When the Teacher Goes Back to School | Birth
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Three: A Matter of Life and Death (John 3)
Not only was Benjamin Franklin a great statesman and inventor, but he was also a great correspondent and received letters from famous people from all over the world. One day he received what could well have been the most important letter ever to come to his desk. It was from the well-known British preacher George Whitefield.
“I find that you grow more and more famous in the learned world,” Whitefield wrote. “As you have made such progress in investigating the mysteries of electricity, I now humbly urge you to give diligent heed to the mystery of the new birth. It is a most important and interesting study and, when mastered, will richly repay you for your pains.”
As Warren Wiersbe continues to open his commentary on this chapter explaining that chapter three focuses on the New Birth in this chapter more so than any other. He does so through three different roles that we see presented as within our text: the Teacher, the Bridegroom, and the Witness. Tonight we begin this chapter of when the teacher went back to school dealing with the first lesson, birth.
Outline
Within our text, we see a time when a teacher goes back to school. We see a time when…
The Teacher Becomes the Student (vv. 1-2)
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 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.”
Nicodemus was a teacher of the Jews - ‘…Now there was a man of the Pharisees…’
Nicodemus was drawn to the teacher from Galilee
What originally drew you to Jesus?
What continues to draw you to Jesus?
Nicodemus was drawn to the Teacher from Galilee, Jesus Christ, due to the signs that He was performing, for no one can do these signs that You do. Once again we see the connection between the signs of John and the divinity of Christ.
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
As we know from this previous text, that Jesus would not commit himself to those who believed in His signs but not in Him (vv. 24-25). However, Nicodemus was different. He came with an open heart truly desiring the truth. Yes, he came by night, this man came to Jesus at night, but not out of fear, but for a different reason. He wanted to get some alone time with the Teacher from Galilee.
Why does one seek alone time with someone?
Does alone time equate quantity time or quality time?
When is the last time that you intentionally sought out alone time with Jesus?
3. Nicodemus was going to become a student of the Teacher from Galilee
As Wiersbe writes…
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Three: A Matter of Life and Death (John 3)
He was a man of high moral character, deep religious hunger, and yet profound spiritual blindness.
To address Nicodemus’ spiritual blindness, Jesus, the Teacher from Galilee uses four illustrations to open his eyes to see his need for salvation: the wind, the serpent on the pole, light and darkness, and what we begin with tonight, birth.
Lessons on Birth (v. 3)
3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The Teacher from Galilee was teaching the teacher of the Jews of a new birth - ‘..unless someone is born again…’
Nicodemus’ spiritual blindness is apparent when he responds to Jesus’ statement. He replies,
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?”
This is no different from those that we witness to on a daily basis. They are blind. They are blinded by the prince of the power of the air.
While Nicodemus was speaking of a natural birth, enter in to his mother’s womb a second time, Jesus was speaking of a new birth, a spiritual birth. Jesus responded in patience, knowing Nicodemus’ spiritual condition.
The Teacher from Galilee was teaching the teacher of the Jews about a spiritual birth (v. 5)
John 3:5 (NASB 2020) 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
As we look at our text, we see two births being pictured before us.
There is the natural birth - ‘…born of water…’
There is the spiritual birth - ‘…and the Spirit...’
While some have taught that being born of water is a picture of baptism, this could not be further from the truth. Baptism is never mentioned within the guides of birth, but rather is synonymous with death.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Baptism is the first step of obedience in our new found birth in Christ, but does not equate salvation.
One’s new birth includes two parents just as one’s natural birth
The Spirit of God is one’s parent - ‘…born of…the Spirit…’
The Word of God is one’s parent
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.
Realities of birth
Birth involves pain, but that pain gives way to joy
21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
There is the pain of coming face-to-face with our sin
This is truth of salvation as well. We may face pain as we come to face-to-face with our sin, our lostness. As we look at salvation, there was another pain involved for our salvation, the pain our Savior endured as He was crucified.
There is the pain of our savior
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
There is the pain of enduring to share the gospel
19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you—
Birth involves an inheritance of a nature
Before we accepted Christ, we were by nature children of wrath (cf. Eph 2:3)
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
As Jesus told Nicodemus, that which was born of the flesh is flesh. However, He continues by saying, that which was born of the Spirit is spirit.
After accepting Christ, we birthed into a new nature, the nature of the Spirit (cf. 2 Pt 1:4)
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Birth involves an appetite
As children of God, and not this world, a Christian should have…
an appetite for the things of God (cf. 1 Pt 2:2-3)
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
an appetite for the Word of God (cf. Heb. 5:11-14)
11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
The Final Lesson for the Teacher of the Jews from the Teacher from Galilee Dealing with Birth
The Teacher from Galilee revealed to the teacher of the Jews that His spiritual heritage was not enough
The Teacher from Galilee revealed to the teacher of the Jews that His righteous piety was not enough
The Teacher from Galilee revealed to the teacher of the Jews that education and moral goodness was not enough
All these were good things, but they were not enough to answer the question that was truly being asked by Nicodemus. The true question that was being asked without being asked was, “How does one enter into the Kingdom of God?” The Teacher from Galilee, Jesus Christ, began answering the question from the teacher of the Jews using birth as His first lesson plan to explain…
7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
Conclusion
Jesus uses two statements interchangeably through our text:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3b).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (v. 5b).
Both statements begin with, “Truly, truly,” emphasizing the sureness and firmness of the truth(s) being revealed.
The statement being presented is clear, Without one being born again, they will not only be kept from entering into heaven, they will not even be able to see it.
May this be a truth that prods us to share the gospel with those around us. For without salvation, a new birth in Christ, there is no hope of seeing, much less entering into the Kingdom of God.