Tuesday, January 02, 2007
I wish to talk on the next passage in my ongoing talk on John. I have not hit the book since the middle of last month. Not good because I need to focus more on the word and less on hurting others. Well I hope we can just get into the bible and not deal with the things around the Church or what bible we read. I am going to use the Living tonight knowing it is a paraphase. I know that but I like it and it is going to show that it still is the Word of God. I want to review the passage and then make some new points but if I just review I will be glad.
John 3 1-2After dark one night a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees, came for an interview with Jesus. “Sir,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miracles are proof enough of this.”
Nic is a pharisee and he knows Jesus is from God. He was the leader or ruler of the Jewish people. He has been shown that Jesus is from God. I think this is something God and the Holy Spirit has shown not something that Nic figured out for himself. All man is dead and in need of the help of God to even come to Jesus. (romans 3)
It was a dark night so I think he came to see Jesus not wanting his co workers to know he was doing it. It would have been his last day of the job. So he begins this talk. He knows Jesus is something big
3Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.”
4“Born again!” exclaimed Nicodemus. “What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus just comes out without clue and makes the most important statement in the bible. You must be Born again. Wow where did this come from. Note the topic of heaven is not in the talk they are having. I missed it if Nic asked him. He never asked how to go to heaven. Jesus just plops it down and I think Nic did not get it right away.
5Jesus replied, “What I am telling you so earnestly is this: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven; 7so don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again! 8Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit. We do not know on whom he will next bestow this life from heaven.
Jesus now places in front of him the reasons he needs the New Birth. He needs it to enter the kingdom of God. He needs to be born of water and the Spirit. He needs to be cleaned up for his sins. Note another time I can show you this is the work of God. Only God can enter the heart and save a man and it is not his (the mans choice) but it is the work of God. I hit this many times in the last few pages. It is called election. Note we do not know when and who the Life Jesus is talking about is going to infest another person.
9“What do you mean?” Nicodemus asked.
10-11Jesus replied, “You, a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I am telling you what I know and have seen—and yet you won’t believe me. 12But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about such things as these that happen here among men, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? 13For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. 14And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, 15so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. 16For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
Nic ought to of known from the old testament. He knew them and did not line up who Jesus was. I think no one knew until Jesus walked out of the tomb who he was. So Jesus is going to explain this. One key word is believe. Believe in the greek is to entrust or to put trust in. Put trust in is to rely on or give up all hope in himself. Jesus is kind of hitting this over our heads and saying that we need to place our hope into Jesus for all of our hope in heaven.
One note I need to say is that note that Jesus in v 12 the lack of faith or belief in Jesus. He does not think Jesus even saw heaven and that in such a lack of trust. It might be that you think the bible is just some type of tali and if you think that it cannot help you in your finding of God.
John 3 1-2After dark one night a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees, came for an interview with Jesus. “Sir,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miracles are proof enough of this.”
Nic is a pharisee and he knows Jesus is from God. He was the leader or ruler of the Jewish people. He has been shown that Jesus is from God. I think this is something God and the Holy Spirit has shown not something that Nic figured out for himself. All man is dead and in need of the help of God to even come to Jesus. (romans 3)
It was a dark night so I think he came to see Jesus not wanting his co workers to know he was doing it. It would have been his last day of the job. So he begins this talk. He knows Jesus is something big
3Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.”
4“Born again!” exclaimed Nicodemus. “What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus just comes out without clue and makes the most important statement in the bible. You must be Born again. Wow where did this come from. Note the topic of heaven is not in the talk they are having. I missed it if Nic asked him. He never asked how to go to heaven. Jesus just plops it down and I think Nic did not get it right away.
5Jesus replied, “What I am telling you so earnestly is this: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven; 7so don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again! 8Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit. We do not know on whom he will next bestow this life from heaven.
Jesus now places in front of him the reasons he needs the New Birth. He needs it to enter the kingdom of God. He needs to be born of water and the Spirit. He needs to be cleaned up for his sins. Note another time I can show you this is the work of God. Only God can enter the heart and save a man and it is not his (the mans choice) but it is the work of God. I hit this many times in the last few pages. It is called election. Note we do not know when and who the Life Jesus is talking about is going to infest another person.
9“What do you mean?” Nicodemus asked.
10-11Jesus replied, “You, a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I am telling you what I know and have seen—and yet you won’t believe me. 12But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about such things as these that happen here among men, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? 13For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. 14And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, 15so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. 16For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
Nic ought to of known from the old testament. He knew them and did not line up who Jesus was. I think no one knew until Jesus walked out of the tomb who he was. So Jesus is going to explain this. One key word is believe. Believe in the greek is to entrust or to put trust in. Put trust in is to rely on or give up all hope in himself. Jesus is kind of hitting this over our heads and saying that we need to place our hope into Jesus for all of our hope in heaven.
One note I need to say is that note that Jesus in v 12 the lack of faith or belief in Jesus. He does not think Jesus even saw heaven and that in such a lack of trust. It might be that you think the bible is just some type of tali and if you think that it cannot help you in your finding of God.
