We're going to be in John chapter
3 tonight, the Gospel of John chapter 3. We've been studying
1 Corinthians 15, and now I'm going to go to John chapter 3.
We have actually covered this in our sermons, but not recently,
and I thought it would be good to go through it in a Bible study
setting. It's fundamental, key, teaching
of scripture in John chapter three, and it's a very great
blessing to read it and to study it. So I want to look at that
together with you all. All right, turning to John chapter
three, I hope you're there. I want to read through this with
you. We're going to read through it, and I'm going to make some
notes as we read through it, and then we'll look at our handout
together. You probably have read this chapter before. We're only
going to read through the first 21 verses, but it's so frequently
referred to Not in total, but especially verse 16 is referred
to, probably the most referred to verse in all of the professed
religions of our day. 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. So we want to look at that
verse, but we can't really understand that verse until we understand
the context. We're going to see here from
the context of John chapter 3. that the way in which God teaches
us here in John 3 is the same way He's teaching us everywhere
in Scripture. The same principles are being brought to light here.
So we wanna see those principles. And when we see those principles,
we're going to be reassured that what we understand of the gospel
is true because we're hearing it, the same thing, the same
truth in a different place, in a different way, by the same
Lord, our God and Savior. So in John chapter three, we
want to understand this chapter because here we have a one-on-one
meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ and a man who needed salvation. And here the Lord tells that
man what is required for him to enter the kingdom of God.
So let's just begin. Verse one, chapter three. There
was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. So everything in scripture is
significant. The man, that the fact that it
was this man whose name was Nicodemus, that he was a Pharisee, and that
he was a ruler, and he was a ruler of the Jews, all those things
are significant. So don't let anything slip by.
But I'm going to pause here. I'm not going to pause here and
talk about each of those things right now. I want to just mention
that these are all significant. They all fit. They're all necessary
to understand the whole context, at least to understand it completely.
In verse two it says, the same, the same man, came to Jesus by
night. It's significant again that he
came by night. You might wonder why did he come
at night? Was he sneaking his way in so he wouldn't be seen
by the rest of his Pharisee friends? Perhaps it was. I think that's
most likely the reason. Perhaps he just wanted to have
a one-on-one conversation with Jesus and this was the only time
he could catch him. Whatever it was, I think the
Spirit of God has put it there, not only to reflect His intent,
but also His condition. It was night, it was dark, and
so He came in that. Again, I don't want to stop here
and zero in on that. What I want to point out here
is that in this chapter, what we're going
to see is, and this is common throughout Scripture, first of
all, understand that this is a historical thing. There really
was a man named Nicodemus. He really was a Pharisee. He
really was a ruler of the Jews. And he really did come to Jesus
by night. And the Lord Jesus Christ really
is the Son of God. And he really stood on the earth
and talked to this man at night, one on one. At least, there's
no mention of other people being there. In any case, this physical,
actual, historical event is brought to bear here in a way that teaches
us things that are outside and beyond just the physical meeting
of these two men, of Nicodemus and the Lord Jesus Christ. And
so this is the way scripture is written. You'll read a historical
account But there's a meaning in that account that extends
outside and beyond the account itself. God designed history,
and God recorded only those aspects of history he wanted to bring
his truth to bear through those things. And so when we read this,
we're going to see that. But the words of Jesus are significant
here because he is going to unfold to us the very truth of heaven,
the truth no man can know unless it's revealed from heaven. So
it says, this man was at night, comes to Jesus at night, he's
in the dark in his soul, and he comes to him and he says to
him, Rabbi. A rabbi was a salutation, it
was a way of greeting people in order to acknowledge their
title or their place as a teacher, a master. And so he addresses
him as a master, as a rabbi, a teacher, which he also claimed
to be. He was a ruler of the Jews. In
fact, if you look over in verse 10, Jesus said to him, are you
a master of Israel? So Nicodemus himself was a master. So when Nicodemus said to Jesus,
rabbi, was it a way of addressing someone with respect? Well, in
a sense it was, but it was no more respect than Nicodemus gave
to himself. So Nicodemus kind of has a low
opinion of Christ here, doesn't he? I mean, maybe he had some
things that Nicodemus acknowledged he knew he could do that Nicodemus
himself couldn't do and didn't know. But he comes to him and
addresses him with this title, acknowledging that Jesus himself
is a rabbi like he is. And then he goes on, he says,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God. So now Nicodemus
is saying, we know some things about you, you're a teacher.
And he gives him this credit, you are come from God. And here's
why we think that, for no man can do these things, these miracles
that thou doest, except God be with him. So in the way that
Nicodemus opens the conversation, he's not coming as a man truly
in a great need. He's coming to one whom he addresses
as a peer, as an equal, perhaps a little more equal, but nevertheless
not too much more equal. And so he's coming to him this
way. And he doesn't ask him a question, really. He just says what we
know. what we know. That's the wrong way to come
to the Lord Jesus Christ. We know about you. No, it's much
better to come, I need to know. Teach me so I can learn. But
he doesn't come that way. And this already starts us out
with an introduction to Nicodemus to help us understand the whole
context here. Because two things are really
emphasized in this chapter. If you see what happens here
next, you're going to see that two things are done, and they're
both done with the same truth. First, the Lord Jesus Christ
is going to bring this man down, down, down, down, and further
down. That's significant. This man
comes to Jesus, addressing him with all of his recognition as
a man. His name is Nicodemus. He's of
this sect called the Pharisees. And he's a ruler in the nation
of the Jews, the people of the Jews. And he addresses Jesus
as a rabbi, acknowledges that he's a teacher. He says, this
is what we know about you. You must have come from God,
because no man can do these miracles except God be with him. But at
that point, the whole conversation takes Nicodemus into a head dive
down to the ground. He brings, the Lord Jesus brings
him down. So that's the first thing. Christ brings this man
down. And the second thing is, is that
the way he does that, the way the Lord Jesus does that, he
reveals, he exposes to Nicodemus who he is, who Nicodemus is,
as a man without Christ, apart from Christ. And then he tells
him what he needs and that what he needs is from God and can
only come from God. So here he is being brought down
through this conversation. I'm giving this to you as an
overview. And he's being brought down in himself and Christ is
pointing him to the fact that he can only enter the kingdom
of God if God does something. And then the Lord Jesus starts
talking about himself. When Nicodemus finally comes
to the realization, how can these things be? And he admits freely,
I don't know what you're talking about. So you see this, the way
that this is brought out here is that what God does, the Lord
Jesus himself does to Nicodemus through his conversation with
him here. first bringing him down, then
telling him his only way to enter the kingdom of God, which is
the kingdom of heaven, is what God has to do, and then bringing
Nicodemus further down, and then pointing him to himself, this
is the way God saves. This is the way God saves. The
pattern is always the same. Men are brought low, God is exalted,
Christ is pointed to, and the Spirit of God blesses that message.
So let me say it again. Men are brought down, God is
exalted, Christ is pointed to. This is the way God is exalted.
His power to save in Christ and then the Spirit of God blesses
that message. That's the gospel. Men are brought
low in order that in their low condition, in the in the extreme
distress of their souls, they see their need, and yet they
find they can't do anything, they're helpless to meet that
need, they're left in the hand and at the mercy of God, and
God points them to the Lord Jesus Christ, and that His salvation
is in Him alone, and the Spirit of God blesses that message and
gives us life and faith. Now, in all that I've said, what
part did Nicodemus do in this? Where in this chapter, after
we read through this, I want you to ask this question, where
in this chapter does Nicodemus do anything in his salvation? He doesn't. There's nothing that
Nicodemus does. It's all about what he is as
a sinner. and what he does not know, and
what he cannot do. And then it's all about what
the Spirit of God must do, and what Christ has done, and what
God the Father has done. So it's the triune God, God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, saving a man
by the love and the will of the Father, by the work of the Son,
and by the operations of the Spirit of God. So I'm giving
you this as an overview. As we read through this, I hope
that you can see this. And I'm going to point these things out.
How first, Nicodemus comes in his pride, in himself proud,
and then the Lord Jesus Christ brings him down, makes him realize
he's helpless, and then he even admits it. How can these things
be? And then the Lord Jesus not only brings him down further,
but he points him to himself, and the Spirit of God blesses
this message. This is the way God saves. is think about it.
Let me read to you, for example, from Psalm 107. Psalm 107, it's
almost like one of those things, as soon as you say Psalm 107,
you know exactly what it's about. If you've ever read this chapter,
I remember the first time I ever heard this chapter read, it intrigued
me. I was in my 20s, I think, or
maybe just before 20, and I was amazed by this chapter, the repetitive
nature of what you read here. But look at Psalm 107. In verse
17, I want to read just this one excerpt. The pattern is the
same in Psalm 107 as we find it in John chapter 3. And I'm
just using this as an example of how God saves us. And when
I say how God saves us, I don't mean just how He saves us in
our initial conversion. And this is something else we
often, we're mistaken about. God works in us, He works in
our lives in the same pattern as He worked first in us when
He first saved us. He brings us down. He shows us
our utter weakness, our utter dependency on His work and points
us to Christ so that we will find all of our salvation only
in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God blesses that
message and gives us faith when we hear it. That's the way God
works. So Psalm 107 captures this in verse 17. Fools, because
of their transgressions and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. I remember we were in our sermon
on Sunday from Titus chapter 3, we read Isaiah, I think it
was then, we read Isaiah chapter 1. From the sole of your foot
to the crown of your head, there's no soundness in it. but only
wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. That's what we are by
nature. Outside of Christ, by nature, what are we? Fools, because
of transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
By God's mercy, He afflicts them. He brings upon them consequences,
and the operations of His Spirit bring those consequences into
our mind and on our conscience, and by God's grace, He will bless
that. So we're afflicted because of our transgressions and our
iniquities. Iniquities mean we go out of the way. All we, like
sheep, have gone astray. But the Lord has laid on Him
the iniquities of us. So this is what iniquities are.
It's turning out of the way. And transgressions are breaking
God's law. So we're fools because of that. And we're afflicted.
Look at verse 18. Their soul abhorreth all manner
of meat. And they draw near to the gates
of death in their affliction. I can't even eat. I don't feel
like eating. And their soul draws near to the gates of death. And
what happens in their affliction? What do they do? They cry to
the Lord. Why do they cry? Because they
were afflicted. Why were they afflicted? Because
of their sin. This is God's mercy. We're going
to find out. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and
He saves them out of their distresses. He sent His Word, notice, He
sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from their
destructions. They would have been destroyed
But God sent His word and healed them. This is the gospel coming
to us. The gospel comes to us, humbles
us, tells us we're helpless, God has to do it, points us to
Christ, God blesses that message, and He heals us. Verse 21. This
is the result, oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness
and for His wonderful works to the children of men. This is
the story of salvation. Now look at the last verse of
the psalm, verse 43. Whoever is wise and will observe
these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness
of the Lord." You see that? So, how do we understand the
loving kindness of the Lord? When we recognize how He saves
us. We're foolish, we sin against God, and God brings, by His mercy,
He brings afflictions that cause us to whore everything And we
cry out to the Lord in our afflictions. He saves us. He sends his word. He heals us. He delivers us.
And then he says, oh, that man would praise the Lord for his
goodness. So that's what we're going to see here in John chapter
3. And also look over at John chapter 19. John chapter 19 in
verse 39. In verse 38, after Jesus died, After he hung on the cross and
died, then this man, Joseph, came to Pilate and wanted to
get his body so that he could properly bury him, according
to the will of God, of course. It was the Lord that moved him.
Joseph of Arimathea. It says, John chapter 19, verse
38. It says, after this, after he was crucified and after he
died, the soldier came and pierced his side, in verse 37. which
proved that he was really dead. In verse 38, John 19, 38 says,
and after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, see,
but secretly for fear of the Jews, he begged or besought Pilate
that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate gave him
leave. He came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there
came also, who? Nicodemus, which at the first
came to Jesus by night, and he brought, Nicodemus brought, a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. And then
took they, both of them, took the body of Jesus and wound it
in linen clothes with spices, as the manner of Jews is to bury.
And so they did honor to the Lord Jesus in his death, didn't
they? They buried him. They anointed his body with all
these things as they did then. And so Nicodemus and Joseph of
Arimathea were disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here in
John chapter 3, before Nicodemus is a disciple of Christ, we're
going to see how God saves him. So that's what I want to look
at here. Let's read this chapter now together. The first 21 verses,
there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews. The same came to Jesus by night
and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come
from God. You really don't know, but we're going to give you the
benefit of the doubt here. "'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.'" Now he's really condemning himself
by saying this, because I'm gonna show you how. Look over at verse
11, same chapter. He says, Jesus says to him, "'Verily,
verily, I say to thee, "'we speak,' Jesus talking about himself,
"'we speak that we do know.'" We're telling you what we do
know. and we testify that we have seen, and you received not
our witness." What did Nicodemus do when he heard what Christ
had said? He rejected it. But over here in verse 2, Nicodemus
says, we know you're a teacher come from God. So what is he
doing here? He's misrepresenting the facts,
isn't he? If you really know that he's
a teacher sent from God, why did you reject his word? So again,
this is just another nail in his coffin. It's showing that
Nicodemus was in unbelief. He did not believe what Jesus
said when Jesus referred to that in verse 11. In fact, in verse
12, notice, if I told you earthly things and you believe not, So
he didn't believe, did he? We just didn't lose sound because
I jerked this. So Nicodemus is an unbeliever. He did not believe
Jesus' words, even though the Lord Jesus Christ knew what he
was talking about, obviously. Okay, but Nicodemus claims that
he was a teacher sent from God, so he condemns himself with his
own words, doesn't he, in verse two. So this shows us something
about Nicodemus. Now let me refer to these things
said in verse one here before we move on so we can see how
this builds up, how the argument against Nicodemus builds up,
and this is the way God brings him down. So he was a man of
the Pharisees. Now, the Pharisees was the most
strict sect of the Jews' religion, which means that Nicodemus was
the most religious man that men could find. If you ask a man,
who's the most religious of all? Well, it's the Pharisees. So
Nicodemus was the most religious of men. And then notice, he was
named Nicodemus. The name Nicodemus means victory
or victor. Nicodemus comes kind of arrogant,
like a victor. But what's going to happen in
this chapter? Christ is going to get the victory. In all things,
the Lord Jesus Christ is going to have the victory. And the
victory Christ has is his victory over Nicodemus. And in that victory,
he's going to give that victory to Nicodemus so that his name
is prophetic. And it's also a revelation of
who he is in his natural condition. He thinks himself to be a victor,
but he's not. He's a loser. But he's going
to become a victor. in the Lord Jesus Christ. But
first, Christ has to have the victory over him. So I see those
things here. And secondly, it says here he
is a ruler, a ruler of the Jews. In other words, he had authority
in that people, that nation. The people of Israel outwardly
were the chosen people of God. Look at Romans chapter 9. In Romans 9, It says this in verse
one, I gotta get there. Paul says about the Jews, he
says, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness
and continual sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself
were cursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according
to the flesh. In other words, the Jews. Now
listen to what Paul says about the Jews, who are Israelites,
to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises,
who are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ
came, who is over all God, blessed forever. So the Jews were these
people. God gave them these things. They were called Israelites.
They had the adoption, they had the glory, they had the covenants,
the giving to the law and the service of God and the promises.
You would think of all people, this was the people of God. But
it was actually in Romans chapter 9, he says, no, but they're not
all Israel, which are of Israel. In other words, not everybody
born to Abraham physically is born to God. Not all those who
were blessed with, not all born to Abraham are blessed with Abraham. All these things that he mentions
in Romans 9 is just an outward blessing, a physical blessing.
So back to John chapter 3, when it says that he was a ruler of
the Jews, it shows that Nicodemus was in a position, like a political
position, in the nation of the Jews, and he thought that nation
was the kingdom of God. He really did. He thought that
the nation, I mean, they had kings, David, King David, you
could go down the list, you know, lots of kings, kept track of
them too. So this man was a ruler in the nation which was self-professed
to be the kingdom of God. He was in the strictest sect
of the most religious people in that nation. His name was
Nicodemus, which meant victory. And all these things shows us
what he thought of himself and what men thought of him. Why
did God choose to bring this man to Jesus by night? Because
he represents the best that men are among men. Among men, Nicodemus
would have been considered the very best of men, the best specimen
of a religious man. He's a ruler in the kingdom of
God. He holds a high position, most respected. He's a victorious
man. What can we find bad about him?
He's in the chosen nation of God. All right, now, given all
that as background, see how far this man has to fall. Verse three. After he says, we know you're
a ruler, a teacher come from God, Nicodemus says, because
no one can do the miracles you do except God be with him. Look
at verse three. Jesus almost pulls the rug right
out from under him. He doesn't even dress him in
the way that Nicodemus was talking to him. He says, Jesus answered
him and said, verily, verily, I say unto thee, He speaks with
such authority here. Remember how Jesus spoke about,
in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, you've heard how it was
said of old time, this, that, and the other, but what did He
say? But I say unto you, because He was the King. He was God's
prophet. He was the truth, the way, the
truth, and the life. He was the Lord of glory, the
King of glory. And so he said, I say unto you,
and here's what he says to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. So what does that mean about
Nicodemus? Could he see the kingdom of God before Jesus said this? No, he was blind. That's a pretty hard slap in
the face, isn't it? You can't see the kingdom of
God unless you're born again. That means I gotta be born again,
right? That means that something's gonna happen. I gotta be born
a second time. Notice what happens next. In other words, Nicodemus, you're
blind to the kingdom of God. All the things about God, you
are blind to it. but I'm a master of Israel, I'm
a rabbi, I'm a man of affairs, I'm a ruler of the Jews. No,
you can't even see the kingdom of God unless you're born again. And I'll read it to you this
way in 1 Corinthians, I think it's, is it 1? 2 Corinthians
2, let me read this to you. from 2 Corinthians 2, this is
true of all of us by nature. See, when we look at Nicodemus,
we're looking at the best that we could be in ourselves naturally,
by nature. He says in, it is 1 Corinthians
2, 1 Corinthians 2, he says this, Verse seven, I'm sorry, verse
six, he says, how be it we speak the wisdom among them that are
perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes
of this world that come to nothing, but we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before
the world unto our glory. And what wisdom is that? It's
the wisdom of God revealed in the gospel, which none of the
princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of Glory. But as it is written,
eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that
love Him. But God has revealed them to us, how? By His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things
of a man, say the Spirit of man which is in him? If I ask you,
about yourself, if you told me, I would know it. But if you didn't,
I couldn't figure it out. You have to reveal yourself to
me, right? And so God is the same way. God's
spirit has to reveal himself to us. So he says, even so, the
things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. Now, we
have received, we who are believers, have received not the spirit
of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God. Verse 14
says, but the natural man does not receive the things of the
spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them,
because they're spiritually discerned. Now, look at that, think about
that, and look back at John chapter 3. He says, I, he says, except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. So Nicodemus,
you're completely in the dark. You don't know yourself, you
don't know God, you don't know Christ, and you don't know his
salvation. You're outside. Well, he didn't say that yet,
but you're basically blind. And verse 4. Nicodemus, like
a blind man stumbling in the dark, he says this, how can a
man be born when he's old? Can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb and be born? Notice how Nicodemus is asking
about the same thing happening twice. Have you ever heard someone
say the definition of insanity is to try to do the same thing
and expect different results? That's kind of what Nicodemus
is doing here. Let's see, I was born to my mom, and you're saying
I can't see unless I'm born again, so maybe I gotta be born to my
mom again? No, that's being born physically twice. That's not
what Jesus is talking about here. And he says so in verse five.
Jesus answered, verily, verily I say to thee, Now he was already
said to be blind, listen to what Jesus says more, except a man
be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. But wait a minute, Nicodemus
was a ruler of the Jews. Surely he was already in the
kingdom of God. No, Jesus says you're not even
in the kingdom of God. You can't see it, you haven't
seen it, and you're not in it, and you can't enter unless you're
born, and you have to be born of water and of the Spirit, which
I'm gonna talk about in a minute. Verse six, Jesus addresses the
fact that he was trying to think that he should be born again
by his mother. He says, that which is born of
the flesh is flesh. If you could go through that
process twice, the same thing would be produced. Just flesh.
Because you can't bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing. And we were conceived in sin.
That's what David said. In sin did my mother conceive
me. He knew that in his flesh was
what? No good thing. In our flesh is
no good thing. So our flesh can't profit in
the kingdom of God. We can't enter by flesh. In 1 Corinthians 15, if you remember,
it says there that this physical body can't inherit the kingdom
of God. This physical body has to be
changed into a spiritual body. And so it says here, you can't
enter unless you're born of God. You have to be born of water
and the spirit. So he says in verse six, that which is born
of the flesh is merely flesh. That's all it is. It doesn't
go any higher. And we know that the carnal mind is enmity, hostility
against God. So how could someone be born
of God and be hostile towards God? Those two things are not
possible. So that which is born of the
flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. The only way you can be born
again is if you're born of what? The Spirit of God. Now, Nicodemus
obviously wasn't yet born of the Spirit of God when Jesus
was saying these things to him. He was just flesh. He had not
been born of the water and the Spirit. He had not been born
of God. He couldn't see, and he had not
entered the kingdom of God. How do you think that made Nicodemus
feel? It made him feel probably a little irritated at best. He was probably far more than
irritated. He was probably, you know how you're caught red-handed
in public and you feel ashamed to be so exposed? Just magnify
that about a hundred times. I'm sure that's what Nicodemus
felt at this point. The Lord Jesus Christ laid him
bare. Remember, he's the word of God.
And the word of God discerns between, it divides between the
flesh and, I mean, the flesh, how does it say it in Hebrews
chapter 12, Hebrews chapter four, he says this, let me just quote,
read this to you real quick here. The word of God is quick and
powerful, it's living, it's powerful, it divides even between the soul
and the spirit. I'm gonna read this to you. This
is the Lord Jesus Christ, who's the Word of God. The Word of
God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and the intents of the heart. So the Spirit of God discerns
our own thoughts, and that the Word of God does. And the Word
of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. He searches the hearts. He tries
the inward reins. And so that's what he's done
here with Nicodemus. You're outside, you're blind, you have to be
born. What is he saying? This is your
condition, Nicodemus, and this is what has to happen. God has
to do something. Remember what I said earlier?
First, the Lord's gonna bring him down. Then he's gonna show
Nicodemus what God must do. But before he does that here,
he's gonna go on to explain what God must do. Notice. Verse seven,
marvel not that I said to thee, you must be born again. Obviously,
Nicodemus was spellbound. He was probably stupefied because
Jesus said this and he thought he was so much better than this. Now he realizes by Christ's measure,
he's nothing. He's outside, blind to the kingdom
of God. Verse eight, the wind blows where
it will or where it listeth, wherever it pleases. Have you
ever tried to stop the wind? Try stopping the wind. Or have
you tried to redirect it? It just goes around whatever
you put there. You can't start the wind, can you? You can turn
a fan on, but I mean, how far can that go? So you can't initiate
the wind, you can't redirect the wind, you can't guide it
around, and you can't stop it, you can't impede it. That's what
he's saying here. You can't control it. You can't
make it happen. So never expect to find a book
of truth that says how to be born again. Because the answer
is, it's beyond anything you can do. It's not up to you to
bring it about. This is God's work. And as a
sinner, that's both devastating and comforting. That's what the
gospel does to us when it's preached to us. It devastates us in our
natural self, but then it comes behind and comforts us because
it shows us that our salvation is all in Christ. Therefore,
there's hope for me, even though I can't do this, and I don't
deserve it. Okay? Verse eight. So the wind,
Jesus is drawing an analogy, a physical analogy between wind
and the spirit here. He says, the wind blows, I'll
use the word where it pleases, because that's what listeth means.
The wind blows where it pleases. You hear the sound thereof, but
you can't tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is everyone
that is born of the Spirit. In other words, it's a sovereign
work. God's work. You can't tell when
it's going to happen, you can't tell from where it's going to
happen, and you can't tell where it's going. The Spirit of God
does this. And so what does Nicodemus say?
Verse 9, Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things
be? Now Nicodemus admits something. He admits, I don't know what
you're talking about. You see that? So Nicodemus now
is coming into alignment with his true condition. He's confessing
that he is ignorant. He was ignorant, but he didn't
know it. And what's more blind than a man who is unaware of
his blindness? So he was ignorant and he didn't
know it. And you know, That's what I find in myself. I don't
want to charge you with the same foolishness, but I know that
you'll have to agree. That when I am proud, I realize
it's because I'm ignorant. Because if I truly knew myself,
I would have no basis for pride, especially before others. So
being proud before others is just a sign of our foolish ignorance,
and that's a shameful thing. So Nicodemus says this, how can
these things be? And there's a ray of penetration
going on here in this verse. Christ's words have actually
penetrated into Nicodemus' heart because he's confessing now.
his own ignorance, his own spiritual ignorance. I don't know how it
can happen. How? How can these things be? He cries.
Now he's ready to learn, isn't he? Now he's ready to be taught. And this is the way God teaches
us. He brings us low that he might lift us up. Let me read
this to you in the book of James. In James chapter 1 it says, Let
the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. but let
the rich in that he is made low. You see, when the gospel comes
to us, if we are rich in our own view of ourselves, we should
rejoice that it brings us down. If in our life we find ourselves
being brought low, what should we do? Rejoice that God is bringing
us low. Because in this other place he
says, Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is
exalted. And the only way we can be exalted
is if we see that in Christ alone God has received us. Only in
Christ can we ever have any standing before God. So this is what he's
doing here. We see a penetration of the gospel
beginning to have an effect on Nicodemus through the words of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, John chapter 3 verse 10.
We're just getting through the beginning of this first pass
through it. Look at this. Jesus answered and said to him,
are you a master of Israel? And knowest not these things?
Now here again, the Lord, even though Nicodemus is beginning
to confess his own ignorance, and that had to be painful for
him, what does Jesus do? He actually pushes him down further,
doesn't he? And that's the way God humbles
us. When we think we're being humbled, then we're humbled further. And that hurts because we don't
like to be humbled. And so Jesus has to do this.
He realizes this man has to come down a long way. So he says,
are you a master of Israel and knowest not these things? He's
charging him with malpractice. We would think a
doctor should know what he's doing. You claim to be a doctor,
but you don't know how to heal men's souls. You don't even know
how your own soul is healed. You're blind and outside the
kingdom of God. You are ignorant and you claim
to be, you claim to know. Then verse 11, notice Jesus now
reveals how sinful he was. He says, Verily, verily, I say
to thee, we speak that we do know. Christ spoke this, John
the Baptist spoke this, all the Old Testament prophets spoke
this. We speak what we do know, and we testify what we have seen,
and you receive not our witness. This is deliberate disobedience,
isn't it? It's deliberate rejection of God's word from Christ himself. You heard the Son of God in human
flesh speaking and you rejected God's testimony. Now that had
to be painful too, wasn't it? First, I don't know. Then Jesus
says, you ought to know and you claim to know. And then he says,
in fact, you've rejected my word. Notice in verse 12, If I told you earthly things
and you believe not, there he is, an unbeliever, how shall
you believe if I tell you heavenly things? You thought. How can
these things be? You know, if you just tell me
a few things, I'll be able to, you know, fill out my resume
completely here, because you're clearly sent from God, you've
done these miracles, I just need to know a few things. And Jesus
says, no, it's far worse than you think. You don't know anything.
And you're arrogant, and you claim to know everything, but
you really know not even the very first and most important
thing. So if I've told you earthly things and you believe not, how
shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? And now,
here we are. Here we're going to get the gospel
in just three verses here. A very powerful declaration of
the gospel. Notice what Jesus says. No man
has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,
even the son of man which is in heaven. What does that mean? Well, it means that there's no
man who ever went up to heaven. No man on earth ever went up
to heaven, in the sense that he's talking about here. I know
Elijah went up to heaven, God took him up without dying, and
Enoch was translated that he should not see death. But that's
not what Christ is talking about here. He's not talking about
a man who was raised from the dead or who is taken to heaven
without going through the process of dying. That's not what he's
speaking about here. He's talking about being ascended to heaven
because of a work accomplished. And I'll show you why I can say
that with certainty in a minute. And then he says, the only one
who has ascended up to heaven is he that came down from heaven. And who is that? Jesus said,
even the son of man, which is in heaven. Now, imagine, I want
you to understand, don't imagine, just think of it this way. The
Lord Jesus Christ is in eternity. That means he sees all things
present, past, present, and future as if they're present. And so
he talks about things that have not yet happened as if they were
already done. No man has ascended up to heaven,
but he that came down from heaven. Surely the Lord Jesus Christ
at this point in history had come down from heaven. But when
would he ascend back up to heaven? after his death, burial, and
resurrection, right? So he's speaking about it in
the overview from the eternal perspective. This condition has
to first be met before this one. Christ had to first descend,
then he would ascend. What does that mean that he first
descended and then ascended? Well, it means he accomplished
our salvation and he is our mediator. Because only the mediator could
take our place on earth and occupy heaven as man and God so that
he could do all God requires from us, for us, and bring to
us all that God would give to us, like being born again. Through the mediator alone comes
all blessings from God. Now this same thing is taught
in Romans chapter 10, and we'll get to that next time, but I
just want you to remember those verses in Ephesians 4. First,
look at this in Ephesians 4, so that you can see this sequence,
this sequence of dependencies. One thing has to happen before
another. In Ephesians chapter 4, he says it this way. In Ephesians
chapter 4, verse 7, listen to the way the Lord describes what
happened here. Paul says in verse 7, Ephesians
4, 7, but unto every one of us is given grace according to the
measure of the gift of Christ. Now, let's just pause there.
What did he say? Every one of us who have grace,
why are we given grace? Well, we were given it in a measure.
The measure that God appointed for us. Do we all have the same
gifts? No. Do we all even have the same
measure of faith? No. To every one of us is given
a measure of faith. It says in Romans 12, three.
But here, he's saying that whatever measure of grace we have, how
does it come to us? The gift of Christ. Do you see
that? But unto every one of us is given grace according to the
measure of the gift of Christ. So the Lord Jesus Christ gives
us grace according to His will, and the measure of which He gives
us that grace is dependent upon His sovereign right to give that
grace. And why does He have that sovereign
right to do that? Well, not only because He's God, because He
is the mediator, Christ. That's why he uses the word Christ
here. Christ has a significant meaning. It means the one God
anointed to be our prophet, priest, and king. To bring God's word
to us. To bring us to God. And to rule
over us and suppress our enemies and subdue them under our feet
and give us all blessings. So, why do we have any grace
from God? Because of Christ. and it's a
gift from Him, okay? So that's the first verse in
Ephesians 4, verse 7. Notice verse 8. Wherefore, considering
what he just said in verse 7, this is the basis for what I'm
about to say in verse 8, he says, wherefore he saith, when he ascended
up on high, when was that? When he rose from the dead, and
when he told his disciples, I'm gonna send my spirit, and you're
gonna preach, Men are going to be saved. I'm going to build
my church." So then he ascended up to heaven. And what did he
do when he ascended up to heaven? He took his place at the right
hand of the Father, ruling over everything in heaven and earth.
That's what he's saying here. That's why he can give these
gifts, because he conquered all of our enemies, fulfilled all
the will of God, ascended up on high, was given all things
by his Father as Christ, the mediator. So he says, wherefore
he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,
and gave gifts to men. Those who held us in captivity,
he took them captive. Sin, death, Satan, the world,
even the curse of God against us, all those things were held
captive now by the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, Now, that he
ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first into
the lower parts of the earth? You see the dependency here now? What was required for Christ
to ascend to heaven as the Son of Man? He had to first descend. Why did he ever descend? In order
that, as the Son of Man, in humiliation, He might suffer our curse and
put away our sins, conquer death, destroy the works of the devil,
and subdue our enemies, and save us. All those things. And so
he says here. He that descended is the same
also that ascended, up far above all heavens, that he might fill
all things. And he gave, there's the word,
gift, he gave, gave, gave. He gave some apostles, prophets,
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, why? For the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ till we all come, all of God's elect
people, redeemed by His blood, come into the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man. The
body of Christ is all the people the Lord saves, and when that
body is complete, it's a perfect man, and we ourselves are mature
in faith. So this is why the Lord did this,
to give these gifts to us, and He does that through the preaching
of His Word. Let's just go on and read the
next couple of verses. Ephesians 4 verse 14, that we
henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning
craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. But what? Speaking
the truth in love may grow up into him, Christ, in all things. which is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love." Alright, and how does that happen?
Speaking the truth in love. Speaking the gospel in love.
Love for God, love for Christ, love for His people, that the
body itself would be built up. Now, the point is, back here
in John chapter 3, is that Jesus tells Nicodemus, no man has gone
up to heaven in this way, ascending up in order to receive honor
and glory and power and authority as Christ but he that first came
down from heaven, who is the son of man which is in heaven."
So he's teaching Nicodemus about Christ, isn't he? Christ as the
mediator, Christ as the son of God who is the son of man who
had to first come down in order that he might go up, occupy the
throne of heaven, and give his gifts of salvation and faith
and every gift to his people. Okay? That's what verse 13 is
talking about. In other words, you can't come
to God without a mediator. And Christ is the mediator. The
mediator does what? He descends. in order that he
might ascend and receive the glory and honor God would give
to him, so that with that authority and power he could save his people
from their sins by his Spirit sent to them to teach them about
what he did for them. And that's what he says in verse
14. This is what he did. This is what the Son of Man did.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up. What did Moses do in the wilderness?
The people spoke against God, they spoke against Moses, and
they spoke against the manna in Numbers chapter 21. And what
did God do? He sent flaming fiery serpents
that bit the people. And there was no anti-venom. There was no healing from this.
It was a deadly bite. There was no remedy. The people
were dying. Many of them died. And they cried
to Moses. What did Moses do? He hammered
out a serpent of brass and he hung it on a pole. Who is Moses
anyway? He's the one God gave the law
to. So he represents the law. What did the law do to the Lord
Jesus Christ? The law brought the curse upon
him. He was lifted up on the cross
because whoever hangs on a cross is cursed of God. Galatians 3
verse 13. So Christ had to be lifted up
according to the ancient event that happened in Numbers 21 verses
4-9 that says that Moses hammered out the brass serpent, put it
on a pole, the serpent was the beast that was cursed by God.
So God hung up this beast that represented the one cursed on
a pole so that everyone bitten could look at that serpent lifted
up on the pole and live. The law of God cursed Christ
on the cross, everyone bitten by the serpent, and dying, looking
to that pole, that serpent on the pole lived. So Jesus says,
this is the explanation, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, and
therefore cursed by the law. Verse 15, that whosoever believeth
in him, that's the same as looking, the man dying, no matter how
faintly he could see that serpent on the pole, he immediately was
healed of his serpent bite. It didn't depend on the strength
of his sight. It only depended on the promise
God made that everyone who saw the serpent lifted up lived.
So Jesus says, verse 15, that whosoever believeth in him, Christ,
should not perish, but have eternal life. So we're going to stop
there for tonight. But notice, who was it that was
bitten in the wilderness? Those that spoke against God,
those that spoke against Moses, those that spoke against the
manna. And why did Jesus tell this to Nicodemus? Nicodemus, you're gonna have
to take your place with those who deserve the bite of the serpent,
those who are bitten and dying without remedy. And you're gonna
have to look up just like those who will die and perish forever
under the wrath of God because of who you are and what you've
done. And there's only one remedy of that. It's what God did by
Christ and to Christ to save his people from their sins. And
the evidence of one born of God is what? What is the evidence
then? Jesus said that whoever believes
on the one lifted up, the Lord Jesus Christ, what? He lives. So what's the evidence? It's
faith in Christ, isn't it? It's faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Did Nicodemus produce that faith? No, faith is not
of yourselves, it's the gift of God. Nicodemus was an unbeliever. Jesus had to speak to him. He
had to tell him the truth about his own work and his person as
the mediator, the one who descended and ascended in glory and therefore
gives salvation and gives grace of the Spirit, though that he
might believe. And believe what? Christ in him crucified, the
substitute, bearing the curse. Therefore the curse is removed
from us, not because of what we did. We did everything to
damn ourselves, but God did it. So here, let me review now. Christ
brings him low, this proud man. He shows him that his only hope
is if God does something. He's confused, he's helpless,
he can't do anything. And then the Lord Jesus Christ,
apart from anything Nicodemus did or even asked for, he reveals
himself and his own work and God's purpose to save his people
through his own substitutionary death on the cross. And then
he says, and whoever believes him, whoever looks to him, finding
all their salvation in him, because they can't save themselves, and
they're damned of God if they don't. God must condemn them.
What does he say? They have eternal life. They
have it. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for
the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all of our life is, and who is
the only one we can look to and find a remedy for what we owe
God in our sin, the crimes of our sin. We're helpless. utterly
dependent upon the sovereign work of your spirit, and the
sovereign work of your spirit is given by the Lord Jesus Christ
because of his ascended place in glory, and the gift you give
by your spirit is eternal life with faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ Thank you, Lord, that you revealed your Son to us,
given us this from your Word, so that we know it's not the
words of men, but the very Word of God. Help us, like Nicodemus,
to feel, to know in ourselves that we're nothing, in order
that we might, as the psalmist says, oh, that men would praise
the Lord for his goodness and his marvelous works to the children
of men. And may the Lord Jesus Christ, who is ascended on high,
receive all praise and honor and glory because He deserves
it, and none but He does. In His name we pray, amen.