Illustration of the power of the wind

Then Jesus used an illustration of the power of the wind; the mighty way, the amazing way that God works. When I was in Fiji, a great hurricane swept the island, and trees were ripped from the ground and carried for yards by that 120 mile per hour wind. Complete iron roofs were lifted bodily and carried for yards, sometimes 100 to 400 yards away. Despite the great destructive force of this great wind, no one saw the wind. They heard it, they saw the effect it was having, but no one saw this wind.

Jesus says, "Yes, Nicodemus, you know the wind, you have seen the way it acts! But you cannot see the wind itself." Just so, we can see the working of God in the lives of men and women by the results. We can only be born by the 'new birth' experience with the Spirit’s inward prompting.

Some people like to talk as if they have had a great deal of learning. Some ask this question, "Have you ever seen God?" "No I have never seen God." "Have you ever seen Jesus?" "No I have never seen Jesus; but I still believe in Him." 

Now let me ask you a question, how many here today had a great, great grandfather? How did you know that you had a great, great grandfather? Why, you would say that you would not be here today if it were not for your great great grandfather. And you would not be here if it were not for God either. When people say there is no God it is just like a baby looking into it’s mother’s face and saying, "There is no mother."

Yes, you must be born again. You cannot see the wind, but you can see its activity. You cannot see the Holy Spirit, but you can surely see His work. And the greatest proof of all, of the existence of God and his Holy Spirit, is the way it changes man’s hearts and lives.