How Nicodemus Learned to Believe

Who is Nicodemus? John 3:1-21 Division of the Encounter John 3:1-10 1. Jesus’ Dialogue with Nicodemus John 3:11-21 2. Jesus’ Discourse on God’s Plan of Salvation Source: MacArthur Study Bible Notes 1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You.” 2 John 3:1-10 Nicodemus’s inquiry of Jesus Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 3 John 3:1-10 Nicodemus’s inquiry of Jesus “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 4 John 3:1-10 Jesus’ insight into Nicodemus Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 5 6 John 3:1-10 Jesus’ insight into Nicodemus So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” 7 8 John 3:1-10 Jesus’ insight into Nicodemus 9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. John 3:1-10 Jesus’ indictment of Nicodemus Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 10 John 3:1-10 Jesus’ indictment of Nicodemus For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. 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. 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. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:24-27 2. Jesus’ Discourse on God’s Plan of Salvation Source: MacArthur Study Bible Notes I assure you, We tell you what We know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe Our testimony. But if you don’t believe Me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 11 12 John 3:11-21 The Problem of Unbelief 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. John 3:11-21 The Answer to Unbelief And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. 14 15 John 3:11-21 The Answer to Unbelief “For this is how God so loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 16 John 3:11-21 The Answer to Unbelief God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. 17 John 3:11-21 The Answer to Unbelief “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 18 John 3:11-21 The Results of Unbelief And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 19 John 3:11-21 The Results of Unbelief All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” 20 21 John 3:11-21 The Results of Unbelief The way of Salvation is through the regeneration of being Born Again – Being Born from Above We have NOTHING to do with our WATER birth nor our SPIRITUAL birth. – It is a GIFT from GOD We MUST believe! Make Jesus our LORD and SAVIOR The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His Name. John 20:30-31 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. John 6:37 BELIEVE