Last time we learned about Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine. We also learned how He cleared the temple of dishonest money changers.
J0hn 3:1-21 – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, a Pharisee named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish council came to Jesus in the night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:1-6)
The Pharisees was a religious group and very stringent about keeping laws and traditions. Since Nicodemus was a part of that group, he probably came to Jesus during the night to conceal his conversation with Jesus out of fear or even embarrassment. He may have wanted to speak to Jesus without the distraction of a large crowd. Remember, you can come to Jesus anytime, day or night without fear. He is always there waiting for you to talk with Him.
Nicodemus came to Jesus because of His signs and wonders. He thought the kingdom of God was coming through these signs. Nicodemus showed respect for Jesus by calling Him Rabbi. Nicodemus asked Jesus several questions, but didn’t seem to understand Jesus’ answers. He should have understood since he knew the Old Testament prophecies, but He needed to be convinced or he wouldn’t have asked so many questions.
Jesus explained it to him first that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Why? Because the Pharisees externalized religion. They were all about the rules and regulations that were seen on the outside. They tried to impress others and God with all the good things they did. When in reality they had sin in their hearts. They were trying to win salvation the wrong way. Jesus’ point was that he didn’t need further instruction in religion and he couldn’t to get to God through good works. He needed to be born again. He needed to see himself as a sinner and get a new life from God. He needed a change of heart. If not, he was spiritually dead and would be condemned for his sin.
If you are not born again, you are separated from God and cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Many people today don’t understand this either. I think it’s because they are blinded by sin, too proud or even too stubborn. We are born physically, but we need to be born spiritually.
What does it really mean to be “born again”? It is a 2nd birth, a supernatural mystery. Your 1st birth was from water by your mother’s womb and you became a child of your parents. To be born again is to be born by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit enters and permanently indwells in each believer. This is a requirement to enter the kingdom of God. You are born again when you believe. Believing is being sorry for your sins and realizing you can never be good enough for God. You have a change of heart. You know you deserve punishment. Jesus suffered that punishment on the cross on your behalf. When you believe in Jesus and have true faith in Him, you become a new person. You become a child of God and are a part of His family. This gives you inheritance in heaven. When you are born of the Spirit, you no longer live to please yourself. You live to please God.
Flesh in verse 6 here refers to human nature and the physical body - to our will, our emotions, our weaknesses, and all that we are. It is subject to weakness and death. Only God can make us spiritually alive. We become a new creation in Christ when we believe in Him. He creates in us new emotions and new attitudes. The Bible calls this “the new self”.
How can you know you have been born again? In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul tells us to examine ourselves. In 1 John 5:13 John tells us we can know we have eternal life. God’s Word gives believers that assurance. Romans 10:9-11 tells us if we declare with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts we will be saved. John 6:29 tells us the only requirement for salvation is faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Galatians 5:22-23 give us a list of qualities of believers who are born again – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t demonstrate these qualities all the times. Remember we are only human and will fall short from time to time.
In John 3:11 Jesus used witnesses to show Nicodemus that His words were true. He used ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. I think He meant Himself, the Holy Spirit, God, John the Baptist, the Old Testament Prophets, and the disciples.
Jesus told Nicodemus that he was Israel’s teacher and he should understand these things. Jesus said just a Moses lifted up the snake, the Son of Man will be lifted up. Remember when the Israelites complained and spoke against God and Moses? The Lord sent venomous snakes to bite the people. They admitted they sinned and asked Moses to pray the snakes would be taken away. The Lord told Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. Then anyone who is bitten can look at it and live. This points to Jesus being lifted up on the cross just as Moses lifted up the snake on the pole.
Principle: Religion can’t save you; to enter God’s eternal kingdom you need the new the birth of the Holy Spirit.
Are you looking for Jesus when it’s safe?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” – John 3:16-18. (This is the first Scripture I learned as a child. I love these verses.)
John 3:16 is the most quoted verse in the Bible. Probably because it is filled with hope knowing God loves us and chose to save us by sending Jesus to us despite our sins. He came to save the lost. If you truly believe, you will put God first in your life. How do you do that? You spent time with Him and you love Him more than anything else.
John 3:36 describes what is true of a person who believes in Jesus. Whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life, but whoever rejects Him will not. They will see God’s wrath.
Someone who does not believe in Jesus is described in these verses:
Jesus didn’t come to judge you. He came to save you from judgment. You have brought judgment on yourself by your evil deeds and you have fallen short of perfection. Jesus doesn’t want to condemn you for that - He’s trying to save you from it.
God is holy and cannot accept us, because we sin. God sent Jesus to the world, because He is a fair God. If we do wrong, we deserve punishment. Jesus suffered our punishment. God’s loves us. That is His nature. Everything He does is because He loves us. He gave us His most precious thing He had - His Son. If there were any other way, don’t you think He would have done it? Then He would have not have had to sacrifice His Son in such a horrible way.
Do you love enough to send your son to die for others? God did. That shows just how much love God has for all of us.
If we accept the gift of His Son, Jesus we will have eternal life. This gift is free. We can’t earn eternal life. The only way to have this free gift is to believe and know that Jesus is God. Believing is more than just knowing Jesus is God. Even Satan knows who Jesus is. We must trust Him, believe His Words in the Bible are true, and obey him.
There will come a time when Jesus will come to judge the world. Our eternal destination will be determined – heaven or hell. We try to make salvation hard, but it is so simple. Believe and trust in Jesus. It includes commitment and obedience. To believe in Him brings peace, joy, and hope. It assures us of eternal life with Him. It doesn’t mean we have to be perfect, because we are not perfect and in this life we will never be. BUT at the judgment believers will NOT be held accountable for their sins. Jesus took our sins away on the cross. THANK YOU, JESUS!
Have you made Jesus your Savior?
Principle: God sent His only Son into the world not for judgment, but for salvation.
John 3:22-36 – John the Baptist’ Testimony
Not only was John the Baptist baptizing, but Jesus’ disciples were baptizing people as well. People seem to be going to Jesus’ disciples for baptism instead of John so John’s disciples were concerned. But John was not envious. He knew God had given him a special job of preparing the way for Jesus to come. He had done his job and he was not jealous, but was happy people were receiving Jesus. (John 3:22-30) John’s position was, “He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30. What a great example of perfect humility.
Are you envious of someone else’s position?
John 3:31-36 emphasizes clearly that God’s Son is superior to everyone. He is above all. Jesus knows what heaven is like and came to tell us the truth about God. John tells us that God loves His Son and has put everything in His hands. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” – John 3:36.
God gave us freedom of choice. We can believe in Jesus and receive eternal life in heaven or we can reject Him and have eternal life in Hell.
What is your choice?
Principle: Your eternal destiny hinges on believing in Jesus.
Next week we will study John 4. Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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