Born Again
John 3:1-15 (ESV)
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 3:1-4 (ESV)
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
John 3:5-8 (ESV)
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Unless you are spiritual born from above you will never enter the kingdom of God, be forgiven, reconciled to God and experience life in His presence. Because it is the Spirit, like the wind, that causes us to be born again! We cannot look to ourselves or anything else to be saved.
John 3:9 (ESV)
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
John 3:10-11 (ESV)
Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
You teach Israel and you don’t understand this! Jesus says the problem is you are not believing reliable testimony about Us!
Unlike these folks – John 1:12 (ESV)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
John 3:12 (ESV)
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Basically Jesus says – I can explain it to you no better. You want to understand, but your unbelief stands in the way.
John 3:13 (ESV)
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
So what is Jesus next step with this unbeliever? What would be yours? “Come back when you are ready to believe!”
In verse 13, Jesus says you are not getting to Heaven without me!
Now Jesus transitions from talking about how to HIM! What a great example to us!
He begins to state that He, the Son of Man, is the means to be Born Again!
John 14:6 (ESV)
Jesus said to him (Thomas), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Now Jesus is talking about His, the Son of Man’s, mission – John 10:10. And Jesus is about to tell Nicodemus HOW to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! What He came to do! He is going to answer Nicodemus’ question from vs. 4!
Jesus explains to Nicodemus that in order to be Born Again your sin must first be dealt with and that is what I came to do!
John 3:36 (ESV)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Then Jesus, references the scriptures, and grabs the most obscure passage to perfectly explain HIMSELF to a Pharisee!
John 3:14-15 (ESV)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Numbers 21:4-9 (ESV)
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us (is the serpents the problem? What do they really need the Lord to take away – their ungrateful hearts).” So Moses prayed for the people (so should we). 8 And the LORD said to Moses (let’s point to Jesus), “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten (how many are bitten by the curse of the fall – poisoned? Without divine intervention they will die), when he sees it (Jesus), shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a (wooden) pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
The curse is a consequence of our sin – it is divine punishment for disobedience – ungratefulness, complaining and rebellion. Then God alone provides the means for their rescue/salvation.
God rescues them from the curse with a picture of the curse!
It is interesting that all they have to do is look at His provision hanging on a wooden stake /pole.
Everything in the Old covenant was pointing to Jesus. Isn’t awesome that Jesus knows Nicodemus’s heart and speaks his language to reach him. SO SHOULD WE!
John 3:14-15 (ESV)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 9:35-37 (ESV)
Jesus heard that they had cast him (the healed blind man) out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
Who is the Son of Man lifted up?
What do we glean from Jesus’ conversation with Nico?
- Look to Jesus the only means for our salvation – Jesus is our sole source for healing and from the poison of sin.
- Jesus is the means to eternal Life!
- Moses lifted up the bronze snake, who lifted up Jesus?
Read vs. 21-30 – John 8:28 (ESV)
So Jesus said to them(Pharisees), “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
- In the desert God saves them by means of a snake, at Calvary God saves us by means of His Son.
- Jesus was made to be sin and a curse for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he (the Father) made him (the Son) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Galatians 3:13 (ESV)
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
- “That whoever believes in Him may have Eternal Life”
- When God’s just wrath is removed we are reconciled to Him.
- Jesus told Nicodemus to look upon Him crucified for his sins.
John 1:14-16 (ESV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
Close in Prayer