Sermon Tone Analysis

A rabbi was a teacher of Judaism.

· At best Nicodemus understood Jesus to be a religious teacher.

(Kind of like Islam does today)

· But was confused because he saw him healing people

· And touching peoples lives in a way that Judaism nor any other religion ever had,

· So this intelligent man and ruler of the Jews by the name of Nicodemous says there’s something Godlike about you.

· “There’s no way you could do these things unless God was with you.”

Siddhartha Gautama became known as Buddha of which came Buddhism.

· He was a man who was believed to have been born into a wealthy and royal family,

· But became poor in order to become enlightened as it were.

Hinduism has 330 million gods.

· None of which (even encompassing) can meet all our needs.

· And most who are impersonalble and uncaring about the human race,

· With one reigning supreme; Brahma who is both impersonal and unknowable.

· But none of these god’s care enough about humanity to come and die for their sins.

The new age movement started up during many of our lifetimes and mid-twentieth century influences,

· Such as the UFO religions of the 1950s,

· The Counterculture of the 1960s (Hippie Generation),

· And the Human Potential Movement, are among its main influencers with no real God except for self or spirit guides to lead a person.

And then there is Islam

· Who identifies oddly with much of the same history and religious foundation as Judaism and Christianity,

· But only believes Jesus to be at best a Prophet and follows instead Muhammad’s teachings over Jesus’s as they consider Muhammad to be the last prophet.

And then there is this one that I want to focus on who Nicodemus was confused about, Jesus.

· There has been confusion about Jesus Christ since the day of His birth.

· While some followed a star from the east to come and worship at the stable He was born in, others sought to kill Him when He was just an infant.

Although Nicodemous didn’t know yet exactly who Jesus was,

· He did have one thing right.

· Jesus had come from God.

As a matter of fact tells us exactly who He was.

Matthew 1:23

We understand today that according to , Jesus is better than Muhammad, as Muhammad was only a prophet and a self-proclaimed prophet at that.

But the Angel of God spoke in and declared:

This scripture is telling us here that Jesus Is God.

Understand that the child that was born of virgin birth was conceived of the Holy Spirit.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

So many get confused when Speaking about Jesus and want to make Him the 3rd individual and part of something called the trinity,

So many get confused when Speaking about Jesus and want to make Him the 3rd individual and part of something called the trinity,

· But understand what is saying.

· “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

In other words, the Father (Spirit) if you will of the Jesus Christ (Flesh) was the Holy Ghost.”

But then helps us understand the incarnation even more.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

· Who was “manifest in the flesh?

· Jesus Christ – right?

· is also telling us here that Jesus was in fact God.

Then let’s look at…

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me:

· What’s He talking about here?

· Let’s go back to But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

· When Jesus is saying that He is in the father and the father is in Him, what He is saying is that the Holy Ghost is in Him and He is in the Holy Ghost.

Do you see that?

The flesh of Jesus was simply that.

· Flesh.

· It hungered.

· It thirst.

· It was tempted.

· It was beaten and crucified and it even died.

· But it was resurrected through the power of the Holy Ghost who placed His seed into the womb of Mary at conception.

Now some choose to refer to the Father and that’s ok.

· But understand who the Father is.

· The Father is the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit.

Lets go back to : And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Then Jesus told us in I am come in my Father's name…

· What name was that?

· And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now who is the father of Jesus?

· The Holy Ghost – right?

· So let me ask you – If Jesus said “I am come in my Father’s name” …

· Then what is the name of the Father or Holy Ghost?

· “Jesus”

That’s what he said, “I am come in my Father’s name.

In other words, I have the same name as my father.

· So the name of the Holy Ghost.

· The name of the one who fathered Jesus was Jesus.

· “I am come in my Father’s name.”

Now I know this doesn’t make sense if we are talking about how human beings are conceived.

· But we are not talking about a mere human being here.

· We are talking about “God manifest in the Flesh”.

· “Or God Who Became Flesh”

So who could father God manifest in the Flesh, except God Himself.

· I know that doesn’t make sense to our natural mind, but that is what the scriptures tell us nonetheless.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

So Jesus was not some third individual of a trinity

· Nor was he the second part of some dualistic Godhead.

· But according to 1 Timothy, Jesus was in fact God Manifest in the Flesh all by Himself.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Jews seeing the miracles that He did and hearing the wisdom from which he taught asked Him the question.

· Because like the Muslims, they believed that Abraham was their father.

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?

and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:

55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

· He told that to Moses… “Tell them “I Am” sent you.”

Then verse 59 tells us they got so mad at him for making himself greater than Abraham that they took up stones to Kill him.

But how could Jesus say that before Abraham was “I Am”?

· This was only possible because Jesus was the same God… manifest or made flesh that Abraham worshiped.

· This made the Jews mad.