John 3
What are something’s you are absolutely certain of?
· In Today’s lesson, we will focus on the truth of eternal life and how we can receive assurance and certainty of our salvation!
Turn with me to John 3. In this chapter, John introduces a man who is only mentioned three times in scripture- this character’s name is Nicodemus.
As we walk through the book of John, we see Nicodemus fall into three categories.
Today we will label these categories: The Three “Types of “Christians.”
1.) Type One- Secret Christian
As we begin the story in chapter 3, Nicodemus starts off as a “secret admirer.”
Nicodemus starts off interested and curious about Jesus. He wants to know more about Jesus’s miracles… but he was also member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. This group was made up of:
· Wealthy individuals
· Church officials
· Pharisees
Although Nicodemus was curious, he was not fully convinced or ready to admit this interest- because he was not ready to give up his respected position or reputation. However, as we are about to see in chapter three- Nicodemus was definitely interested in finding out- who this Jesus guy really was.
Can someone please read John 3:1-2
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.”
This introduction is significant because as I said earlier, Nicodemus was a Pharisee- and most of these men did not respect Jesus.
I believe John highlights this to show that not all Jewish leaders were pigheaded and close-minded. Some, like Nicodemus, were curious. However they were scared to seek the truth in fear they may lose their position. This is why John emphasizes: “He came to Jesus at night.”
**One sign of a secret admirer is: they want to follow Jesus, but they don’t want to change anything in their life. **
ASK: Let me ask those of us who are Christians- What has following Jesus cost you? Has it cost you anything?
If the answer is “not really” then we may need to ask: Am I truly following?
Going back to vs. 2 it said- 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.”
There are several contrasts between light and darkness in scripture:
· Jesus is light- Light symbolizes truth and knowledge
· Sin/ life without Jesus is darkness- Darkness symbolizes ignorance and sin
Nicodemus may have been unaware of this, but he was walking away from the darkness (his sin or his religiousness) and that he was heading towards the light- he was walking to see Jesus!
When he arrives, he calls Jesus rabbi- indicating that he was willing to listen and interested in what Christ had to say.
I am assuming that everyone reading this blog is at least interested. Like a secret admirer, you may not be ready to make a bold claim for Christ, but you are at least willing to investigate.
I believe the Lord is always working to catch our interest.
· If we are a believer-
o He wants us to grow and learn more about him
· If you are not a believer and you are not sure about all this-
o God is pursing your heart
o All he wants from you is your interest
If you don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, I am going to ask you to just listen to Nicodemus’s story and ponder these things. It is ok to ask yourself, why is it this important? That is exactly what Nicodemus asked Jesus.
John 3:3- Jesus says: V3- No one can see the kingdom unless they are born again
I will admit, this sounds very strange. How can I be “born again?” what does that mean? Nicodemus also found this to be odd.
John 3:4- “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!”
Can’t you imagine Nicodemus saying this? “How can someone who has already been born and grownup be born again? It is impossible to re-enter you mother’s womb. No wonder my buddies think you are crazy!”
But the English translation makes this a bit confusing, Jesus was not telling us to re-enter our mother’s womb and physically be born again.
The Greek word translated “again” actually has two meanings: it can mean
· “a second time”
· “from above”
The second definition is what Jesus appears to mean in John 3. What He is really saying is: a person must be born from above in order to have eternal life in heaven above.
Lets continue in chapter three and see how Jesus explains this to Nicodemus.
John 3: 5-8- 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.”
Jesus responds and explains- You are not to be physically be born again- but we need to be born from the spirit. This might still sounds odd- how is this possible, or what does that even mean?
Jesus knew that Nicodemus was also confused so he says in vs. 7 - do not be amazed by this “born again” concept or “you should not be surprised.” Some commentaries say this meant- “do not be anxious because you still don’t understand.”
I believe- or “The Laura Commentary” would say- Jesus was telling Nicodemus to stop trying to understand everything and to simply trust Him. Jesus was saying Nicodemus; I don’t want you to be anxious-have patience and trust that I will show you and provide you with everything you need.
There are so many areas of my life that I don’t understand and I can’t see where I am headed or know what I am supposed to be doing. But sometimes God just wants us to rest in the confusion- instead of trying to figure out where we are, just allow him to drive and trust that he will lead us to a destination far better than we expected or had mapped out.
Ephesians 3:20- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
So in verse 7- Jesus is saying hold on Nicodemus, do not be anxious… I am about to explain. And in verse 8, this is what Jesus does- he explains with an analogy.
John 3:8- 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.
We all believe the wind exists correct? Well, have you ever seen the wind? Not what it is capable of doing but the actual wind itself… if we were in an open room with nothing to blow over of shift we wouldn’t see it. But if you were to stand in the middle of that room, you would certainly feel it!
No one would think to deny the existence of the wind just because they cannot see it. Just because you cannot physically see a “spiritual rebirth” or today you cannot physically see Jesus, doesn’t mean they do not exist.
In fact, just like the wind, when you place your faith in Christ you will feel Him and others will see the effects of what you are feeling!
Like many of us, Nicodemus had an unmet spiritual need in his life. Nicodemus was starting to realize that he had spent so much of his life running around with the Pharisees participating in rituals and doctrines that could not save him.
How often do we ourselves do this? Many of us are guilty of partaking in social things that cannot save us, but we can become “religious” and do too many “church” things.
Church socials, bible studies, and small groups are wonderful things, but when we get caught up in too many things, it is easy to rob from our one on one time with the Lord! Those of you who know me well know that I fall victim to this very often.
In John 3, Nicodemus beings to realize WHO you serve is the most important thing. It is not about Rituals but it is about a Relationship!
What I really like about Nicodemus is that he asked questions. He didn’t just suddenly accept what Jesus was saying. He wanted to know more and truly understand. He wasn’t interested in “jumping on the band wagon,” He truly wanted to seek and ask the right questions.
Think about this:
What questions would you ask Jesus if you had a one on one meeting with him today?
Maybe the question you have is “Lord, why should I trust you? The world has all these other things that look good… why should I choose you over the ways of the world?”
John 3: 13-16- 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.” 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.
In verse 14 Jesus refers to Moses. Flip to Numbers 21: 4-9
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
When God’s people sinned and complained, He sent a plague of poisonous snakes. In order for the people to be healed, they were required to be obedient and trust in the Lord’s command. Moses was instructed to build a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Those who had been bitten had to look up in order to be healed. Failure to act in faith results in death.
Likewise, Jesus was lifted up on a cross as God’s way of deliverance from sin. To avoid judgment and punishment for our sins, we too must exercise faith and look upon the one lifted up. Our FAITH is made evident through our OBEDIENCE.
Have you put your faith in Jesus? If not- are you willing to be like Nicodemus and investigate? Isn’t the key to eternity, the key to your place in heaven, worth investigating? If you go looking- the Lord will be willing to reveal Himself!
In scripture, Jesus tells us to believe 5xs, but he tells us to follow over 20xs! Jesus wants us to first believe (investigate like Nicodemus), but then he tells us to FOLLOW Him.
Once you decide to believe, He doesn’t want you to be a secret admirer!
The church is sometimes guilty of treating salvation like an infomercial; “How you would you like to make 1 million dollars from your couch?” “Wouldn’t you like to lose 10 pounds by eating cookies!?”
Similar to these attractive questions, sometimes we hear the church do the same thing.
“How would you like to avoid going to hell?” or “Don’t you want to go to heaven?”
Too often the church puts on a good marketing campaign to get people to “believe.” Don’t get me wrong, this is great! We want people to believe! But the problem is that sometimes we focus too much or too long on this first step and we forget to encourage and teach people how to grow and Follow!
We don’t want a church full of secret agents- we want growth; we want to become full followers of the Lord so that we can reach others! There needs to be evidence of transformation in our spiritual walk!
Is there evidence of change in your life?
Nicodemus understood this, and as we go on through the book of John, there is evidence of his spiritual transformation. The next time we see Nicodemus- he is no longer a secret agent. Turn to John 7.
Transformation: Secret Admirer to FAN
In this chapter, the Sanhedrin is about to take a vote….”Is Jesus truly the messiah?”
John 7: 41-44 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
So we see they are divided and about to take a vote. But before they do, Nicodemus Responds: John 7:50- 53Then Nicodemus spoke up. (Remember him? He was the Jewish leader who came secretly to interview Jesus.) “Is it legal to convict a man before he is even tried?” he asked. They replied, “Are you a wretched Galilean too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophets will come from Galilee!” Then the meeting broke up and everybody went home.
In chapter 7, Nicodemus transforms from a Secret Agent (the first type of Christian) into a FAN for Christ (the second type of Christian).
2.) Type Two- FAN FOR CHRIST
He is still not 100% in, and does not proclaim Christ to be the true Messiah. However, Nicodemus does suggest that maybe Jesus is who he says he is and that they should investigate to find out. He does not claim that they are wrong and Jesus is right, but he claims that they might be wrong and he might be right.
Transformation: Fan to Follower
The third time we hear about Nicodemus, he has made another bold move, this time taking an even bigger stand.
John 19: 38-42 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He 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. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Actually in this chapter, two of Jesus’s fans decide to become bold followers
3.) Type Three- Bold Follower of Christ
Joseph of Arimathea (a secret disciple) and Nicodemus (The man who visited at night) make a public statement by
· First asking to burry Christ’s body
· Second offering 75lbs of Myrrh- which in those days was insanely expensive! This gift Screams, “I AM A FOLLOWER!”
I want to highlight the descriptions John gives these men: Joseph was a secret disciple and Nicodemus was “the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.” John highlights these men to emphasize their transformation.
Every follower at some point walks through this transformation. For Nicodemus, salvation began with an interest and willingness to listen to Jesus. One evening encounter began his transformation.
Jesus wants to have this kind of encounter with you- no matter what category you fall under.
· If you don’t know him, he wants you to become a secret admirer so that you can investigate and begin walking towards the light.
· If you are a believer but still living like a secret agent or a fan, He is calling you- It is time for a transformation- Christ wants you to follow Him!
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