Sermon Tone Analysis

*John Chapter 3*

*/Eternal Obstetrics/*

Secular:

* The Bigger the Issue

*  The bigger the name committed to resolve it

*  When world strife starts…

* we send Diplomats

* then Ambassadors

* then Ministers of Foreign Affairs

* then the P.M.

* Youth forum… Mayor… Detachment Commander

* Crystal Meth… Mayor… Detachment Commander… Principals ~/ Vice-Principals

Biblical:

NAU John 3:1 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." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "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. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 "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."

9 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.

16 "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.

17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

 

 

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Body:

The credentials of Nicodemus

NAU John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

* Nicodemus… member of Sanhedrin and a Pharisee

*  Who was Nicodemus…

* Member of religious establishment

* And member of Sanhedrin

*  Someone who knows…

* Would know the messianic prophecies…

*  Teacher, religious leader, political leader…

* Important to establish the nature of the conversation

* Credibility… credentials…

 

The confession of Nicodemus

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 acknowledges Jesus is from God because of his miracles

* Would know the messianic prophecies…

* Pharisee… open to the supernatural… but still nervous… “by night” has secretive connotations…

* We… does Nicodemus represent the Pharisees…

* OR JUST AN interest in the sign*s *(John has mentioned one so far)

* John 20:30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

*  Teacher from God… hasn’t yet figured out Jesus is God.

*  Confesses Short comings….

Remember the this si a judge, teacher, political leader

 

The command to Nicodemus

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

* Jesus doesn’t respond to implied… you must be a teacher question… (Teacher… Prophet… Messiah)

* Jesus rejects the Jews agenda…

* He is often questioned about who he is… He responds  according to His Mission

* Nicodemus thought He could see a glimpse of Christ in the Signs…

* Jesus… shows the futility of the eyes of Nicodemus

* Truly, truly …(I tell you the truth) Jesus uses this emphasis phrase to speak of new birth required to experience the ‘kingdom of God’… to a distinguished Pharisee that would represent… the end of the age… to experience eternal resurrection life…

* “/unless one is born again/”… double meaning… it also means above…

* Spiritual begetting… regenerated from above….

* Nicodemus didn’t get it…

* He didn’t understand… born again…

* He definitely didn’t understand born above…

 

The confusion of Nicodemus

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?"

* He confuses spiritual birth and physical birth

*  Nicodemus… for His honouring Christ….

(we know you are from God…)

* Responds with sarcasm… or at least crassly literal interpretation

*  Confusion…

* Jesus rebukes….

This great teacher….

This leader… this judge….

The chastening of Nicodemus

9 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.

* Jesus chides him for not knowing these things even though he is a respected Jewish teacher

*  Truly… truly… again…

* *We…* sarcasm re: Nicodemus

* We know that You have come from God

*  /“we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony”/

* /(Nicodemus… respect for Man of God?)/

* Jesus is rebuking this great leader… entrance to the kingdom….

Is an elementary lesson… Nicodemus stumbles at the “earthly things” the rebirth from above… If you can’t get our earthly testimony of the Spirit… God amongst us…

* How is he ever going to understand the splendours things form above!... the consummated kingdom…

* … chastening of Nicodemus

 

The clarification for Nicodemus

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. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 "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."…

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.

* Jesus employs three illustrations to explain new birth

* The Old Testament illustration… 3:5-7

* Unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can not enter into the Kingdom of God

*  NAU Ezekiel 36:24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.

25 "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.