JOHN LESSON 7
We will begin this lesson in John 3:1.
V-1, "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews:"
Nicodemus means victor over the people. Nicodemus was a Pharisee
and a member of the Sanhedrin. He was a very wealthy man, as well.
This is the same Nicodemus who stands up for Jesus against the
Sanhedrin and says, "Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him,
and know what he doeth?", John 7:51. At the time verse 1 occured,
Nicodemus was still sneaking to see Jesus so that the other Pharisees
would not know that He believed Jesus. We will see this in the next
verse because he came by night to see Jesus.
V-2, "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do
these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him."
He came under cover of darkness to keep his associates from
knowing. Rabbi, we have touched on before. It is a honorable name
for teacher or master. Nicodemus knows that Jesus is not like the
priests and religious leaders in the temple. They do not have the
power to heal anyone. He recognizes these miracles as being from God.
This is a good beginning with Nicodemus.
V-3, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God."
This statement made to Nicodemus was not just for him but for
everyone who wants to see the kingdom of God. We know that Verily,
verily means that this is beyond a shadow of a doubt. This statement
to a rational man is very difficult to understand. This is really
speaking of a drastic change that takes place within a person. The
word repent means to turn away from the old life to a new life. This
is what this is saying here. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that to
acquire the Kingdom of God is much deeper than just believing in the
miracles He did. He is telling Nicodemus that this is drastic, like
birth. The change has to be total. You must become a new creature.
Nicodemus is caught up in things that you can figure out with your
mind. He is fully aware of what physical birth is, as you will see in
the next verse.
V-4, "Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is
old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be
born?"
As I said, Nicodemus is thinking in the natural. Many a mother
has interceded for her children and seen them spiritually born again
because of her prayers. In a sense, she has birthed them twice.
V-5, "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God."
Jesus is speaking here of having the old man buried in water
baptism and coming out of the water resurrected to new life in Christ.
If we are buried with Him, we shall also live with Him. We must bury
the old carnal man and rise to the Spirit. Of course, the Spirit is
capitalized and means the Holy Spirit of God. The argument of baptism
could go on for ages. What has to be done which way. I truly believe
it is important to be baptized in water as an outward show to the
world that we are buried with Christ and rise again with Him to new
life. If there has not been a baptism of our heart changing us from
an old flesh creature to a brand new Spirit being, we can be outwardly
baptized forever and it will not mean anything. The transformation
takes place in our heart. The issues of life, good or bad, come from
the heart. We must have God's Spirit within us to live in newness of
life. Verse six tells it all.
V-6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit."
The spirit of a man is what he is. Our flesh or our spirit rules
over us. We cannot serve two masters. Those who live in the flesh
lust after the things of the flesh. The flesh is not in tune with
God. When we are born of the flesh, we are consumed by the lusts for
the things of the world. When we are born of the Spirit, we crucify
our flesh. We no longer live to please the flesh, our desire is to
continually please God. When we are born of the Spirit, our fruit
that we bear will be good ness, righteousness, and truth, as we find
in Ephesians 5:9, "(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth;)" V-10, "Proving that which is acceptable
unto the Lord." The first birth of a person is of the flesh, but the
rebirth which makes us in right standing with God is of the Spirit.
That old earthly man has passed away and we are a brand new creature
in Christ.
V-7, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
Nicodemus was a learned man of the law and all this seems so
strange to him. Jesus tells him not to wonder at it. It is so
simple, just accept it. Jesus makes sure Nicodemus knows what He is
saying because He says it again here, "Ye must be born a gain of the
Spirit to inherit the kingdom".
V-8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
You cannot see the wind or the Spirit. To try to say where the
wind came from or where it is going would be pure presumption. This
is like the new birth in the Spirit. You know it is there, but to
explain how it got there is another thing. God is a Spirit. To be
born in the Spirit then would be to be born into the family of God.
Just as you can see after a wind has gone through and rearranged
leaves etc., the same thing is with the Spirit. It has a way of
rearranging lives. After a winds torm, you see the results. After a
new birth in the Spirit, you see the results, as well. A person's
whole outlook on life changes.
V-9, "Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things
be?"
As we said at the very beginning of this study, Nicodemus was a
logical man. He analyzed everything all the time, but this he could
not understand. He asks Jesus how can it be?
V-10, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of
Israel, and knowest not these things?"
This is not quite a reprimand, but perhaps a caution. Jesus is
telling him, you are a man of the law and you don't know this. It
seems, too, that Nicodemus must have held an important position
because he is called here master of Israel. Nicodemus should have
known more about what the Old Testament Scriptures taught.
V-11, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know,
and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness."
Nicodemus believed the miracles, but he could not turn loose of
his affluent life and become a new creature. He wasn't ready to give
up friends and family (that's why he came to find Jesus at night).
Nicodemus did not really want a total change, just a little bit of
change would be okay. He didn't want to be a new creature with the
old passed away. He liked his old way as master of Israel. We read
earlier how this Light of Jesus would shine in darkness and the
darkness comprehended it not. Jesus is saying, we are giving you our
firsthand knowledge and you don't believe us.
V-12, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how
shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"
Jesus says to Nicodemus here, "The example I gave you was of
earthly things that you are acquainted with, and you do not
understand. What makes you think you would understand heavenly things
of which you know nothing, because you have never seen the m?" The
type of belief spoken of here is called faith.
Notes
JOHN 7 QUESTIONS
1. Who was this ruler of the Jews in verse 1?
2. What was he?
3. What does Nicodemus mean?
4. Who does Nicodemus stand against later to take up for Jesus?
5. What makes us know Nicodemus doesn't want anyone else to know he
came to Jesus?
6. What does he call Jesus?
7. What made Nicodemus believe Jesus came from God?
8. "Except a man be ________________________ ______________
he cannot see the kingdom of God"
9. What does repent mean?
10. What logical question does Nicodemus ask Jesus?
11. "Except a man be born of ____________________________ and of the
____________________________, he cannot enter the kingdom of God"
12. Where does the new birth transformation take place?
13. "That which is born of the ____________________ is ________"
14. "And that which is born of the ________________________ is _____"
15. We cannot serve ________________ masters.
16. What are the desires of fleshly people?
17. Who rules over the spirit?
18. Name three fruits of the Spirit?
19. Where is this Scripture found on the fruit of the Spirit?
20. What did Jesus tell Nicodemus to marvel not at?
21. What can you not tell about the wind?
22. Compare a windstorm to someone who just received the Spirit.
23. In verse 9, what did he ask Jesus?
24. What did Jesus call Nicodemus that would have made you think he
knew more about the Bible?
25. What did Jesus tell Nicodemus he wouldn't understand?
Notes
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