John 3:1-15
“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said,
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
“You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
“Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.”
John 3:1-2a
“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said,
Remember: we’re at the beginning of the story - never heard of Nicodemus before
Look at the spectrum this is covering …
Nicodemus - member of the Sanhedrin, respect in the community, able to judge difficult cases, extensive religious training, prided themselves as being the exalted rulers of God’s chosen people, wore special clothing so that they would be easily identified
Jesus - rumored to be conceived out of wedlock, from a simple family, homeless, 12 scruffy disciples of no account or of ill-repute, raised in a town that had either a bad reputation or was undistinguished, no Rabbinical training,
Jesus - performing many miracles
Nicodemus - not so much …
Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus at night?
Did he have genuine spiritual curiosity but wanted to check this Jesus thing out covertly? Trying to avoid the scorn and hostility of his colleagues?
Was he sent by the Sanhedrin on an information gathering mission?
The truth is, we don’t know! If the Bible wanted us to know the Lord would have put it into the Scriptures. So, let’s not waste any more time conjecturing about his motives. The fact is that he came to Jesus at night.
So, what did he say when he got there?
John 3:2b
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus had been performing many great miracles. Even though this meeting with Nicodemus is recounted early in the Gospel of John it is apparent from Nicodemus’ testimony that Jesus has been performing more miracles than are recorded here. Miracles amazing enough and in a large enough quantity that they were attracting the attention of the Sanhedrin ruling council.
Miracles are an affirmation of the Deity of Christ. They couldn’t deny it. The sick being healed, the blind able to see, the deaf could hear, demons were cast out and even the dead were raised.
“No one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Where are the miracles today? Where are the signs that show this world that Jesus is alive and active?
We see some physical healings.
I know that Pastor Karenlee was healed of a condition called Arnold-Chiari Malformation.
I’ve been in a service where the verified broken arm of a farmer’s wife was healed.
I’ve also seen saints of God struggle with illness and injury for many years of their lives, so, where are the miracles now that will bring people to Jesus?
Here are the miracles: Lives are changed!
A miracle occurs when someone comes to Jesus for salvation and:
Gossips stop gossiping and backbiting and become encouragers and prayer partners (a testimony of God’s grace)
Angry people, not people who get angry, but people who live in constant anger find relief (this is usually tied to forgiving the unforgivable - a testimony of God’s grace)
Thieves stop stealing - workers who used to waste time on their jobs now start working as unto the Lord. Productivity goes up. Quality goes up. Sick days go down. Breaks are no longer 5-10 minutes longer than they should be. Attitudes with the boss change. (a testimony of God’s grace)
Chains of generational sin are broken - patterns of sexual and physical abuse that have been passed down from generation to generation are broken (a testimony of God’s grace to all living previous generations and to the children who may have been abused but are now loved instead)
Self-centeredness dies. Rolf Kleinfeld was telling us on Wednesday evening about how the attitude of people in Cambodia is to use other people in any way you can in order to benefit yourself. If you don’t you are considered to be a fool. Recount how a man in a village with a common name was easily identified because he was a follower of Christ and treated his wife and children with love and respect. (a testimony of God’s grace - being a fool for Christ)
Addictions to alcohol and drugs are broken (a testimony of God’s grace)
Your neighbors no longer see you and your wife out in the front yard screaming at each other. Instead they see you holding hands and opening the car door for her as you leave for church on Sunday mornings. (a testimony of God’s grace)
Yes, Jesus is still in the miracle working business! Changing lives, but, back to the Scriptures.
Once again we read.
John 3:2b
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
If Jesus was not from God, or as we know God Himself, He probably would have replied with, “Well … duh!”
Instead, Jesus replies with:
John 3:3
“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”
Now, Jesus had not yet accomplished the work of salvation at this time but He is going to lay out the truth for Nicodemus and we’ll get to the rest of the story next Sunday.
But before we go on to communion let’s just take a brief look at Nicodemus; did he change? Was he ever born again?
When Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin and was accused Nicodemus did not directly defend Jesus but used a legal tactic in order to covertly help Him.
In John 7:51 it says that Nicodemus asked:
“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
And then after Jesus is crucified is about to be buried it says in
John 19:39-40
“(Joseph of Arimathea) was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
“Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.”
Did Nicodemus ever fully believe in Jesus? Was he ever really born again? We don’t know. We certainly hope so. But the better question that each of us needs to ask is, “Am I really born again?”
I know we’re getting ahead of this awesome story that is told in this Scripture passage but have you come to know Jesus as your Savior? Has He transformed your life? Is He the driving passion of your life?
If you have you are welcome to join with us in remembering the great Sacrifice of Christ that made this salvation possible.
Isaiah 53:3-6 (ESV) says it like this:
“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Introduction to Communion
