One Way - John 3:1-15
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Intro
Intro
A) Announcements
B) Prayer
C) Recap
Just saw Jesus in Jerusalem and clean out the Temple in a big way
He saw it being disgraced and made a scene- flipped tables and made a whip!
Jewish people asked him to give a sign to prove his authority. Destroy temple and He will rebuild in 3 days
Prophecy!!! How did they respond??
46 Years They said!
They took it as the temple they were standing and missed the fact he prophesied his death and resurrection.
Jews- Earthly Minded
4. Jesus at Passover festival , many people saw signs and believed in his name
Now as we get into our study today I want to start by saying our culture is very much about being “enlightened”
Take pride in being your “best self”
As you are
Being accepted
I. John 3:1-2
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
A) Pharisee- Religious Leader
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
In Matt 23 Wear these big boxes on head with long tassels. To show how holy they are.
Through Gospel you see a constant tension from the Pharisees towards Jesus.
Jesus goes off on the Pharisees in 23 by the way. Brood of Vipers.. Sons of hell.
B) Nicodemus, Member of Jewish Council. (Sanhedrin)
Would be comparable to the Supreme Court . Highest Ranking council. In Jewish culture.
C) John 3:2
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
D) Comes to Jesus at Night
Fear of being seen?
Remember this is soon after Jesus made the scene at the Temple. Flipping tables a whip all that. So maybe he was a little apprehensive to be seen with Jesus during the day.
Another thought is maybe he wanted to speak with Jesus uninterrupted?
Whatever it was it was relevant enough for John to specifically include he came at night.
E) Rabbi- teacher
Nicodemus is basically saying Jesus is an equal to them. Saying he is “from God”
II. John 3:3
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
A) Jesus does not respond to this acknowledgement
Look at John 2:23-24
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.
Many People believed but he did not entrust because he knew their hearts.
-I believe Nicodemus came in curiosity but also in a sense to challenge or verify.
-Jesus Responds and immediately I believe proves the verses above. Nicodemus had not asked Jesus about the kingdom of God but I believe Jesus responded knowing Nicodemus came and addressed his question before it was asked.
Nicodemus responds to Jesus’ prompt so I don’t think Jesus Randomly brought this up.
I believe this was yet another example of Jesus Deity.
“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
III. John 3:4
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
A) Nicodemus Reply-
Seems a little Sarcastic.
I think again based off his response it was not like it was a random statement Jesus made. He does come off a little snarky..
“How can someone be born when they are old?”.. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
We saw in Chapter 2 the response Jesus had about the temple and the jews immediately responded in a earthly mindset.. Here Nicodemus is doing the same thing..
IV. John 3:5-8
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
A) 5-6
Born of water (conceived) womb has water.. which i think parallels to flesh gives birth to flesh seen in next verse
Spirit gives birth to spirit.
B)7-8
should not be surprised by born again..
- This would be very shocking because this whole concept was foreign to them because most thought they were already righteous and “transformed” by God.
Again Nicodemus was a very highly educated teacher and by all of man’s standards “holy and presentable”
Now Jesus is here saying that is not is not going to cut it.
The Word study on born again in the greek is actually translated to “born from above.”
“A man may cast away many vices, forsake many lusts in which he indulged, and conquer evil habits, but no man in the world can make himself to be born of God; though he should struggle never so much, he could never accomplish what is beyond his power. And, mark you, if he could make himself to be born again, still he would not enter heaven, because there is another point in the condition which he would have violated — ‘unless a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (Spurgeon)
So Jesus is saying you must be born from above.. from the Spirit. Jesus is telling Nicodemus the way to heaven. He is telling him of the one and only way to Heaven.
AGAIN We know because we see big picture Jesus dies and conquers sin but to this point this idea would be very foreign.
C) 8
Jesus illustrates this concept with the wind.
We do not understand everything about the wind, but we can recognize its presence and impact.
Cannot see the wind, we can heard the wind blow, feel the wind.. see the effects of the wind. .. same is of the spirit..
May not understand but it will effect and impact and you will see its presence.
V. 9-15
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
A) 9 How can this be?
I believe this is now a genuine question. Again, this concept he is hearing is different than he has believed and lived.
B) 10
“ You are Israel’s Teacher..” “and you do not understand these things?”
We speak of what WE KNOW..
Remember Nicodemus stated “We Know” was that the Sanhedrin? idk..
But Jesus coming in saying of what He KNOWS.
“ We speak of what we Know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven- the Son of Man.”
Remember Jesus Went and flipped tables at temple. I think this is what Jesus is doing to Nicodemus’ heart. Starting to flip some tables. Nicodemus would have been very highly thought as a teacher and member of Sanhedrin and Jesus is coming in saying they are missing the point.
He expand on this is in 14-15
VI. (14-15)
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Jesus is referring to Numbers 21:8-9
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
MEDICAL SYMBOL
the Israelites had sinned and God gave them the cure. Look to the pole. Easy but was not by their doing. It was God’s.
Just like the pole was how they were saved from death. Jesus is how we are saved and given Eternal life in HIM!!!
Born again is Change
Old gone and re-born!!!
the act of obedience for Israel .. look to the pole..
The act of obedience for us. Look to Jesus and be Born from above.
When we accept Jesus in our heart we are a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
When we are born again we are changed. Change cannot stay the same.
We can come as we are but we can’t stay as we are..
We surrender our life to Him and he will do the work
Bigs-> chip and Joanna.
We are not perfect and there is grace, but we are changed.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
There is no House to broken for Jesus to come fix and he will. but you have to let him in and do the work, sometimes it is painful and takes time. Even a solid house has breaks and needs maintenance, no house is perfect.
Jesus loves you more than you know and defeated sin.
Like the Israelites looked at the snake on the staff in wilderness, look to Jesus and he will make you a new creation.