you and for you and to you and around you. Watch me work, says the Lord.
That line — "I encourage you not to be like Nicodemus, who had the opportunity and decided elsewhere" — that's the assignment. We're doing what you do when you watch an older sibling make a bad decision and get a whooping for it. You decide you're not going to do that.
So let's find out what Nicodemus actually did, what it cost him, and why God is still bringing it up.
Nicodemus was one of the most intellectually equipped people in his entire culture, and that's exactly what made him vulnerable. He was a Jewish religious leader, a Pharisee. The Pharisees had the first five books of the Bible memorized. Not skimmed. Memorized. Numbers, Leviticus, all of it. Nicodemus could sit down and recite it to you word for word.
That kind of intellectual horsepower is a gift from God. We're grateful he put smart people in the world. Otherwise none of us would have an air conditioner today.
But Nicodemus had a default setting: the reasoning realm. And when Jesus started speaking truth to him, that default setting became a liability.
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because he didn't want anyone to see him. He already believed. He told Jesus straight up:
"Rabbi, we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." (John 3:2)
He had already worked it out intellectually. He just didn't want to go public with it.
That's the first problem. He was a coward with his faith.
Jesus told him something that required a different kind of knowing:
"I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
Nicodemus asked his first question:
"What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" (John 3:4)
That was a fair question. He genuinely wanted to understand. Jesus answered him:
"I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)
Then Nicodemus asked a second question:
"How are these things possible?" (John 3:9)
That's where it went sideways.
The first question was asking for understanding; the second question was arguing with the answer. Jesus had already explained what it meant to be born of water and of the Spirit. He gave Nicodemus the full picture. And then Nicodemus kept going.
Here's the thing about reasoning: God gave it to you for a purpose. But that purpose is not to argue with the Spirit. When the Spirit gives you an answer and you keep asking questions, you've stopped seeking and started challenging.
Jesus even called it out directly:
"You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things?" (John 3:10)
Nicodemus had all the information. He just couldn't let his reasoning go.
We live in an information age that tells us the intellectual realm is the highest realm, and that is exactly the trap. Think about it. We've reached this pinnacle of information access. We had podcasts in our ears constantly, always wanting more, always wanting the next explanation or the next download. And it's never satisfied. It always wants more.
We'll even go to AI tools looking for spiritual advice. But all that's doing is taking the sum total of human knowledge, the common consensus of what people have posted on the internet, and giving it back to us. Do you actually want your spiritual direction from the common consensus of the internet?
There's nothing wrong with developing intellectually. The problem is when that development becomes a source of pride. When you've accumulated enough education, enough training, enough knowledge that you start to question God because you think you're smart enough to push back on him. That's where it gets off.
To not be like Nicodemus means you decide you're not going to argue with God's commands, even when your mind doesn't like what it's hearing. You are a three-part being. You are a spirit. You live in a body. And you have a soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. You get to choose which realm your mind yields to. That choice is happening in your spirit.
Some people think they are their mind. They don't understand there's a separation between the spirit and the mind. Your mind is either being yielded to darkness or it's being yielded to light. That's up to you.
When the word gives you a command, you don't reason it out. Your mind may come up and say "I don't know about this." And you say back to it, "We're not reasoning this. We're obeying."
God said there is a shift coming with an opportunity for exponential growth, but it's not automatic. It depends on what you do with it. The exact words: "There's a shift that's coming, says the Lord. For I am giving an opportunity of growth, of exponential growth. However, it is up to you if you choose to take part or not. I encourage you not to be like Nicodemus, who had the opportunity and decided elsewhere."
Nicodemus had an opportunity standing right in front of him. Jesus himself. And he walked away from it because he couldn't get past his second question.
The outcome God promised for those who don't do that? "My glory and my anointing will follow you. For I go before you and I prepare the way. But you actually have to follow the path." He's already done the work. He's already paved the road. He's got a lemonade stand a few steps ahead for your refreshment. We just have to stop cutting our own path through the weeds with a machete and walk the one he already prepared.
Seeking God's kingdom first and refusing to worry about tomorrow is the practical expression of what it looks like to not be like Nicodemus. Before landing on the two verses everyone knows, Jesus builds up to them. Here's the full context that was read:
"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food or drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:19-34)
That word "worry" in the original language? It basically means to think about it. So Jesus is saying, don't even think about tomorrow. That can feel irresponsible to the most driven, responsible people in the room. But a responsible, godly person does what the Lord says. And what the Lord says here is: you handle today, and let me handle tomorrow.
Here's what that looked like in practice. Someone came to prayer one evening with rent due the next day and nothing in their account. They decided: the bill isn't due tonight, so I'm not going to think about it tonight. They kept their mind off it. The next day, the money was there. God verified the word through a real situation in real time.
Matthew 6:33-34 might be the most disobeyed scripture in the body of Christ. And it's not because people think it's wrong. It's because it genuinely feels irresponsible to stop thinking about tomorrow. That's the intellectual realm fighting back.
The book of Proverbs makes it plain that human wisdom runs out where God's wisdom begins.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8)
"We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer." (Proverbs 16:1)
"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." (Proverbs 19:21)
James puts the sharpest edge on it:
"Look here, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.' How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog — it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, 'If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.' Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil." (James 4:13-16)
Ask the Lord first. Should we do this or that? That question alone would save us so much wasted time and energy that we'd actually have room left to rest.
The goal is to become unimpressed with human wisdom and stay impressed with God's wisdom. That's what keeps you in a good place.
Disobeying God's clear direction removes you from his protection, even when what you're doing seems like a good thing. Here's a personal example. Someone asked for a counseling meeting. It was a genuinely good thing. But in the spirit, the answer was no. The decision was made to go anyway, because being a good pastor means showing up for people. Right?
On the way there, a fender bender. The only accident in a whole life of driving up to that point. Not a coincidence. It was an alert. God wasn't sending someone to hit the car. He just couldn't provide protection for a trip he said not to take.
The meeting got cancelled anyway. The Lord made sure of it. And the lesson stuck: don't do the things the Lord tells you not to do, especially the ones that feel like good things.
What does the Bible say about Nicodemus? Nicodemus was a Pharisee and Jewish religious leader who came to Jesus at night to ask him questions (John 3:1-2). He believed that God was with Jesus based on the miracles he had witnessed, but he came after dark because he didn't want to be seen publicly associating with him. He asked two questions, and the second one revealed that he had moved from curiosity into pride.
Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus at night? He came at night because he didn't want anyone to see him there. He already believed that God had sent Jesus, but he wasn't willing to be public about it. The sermon describes him plainly as a coward with his faith.
What is the difference between a good question and a prideful question? A good question is one asked to genuinely understand something you haven't heard before. A prideful question is one asked after God has already given you the answer. Nicodemus's first question to Jesus was legitimate. His second question, "How are these things possible?" (John 3:9), came after Jesus had already explained it, which means he wasn't seeking anymore. He was arguing.
What does it mean to not be like Nicodemus? It means choosing to obey God's word and the Spirit's direction without arguing with it, even when your reasoning pushes back. You are a spirit, and you have a mind. They are not the same thing. You get to choose which realm your mind yields to, and the goal is to yield it to the Spirit rather than to your own reasoning.
What does Matthew 6:33-34 actually mean about not worrying? Jesus is saying not to think about tomorrow. The word translated "worry" in that passage basically means to think about it. The instruction is to seek God's kingdom today and let him handle what's coming. This was tested and confirmed in a real situation where someone with rent due the next day refused to think about it that night, and the provision came the following day.
Is it irresponsible to not plan for tomorrow? A truly responsible, godly person does what the Lord says. And what the Lord says is to focus on today and trust him with tomorrow. Making plans without first asking God if those plans are his will is what Proverbs and James both call out as the real problem — not planning itself, but planning independently of God.
What does the Bible say about making your own plans? Proverbs 16:1 says the Lord gives the right answer even when we make our own plans. Proverbs 19:21 says many plans can be made, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. James 4:13-16 directly addresses people who plan a year out for business without asking God first, calling it boasting in pretentious plans. The point is not that planning is wrong. The point is that asking God first is always the right first step.
What does it mean to put on the whole armor of God? The armor of God is spiritual clothing you have to actively put on. The prophecy read in this message described it this way: clothe yourself with humility, goodness, and kindness, righteousness, peace and joy, dignity, strength, power, and most importantly, the word of God. Jesus provides all of it. But you have to put it on. He gives you the clothes; getting dressed is still your responsibility.
