Sermon Tone Analysis

Who is Nicodemus?

A. He is a Pharisee (John 3:1)

Possibly the most influential of the Pharisees (john 3: 10)

B. A ruler of the Jews - He was a member of the Sanhedrin

b.

The Jewish Supreme Court

This is a guy who shapes the laws that govern Judaism

C. Possibly a secret follower of Jesus

Nicodemus was a man who was qualified for heaven.

He was a Jew, so he had the right heritage, he was a Pharisee so he was a devout follower of the law and he was a part of the Sanhedrin which means that he was a leader of the people...

When he referred to Jesus as Rabbi he was giving honor to Jesus, those who are “in the know” know that you are a teacher and leader”

Born Again

It is a spiritual thing that happens.

this is a thing that Nicodemus could not understand…he asked Jesus, “What are you talking about” and then Jesus got down to business

It is not about the work you do, it is not about who you are, it is not about you at all…it wasn’t about Moses or Abraham or anything else, it is about “Me” and what I can do in your life.

Jesus came to save and not condemn and all that is required is belief.

This would have been offensive to Nicodemus, but at the same time intriguing.

Nicodemus was one of the people who was in charge of the current religious legalistic system...

Jesus is speaking to a Pharisee, a man who LIVED the Law.

This is a man who was honored above most in Jerusalem and was well respected and Jesus is saying to him, the works that you have spent your whole life doing, are not good enough.

In fact they are hurtful.

That’s what the word Jesus used there means hurtful.

They hurt your ability to get to heaven because you trust in them.

The word for evil is poneros and it means: calamitous, diseased, culpable, derelict

The word for wicked is phaulos and it means flawed

We usually say that Jesus is talking about sin here…and that is a valid idea, but Jesus is talking to man who would say that he has no sin…that he is a child of Abraham and chosen of God.

So, in this context, while the concept of sin applies, we have to understand Jesus to be saying to this man that the system that the Pharisees have created is flawed and those works will not save Him

Now, its important to understand, Jesus was not telling Nicodemus not to do good…He was telling Him not to trust in the good that he did to save him.

Trust in Jesus for salvation.

The people who work for salvation will be exposed.

There will come a time when they will stand before Jesus and say, “I did this and this and this, I fed the poor, I gave this much tithes” and they will be able to go on and on about how much “good” they did and Jesus will say, “The good works you did have condemned you to Hell because you were trusting in them instead of me” and to others He will say, “you trusted Me and because you did, I empowered you and you did this and this and this, and you have eternal life”