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You must be born again
You must be born again
How can a man be born again_____?
Last time we discussed
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
we’re told nicodemus is a pharisee, and ruler of the jews and a member of the sanhedrin. The sanhedrin were the supreeme court of the land ruling evething regarding the law and religion. nicodemus was a teacher of isreal, he was also a wealthy man and regarded as somone of great significace being a ruler of the jews, from the outside nicodemus had everything put together.
But there was something missing
He was spirtually sick, and the jews being taught by him were spirtually sick as well. We get a hint of this in John 2 where John the baptist baptistes and preaches the message of repentance in the “wilderness” the barness of the wilderness gives us a pictures of the barneness of their hearts, their whole lives were caught up in the religion instead of worhiping God. They belived if they just keep the law, and observed the sacrificies their good deeds would save them.
But God was doing something in the heart of nicodemus, nicodemus’s eyes were opened to see that there was something diffrent about what Jesus was doing and Saying.
- Nicodemus comes to jesus at night out of fear of being associated with Jesus and says to him v2 “ “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus anwser and says “
- Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
misunderstandings are a commen theme in the gosepl of John, but these misunderstanding gives Jesus the chance to elaborate of the meaning and purpose. Thats why when Nicodemus ask “ “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
Jesus explins it must be of water and spirit. nicodemus should have understood the significnce of water and spirit. water resembling the imagry of cleansing by water with the inner renewel by the spirit. being pure before God and then the spirit of God living inside of us
Ezekial 36:25-27
- “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
notice the “I WILL”
this is a gift of God
Another thing to notice is the anology of Birth. How many of us had anything to do with our pysical birth? the anwser is zero… we had nothing to do with it, we didnt contribute, but it still happened. Thats why nicodemus says “ can a man be born when he is old, can he enter a second time ino his mothers womb?
And Jesus anwsers “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
- Nicodemus dont get caught up in trying to figure out how to be reborn… listen..... The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from or where its going, so is everyone who is born of the spirit
now to full undersatnd what Jesus is saying we need to look at some words.
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.