Born Again
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Hebrews. Nicodemus was a teacher of the law.
John 3:2 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 inquired of Jesus secretly, coming in the night. He acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher from God, because of the miracles. Others were impressed with his teachings too.
Mat 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
John 3:3 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.
Jesus gets right to the point with Nicodemus. He knew he was looking for answers, Jesus gives him the answer right away. Ye must be born again or you can't see the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus was of the most prominent and respected religious leaders, but that was not enough.
John 3:4 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?
He hears with natural ears, thinking in terms of a natural birth. Jesus is speaking in spiritual terms. God is spirit.
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The Pharisee is looking for answers, yet the answer is spiritual.
John 3:5 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.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Except you be born of water, in the flesh and in the Sprit of God, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Men are born of flesh of this earth. They are not born in heaven, only Jesus was Spirit from heaven before he was flesh. We are flesh first needing to be born of the Spirit.
Some think that born of water means the baptism of repentance. John baptized for repentance and to prepare hearts to receive the Messiah. The Pharisees thought they did not need to repent.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
John 3:8 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.
Born of the Spirit is as mysterious as the wind. It either is or it is not. Wind, the Greek word, pneumos, is the word for Spirit, the Spirit is as the wind.
John 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
John 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Nicodemus had no idea what Jesus was speaking of. Jesus, was sounding as the schoolteacher correcting his student for his lack of understanding. You are a master teacher of Israel, yet you cannot discern these truths of God.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
He received not their testimony. Verily, verily, listen carefully. We speak, Jesus and John the Baptist. What was the message? Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. The Pharisees did not come to be baptized, nor did they repent.
We testify what we have seen, they heard from the father his words. John a prophet, was of speaking repentance and to the need to prepare our heart for who was to come. He heard from God and spoke His message. Jesus only spoke what he heard from the Father. We testify of that which we have seen. John testified, behold the Lamb of God, using the eyes of the Spirit, for he never saw Jesus. Jesus was with God as the living Word, and saw many things, but spoke only what was given him to speak, as Jesus the son of man. He spoke the word of God and did the miracles by God's power.
John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Faith starts with believing what is revealed. Nicodemus saw the earthly witness of Jesus and John, had he not yet understood? Then how will he understand spiritual things? Let me apply this to our day. If we cannot read and understand God's word, then how will you know spiritual things? Understand what is written, for the scriptures speak of the Messiah.
Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Only one who came from heaven, has ascended to heaven and is in heaven, even the Son of man. That should have caused Nicodemus to wonder even more. Jesus is one with the Father, in spirit he came, in spirit he abides with the Father, even now as we do. He from heaven, we from the earth, connected by God's Holy Spirit. We receive him at salvation, Jesus had God's Spirit from birth who came as a witness to John at Jesus' baptism. We are in Christ, and he is with God in heavenly places.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
God sent serpents to bite his rebellious and disobedient people. The wrath of God was upon them and all who are rebellious and separated from God. But God provided a way of being saved from his wrath.
Num 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Anyone bitten by the serpent, satan, shall live, if they look upon He that is lifted up. Jesus died on the cross to heal us and to give us life. He is God's salvation to us who believe on him. Through Jesus we are no longer in God's wrath, with a sentence of death and hell.
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Jesus explains the foremost reason for him being lifted up, on the cross and by us who praise him; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Who are the whosoevers? They are those who God has brought to Jesus through the conviction of His Holy Spirit.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I believe this his is the cornerstone verse of the entire Bible. The verse of hope and redemption, the promise of everlasting life. There is not a time when leading a person to Jesus, that this verse is not quoted by me. These are prophetic words by the living Word, the eternal Son of God. Jesus, who came into a man to fulfill the requirements of the law and to meet the requirements of a holy and just God for the removal of our sins and the promise of everlasting life. It is through faith, through believing in Jesus, that we are saved from sins punishment. He who shed His righteous blood in our place, gave us new life and new hope, by his grace we are saved.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Jesus did it all. We could not keep the laws, nor can we enter heaven by any other means; whether by organized religion, or the thoughts of angels or man. No other way will meet the requirements of God's justice. Nothing else, but the shedding of the pure, righteous and innocent blood of the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He came to save the people in the world who were lost and going to hell. As we witness, we must remember this, Jesus came to save the lost, not to condemn them. We are to offer hope to all people. Where there is life there is hope. When this life is over, then we reap our choice from a God of perfect justice. No sin is allowed in heaven, Jesus came to remove all of our sins, through faith in him.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
It couldn't be clearer. There is no gray in this, no maybes, or what ifs? It is through believing in Jesus that we receive everlasting life. Any other choice leads to condemnation.
Luke 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
The Holy Spirit reproves people of their sins. If we repent and seek God through Jesus, the darkness will be removed from us. The law is to show us our sins. The law, the word of God and the Holy Spirit are available now to bring you to the light of salvation.
John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Titus 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Phil 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Phil 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Phil 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Phil 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Our good works begin after believing in Jesus. He is the door to heaven, we must go through Jesus. Repent, ask for forgiveness, receive the Holy Spirit, learn of him, study his word, pray and walk in his will. This is the way of righteousness. Then all we do is through the power of God, not our own works. It is He that works through us.
The story of Nicodemus, gives us a look at how Jesus himself witnessed to a man who had everything, yet was not good enough to receive the kingdom of God. That which was lacking was repentance, turning from sin and knowledge of the sin remover, Jesus Christ. Through God's revelation, we come to him and are born again of the spirit. John the prophet, baptized with water. The baptism of Jesus was spiritual.
Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
Ye must be born again of the Spirit.
He Must Increase
John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
The land of Judea, the area that included Jerusalem.
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Jesus baptized, as John in the water, but the apostles did the baptizing. As John preached repentance, so did Jesus. Repentance is required before coming to the way God had provided. Jesus is the way.
John 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
John 3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
John baptized by complete immersion. John was not yet in prison, the other gospels came before this gospel, so John is clarifying this point in time. There was time when both John and the disciples of Jesus were both doing the same work of baptism. When Jesus gave his great commission before he left, he also gave them a command to baptize is his name. Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit had not yet occurred.
John was baptizing as sent from God and so were the disciples of Jesus. This was the message of the hour: repent: for the kingdom of God is at hand.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
Questions and contentions, perhaps jealousy as to the authority to baptize.
John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
This one who you baptized, and bare witness to, he is baptizing too. He is seemingly drawing more men to himself.
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
God gives, and God blesses whom he will.Paul knew that it was God who gives the increase.
1 Cor 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Those who desire truth, shall be drawn to Jesus.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
John 3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
Luke 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Luke 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
The work of the best man is to bring the bride to the bridegroom. The church or in this case, spiritual Israel, came to Jesus as the bride of Christ. This brought the best man, John the Baptist, much joy.
Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
No minister should make converts unto himself. When the ministry is known more than the Lord Jesus Christ, it is wrong. No personality should be followed, but the Lord. He is to be honered. Jesus spoke of being lifted up.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The words from Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ.
Phil 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
Phil 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1 Cor 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1 Cor 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1 Cor 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1 Cor 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
John 3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
John 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
John 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
This is as true today as the day this was spoken. There is no other name that will save you from you sins, than the name of Jesus. There is no new way, no new gospel, no new truth, but the truth of God that came in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. He must increase, all else must decrease.
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