John 3:1-36
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Two words I want you to begin thinking about as we go through these next few chapters are Spirit and Truth. We are still going to be asking
What does it look like to grow in intimacy with Christ?
But as we do this idea of Spirit and Truth are going to be essential to understanding how we grow in Christ.
You Must Be Born Again
You Must Be Born Again
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 are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a group within Judaism that followed the law very strictly. They held a strict tradition regarding the Mosaic law and even developed the Talmud which was a set of rules in addition to the Old Testament. They, along with the Sadducee made up the religious leaders in the time of Jesus. We see this group interacting with Jesus all throughout the Gospel accounts as well as with the Apostles in the early parts of Acts. Paul was actually a member of this group until Christ confronted him on the road to Damascus. The Pharisees were sceptical of Jesus, but there skepticism turned into jealousy and hatred towards Him until eventually they convinced Pontius Pilate to execute Jesus at Passover.
Nicodemus is a member of this party. He was a ruler of the Jews meaning that he served on the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish council that convicted criminals and settled disputes. They were the supreme court of Judea while they were under Roman occupation.
It says that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night.
Why do you think that this high up leader of the Pharisees would visit Jesus at night?
I think that already in John 3 the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees was beginning to strain. Just a chapter earlier Jesus cleansed the Temple, threw out the money changers, and claimed He would rebuild the temple in three days. (We know He meant His resurrection, but the Pharisees thought He meant the actual Temple). To be associated with Jesus as a Pharisee was bad news, but Nicodemus had to see Jesus for himself.
Nicodemus addresses Jesus with respect. He calls Jesus Rabbi which means teacher. Nicodemus proposes sort of a question to Jesus. He makes a statement about Jesus and hopes Jesus will confirm his suspicion.
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Jesus responds with an answer completely different to what Nicodemus is asking Him. Jesus tends to do this. He knows what is in the hearts of men, and rather than give Nicodemus what he wants Jesus gives him what he needs.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus provides an essential doctrine for us here in this verse. The way to heaven is by being born again. There is no other means by which a person is saved. There is no other route a person can take. If a person wants to see heaven they must be born again.
How can a person be born again? This is a great follow up question posed by Nicodemus.
Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Nicodemus asks the question with a hint of silliness behind it. How can that be possible? Does my mom have to give birth to me twice?
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Jesus expands on what it means to be born again. To be born again you must be born of water and of the Spirit. To be born of water is to be physically alive. If you are breathing and if you have a pulse congratulations you are alive physically. To see heaven you must also be born of the Spirit.
So Jesus helps us understand this new way of living. Spiritual life is different than physical life. You can be alive physically and dead spiritually. Spiritual birth is different than physical birth. Those who are born of the flesh are flesh but those who are born of the Spirit are spirit. Jesus is telling Nicodemus, in this new life of being born again the Spirit dwells and guides God’s people intimately. It isn’t a general rule following as with the Law of Moses which is physical. The Spirit dwells in the hearts of God’s people and where the Spirit directs that is where God’s people go. Like wind blowing where it wishes. The Spirit calls and sends His people.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Jesus is fulfilling the Old Testament and its promises. He is leading in a New Covenant for His people, one established on His death and resurrection. A life that is of the Spirit and not of the flesh. John has been hinting at this throughout all the chapters we have read so far. Jesus is the Word of God. He is the one Moses and the Prophets promised. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world from Isaiah 53. He is the One who was filled with Zeal for His Father’s house. Jesus in each chapter is showing us more and more of who He is. He is the great promise keeper, covenant fulfiller.
Jesus reminds Nicodemus that where the Spirit of God breathes life is found. Whether it is a pile of dust like Adam or a valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel. Where the Spirit moves life follows.
To see heaven you must be born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Jesus appeals to Nicodemus. He is a student of the Law. He has dedicated his whole life to reading and understanding the Old Testament law. As a Pharisee Nicodemus would not only have read the entirety of the Old Testament but he likely had significant portions of it memorized. Jesus knows this. Jesus says, these things that I’m telling you shouldn’t be a surprise to you. This is what the whole Old Testament was about!
I think it is easy for us to sometimes read our own biases into the Bible. Nicodemus was so influenced by his tradition that he was completely shaken when Jesus revealed the true interpretation of the Old Testament.
How do we read the Bible?
Do we rely on the Spirit in our study or do we just read what we want to read?
If we are trusting the Holy Spirit and listening as He illuminates Scripture we are going to be encouraged and comforted but also challenged deeply and called to repent often. I think sometimes we tend to read the Bible more like Nicodemus. We read it because we are supposed to and we stash away information and names, but it has no real effect on our lives.
Jesus the great teacher is giving Nicodemus a lesson on the Law. Everything points to Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus even predicts His own death. Jesus references a story from Numbers 21. The people of Israel were in rebellion against God and so the Lord sent fire snakes to bite the people. Many Israelites died but they started to turn to Moses in hopes that he would intercede for them. When he does God tells Moses to make a bronze serpent so that any who looked at the serpent would be healed. Just by looking at it and trusting in God’s faithfulness they were healed. Jesus says like this bronze serpent I too will be lifted up. People looked to the statue and were healed but all who look to Jesus will be resurrected into new life. Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to be born again you must look to the Son and put your faith and trust in Him to be saved. Whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life.
For God So Loved the World
For God So Loved the World
This next section of verses specifically John 3:16 are likely verses you have heard hundreds of times. With good reason! This communicates to us the heart of God and the message of the Gospel. We cannot just glaze over what Jesus is teaching. What we believe to be true about these next few verses can make an eternity of difference. As we read try to see these verses through new eyes.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Lets break this verse down.
The transcendent God of the universe loves His creation.
When we think about the character and nature of God one of the first words that should pop into our heads is love. God is not indifferent or apathetic to His creation, instead He loves deeply. This word for love that is used communicates the deepest level of sacrifice, affection, and intimacy found in love. More so this eternal God loves eternally. His love is never ending. He loves the world so much that He is moved to action.
What do we know about the world? It is a broken and sinful place filled with broken and sinful people. God loves all of His creation and desires to free it from the curse of sin and the power of death.
Some translations will say For God so loved the world, but others say God loved the world in this way. In either case we see that God was moved to action by His love for the world, specifically for the part of His creation that was made in His own image. Us. God’s loved us in this way, He sent His only Son.
Jesus was not born, He has always existed. We know this from John 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and He was God. Jesus is unique from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit but He is fully God. This unique person of the Trinity left His throne and was born in human flesh. He is unique in His mission. He is sent from God. Sent of Heaven. He is the fullness of God in human flesh. Fully God. Fully Man. Jesus is the gift of life for all of creation. It is through Jesus that all can be born again and have life everlasting.
Whoever believes in Him (in Jesus) won’t die but will have eternal life. In Jesus we are born again. We are raised out of death to live in eternal life with Him. Physically we may die, but Spiritually we will live forever with Him and one day when He returns we live physically with Him in a new heaven and a new earth.
This is the Gospel.
The bad news, I was born in sin. The good news, I can be born again. How? By looking to Jesus for salvation. Believing in Him, trusting in Him. It isn’t by hard work or human effort. You can try your best to be perfect but until the Spirit moves over this dead body I will never achieve life. Jesus says believe in me and be born again. When we do this, we receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are transformed from the inside out and we are new creations.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus’ reason for coming to the earth was not to condemn the world.
What would it have looked like if Jesus came to condemn the world? He would have killed everyone who was in sin. It would be more like Revelation, when Jesus returns to judge the earth and destroy sin, death and the devil once and for all. There would be no second chances. No grace only justice. Jesus had every right to do this. When He returns He has every right to judge the world because He is the only one who is Holy and righteous to do it. Instead of condemning the world Jesus came so that the world might find salvation through Him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Jesus says way of life is simple. Believe in Him for salvation or reject Him and remain dead in your sin. Whoever does not believe in Jesus is already condemned. Their sin is already a death sentence, but Jesus makes a way for all to have life in His name.
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John has brought up light and darkness a couple of times through out these first few chapters. He is showing us the reason for disbelief. People reject Jesus because they love their sin. We talked about the Spirit but now we see the truth. To reject Jesus is to love the lies of satan. Sometimes it is easier to believe the lie and be comfortable than to believe the truth and be called to repentance and humility. Lies are appetizing. In the darkness I can be king of my universe. I can do whatever I want, watch whatever I want, treat people however I want. In my world of darkness I hate the light because I don’t want my sin exposed.
Jesus is the Light of the world. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to be hidden from suspicion only for Jesus to expose his heart to the truth. Spirit and Truth. One does not exist without the other in our relationship with Christ. We will see next week, in our worship, Spirit and Truth are essential. The Spirit transforms our hearts through belief in the truth of who Christ is and what He has done. The way we live tells the truth of what the Spirit has done through us. We cannot hide from the light.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Living in truth is the evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives. Jesus calls us to believe in Him, believe in the good news of the Gospel, and be transformed by the Spirit to live a life of truth in the Light.
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
John the Baptist is the last remaining remnant of an Old Testament world. He was called to prepare the way for Jesus to come and usher in this New Covenant and he has done that.
After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison). Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Jesus’ ministry is growing beyond that of John the baptists and John is recognizing that it is time for his ministry to decrease so that he might make room for Jesus. This is the last time we hear from John the baptist in this gospel. He would soon be put to death by Herod. John testifies one more time of who Jesus is.
He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John testifies of Jesus saying, He is the Son of God sent from heaven. He is above all. King of all kings. Jesus is sent of heaven and speaks of how we can have eternal life with Him there but still people don’t believe.
John says some interesting things here in regards to Spirit and Truth. He says that whoever receives Jesus’ testimony sets his seal in that God is true. God cannot tell a lie. Jesus cannot tell a lie. To believe in Jesus and the words He says is to believe the truth about life and the world. Who is giving Jesus the words to speak? The Father. Jesus didn’t speak of His own authority, even though He is God, but was obedient to what the Father told Him to say. Who is leading Jesus in the truth? The Spirit. Jesus is listening to where the Spirit is leading Him and calling Him to go. Though Jesus is the only person of the Trinity born in human flesh all three persons are testifying to the truth. Jesus is the way to heaven. He is offering forgiveness and grace for every sin. He is demonstrating His love to a sinful and broken world and calling us to step out of the darkness and be born again into the Light.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
