John 3:1-21

The Teachings of Jesus about the Necessity of the New Birth

I. The new birth is a requirement to see the Kingdom of God (vv. 1-7)

II. The new birth is a heavenly idea (vv.8-12)

III. The new birth comes to those who believe in Jesus (vv. 13-18)

IV. The new birth is necessary because Man loved darkness and hated the light. (vv.19-20)

V. The Evidence of New Birth (v.21)

I. The new birth is a requirement to see the Kingdom of God (vv. 1-7)

John 3:1–2 NASB95

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 have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

From the passage, who is Nicodemus?

- A Pharisee

- Ruler of the Jews

What is a Pharisee?

PHARISEES (Φαρισαῖος, Pharisaios). Members of a Jewish party that exercised strict piety according to Mosaic law. The Pharisees were a sect within early Judaism, becoming active around 150 bc and enduring as a distinct party until being subsumed into the Rabbinic movement around ad 135.

The name “Pharisee,” which in its Semitic form means “the separated ones, separatists,” first appears during the reign of  John Hyrcanus (135  b.c. ). Generally, the term is in the plural rather than in the singular. They were also known as  chasidim , meaning “loved of God” or “loyal to God.”

How did Nicodemus describedJesus?

Rabbi

Teacher of the Law

A man of God

What is a Rabbi?

Rabbi.  A title given by the Jews to the teachers of their law. It was also applied to Christ by his disciples and others ( Matt 23:7–8 ;  John 1:38 ,  49 ). The term  rabbi  means “master” or “teacher” ( John 20:16 ).

John 3:3 NASB95

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

Before Nicodemus can ask a question, Jesus gave him a profound answer.

The problem must be about the Kingdom of God and who can gain entrance to the Kingdom of God.

How can a person see the Kingdom of God? (v.3)

The answer is - by being born again

John 3:4–6 NASB95

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?” 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. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

What does being born again mean?

- born of water and Spirit

To be born again, the Person must be changed by the Holy Spirit

John 3:8 NASB95

“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.”

The New Birth is the work of the Holy Spirit

Titus 3:5 NASB95

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

II. The new birth is a heavenly idea (vv.8-12)

John 3:8–10 NASB95

“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.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?

Even the religious, knowledagble teacher of the Law has difficulty understanding the New Birth

John 3:11–12 NASB95

“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. “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

The teachings of the New Birth (Born Again) is difficult to accept.

First, it was new to them.

Second, they have not seen someone being born again (figurative sense).

III. The new birth comes to those who believe in Jesus (vv. 13-18)

John 3:13–15 NASB95

“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

The Son of Man is the giver of ETERNAL LIFE.

- Whoever believes in Jesus (The Son of Man) will have eternal life (v.15)

- Jesus came from heaven and will return to heaven (v.13)

- Jesus must be lifted up(crucified) (v.14)

Numbers 21:9 “And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”

John 3:16-17 ““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. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

- God’s LOVE is seen in giving His Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for the payment of our sins.

- Faith in Jesus is necessary in receiving eternal life.

Faith in self or in any other object, person, name, religion, cannot save a person.

John 3:18 ““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.”

Believed - is not judged

Not believed - has been judged already

People will spend eternity in hell because of their rejection of Jesus Christ believing that their good work is enough.

People will spend eternity in heaven because of their faith in Christ, believing that their good work is not enough.

IV. The new birth is necessary because man loved darkness and hated the light. (vv.19-20)

John 3:19–20 NASB95

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

Men loved darkness rather than Light

Jer. 13:23

Rom. 3:11

Eph. 2:3-4

V. The Evidence of the New Birth (v.21)

John 3:21 NASB95

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

Those who are born again: Evidence of transformation

they will believe in Jesus

they will love the light more than darkness

they will practice the truth