Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
The Necessity of Spiritual Birth John 3: 1 -21 • What does it mean to be “born again” • Webster: “taking a new, different, and more religious course” • Jesus has already had extensive ministry: Baptized, tempted, cleansed the Temple, many
Nicodemus John 3: 1 -2 • Nicodemus respectfully addresses Jesus as “Rabbi, ” meaning “teacher. ” • Nicodemus was a Pharisee who was a member of the Sanhedrin • Pharisees were an extremely devout & proud group, meticulous at trying to keep the
Nicodemus John 3: 1 -2 • Nicodemus came at night. ➢To avoid being seen? ➢To talk without being interrupted?
You Must Be Born Again John 3: 3 -9 • “Born again” is similar to a common Jewish simile of describing things as being as a new born. ➢Getting Married ➢Becoming king ➢Repentant proselytes
You Must Be Born Again John 3: 3 -9 • Jesus says you must be “born again, ” not you must “become like a new born. ” • Nicodemus sees this as something that is impossible • Jesus explanation (vs. 4 -5) causes Nicodemus to continue to wonder
You Must Be Born Again John 3: 3 -9 • “Born of water” is related to Jewish cleansing rites (Leviticus 11: 32; 14: 8, 9; 15: 13, 17: 15; Numbers 19: 12) • Cleansing is the desire of the repentant man (Psalm 51: 2; Ezekiel 36: 25, 26) • Proselyte baptism was a sign of
You Must Be Born Again John 3: 3 -9 • Jesus’ reference is to the baptism of repentance which both He and John performed. (That is the near context) • Ceremonial water baptism without repentance just makes sinners wet. • Repentance alone is not enough
You Must Be Born Again John 3: 3 -9 • pneuma (pneuma) = “Spirit” or “wind. ” • Both go where they will & are known only by their effects • You cannot earn your way to heaven or gain God’s favor by keeping some set of laws and regulations
How Can One Be Born Again? John 3: 10 -15 • Nicodemus should have understood and believed the teaching of Jesus • If did not believe the earthly things, how could he believe heavenly things? • Spiritual birth & heart change was an Old Testament teaching
How Can One Be Born Again? John 3: 10 -15 • Only someone who has come from heaven could explain its mysteries • Only the Son of Man, Jesus, fits the description. • “Son of Man” is a messianic title
How Can One Be Born Again? John 3: 10 -15 • Numbers 21: 4 -9 - the story of the fiery serpents & the Bronze serpent being lifted up by Moses • Healing only occurred if they believed God and obeyed His command to look upon the bronze serpent
How Can One Be Born Again? John 3: 10 -15 • Professed belief without corresponding action leaves you dead • Those who believe in the Son of Man will have eternal life, those that do not will die in their sins.
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • The conjunction, “for, ” gives us the cause for God’s plan of redemption which is His great love • The adverb, “so, ” magnifies the immensity of that love - God gave • The verb tense of “love” views all the actions of God’s love as
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • A person is born again through the unbounded, overflowing love of God • The great philosophical question is the existence of love and moral good, not the origin of evil.
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • The object of God’s love is the world, (kosmo. V /cosmos), refers to all mankind • God loved us even when we were sinners (Romans 5: 8) • agaph (agape) love chooses and gives of itself sacrificially for the best benefit of the other
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • The greatness of God’s love is demonstrated by what was given, His only begotten Son. • “Only begotten Son” is a Messianic reference (Isaiah 9: 6, 7)
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • The Son is also ➢The Creator (Colossians 1: 16) ➢Eternal (Colossians 1: 17) ➢Omniscient (John 2: 24; 16: 30) ➢Omnipotent (Matthew 28: 18) ➢Object of worship (Matt. 28: 9; Rev. 5: 8) ➢He reveals the Father (John 14: 9)
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • The Son is given in keeping with vs. 14 • The benefit is eternal life. • “Perish” is a contrast to eternal life, it is not annihilation. • The offer is universal for it is to “whoever believes in Him. ”
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • It is man’s sinful nature which refuses to repent, not God’s sovereign election, that keeps men from salvation. • Belief is not intellectual assent, but an active faith that trusts • If you believe in Jesus, you will follow Him and do what He says
God’s Great Love John 3: 16 -17 • "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. ” – vs. 17
God’s Judgement John 3: 18 -21 • Those who believe are not judged (Romans 8: 1). • Those who do not believe are already judged • People will not believe and come to the light because they love their sin & prefer darkness
God’s Judgement John 3: 18 -21 • We don’t want God to be fair. We want Him to be loving, merciful and gracious. • Those who believe practice the truth and come to the light
Conclusions • Are you under God’s judgement or His mercy & grace? • You either have the Son & life, or you don’t – 1 John 5: 12 • To be born again you must repent and seek God by faith (Hebrews 11: 6; Deuteronomy 4: 29)
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
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