Have you ever had the experience of missing out on something you had hoped to do because you lacked the sufficient requirement? Maybe you were heading to Canada but when you got to the border you realized you had forgotten your passport and were turned away. Or you arrived at a concert but realized, at the entrance, that you had left your tickets at home. Or you went to the car rental desk but were turned back because your drivers license had expired. These are all experiences of being turned away because you lacked a necessary document. In our text this morning, Jesus tells us of a necessary experience if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. Everyone who has this experience will be allowed to
enter. No one who lacks this experience will. We must be born again.