The gift of Love from Heaven

John 3:1-21

Key Verse 3:16 “ 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.”

We studied that Jesus gave living water to Samaritan woman who was thirty. Even though we tried to solve her thirty through husbands. After she met Jesus who is living water, her thirst was quenched.

Today’s passage describes the conversion with Nicodemus. His status was completely opposite to Samaritan woman and blind man. Samaritan woman was despised by Jews, men and even Samaritan women due to her immoral life. She was lowest class in her society. The blind man was lowest class too. His life was begging money and miserable. Their lives were completely changed after they met Jesus. But Nicodemus was idol of all Israel people. He was socially fame, rich and man of intelligence and knowledge. He positively participated in religious ritual and activities. He actually had everything what he wanted. But there was no kingdom of heaven in him. He couldn’t have the confidence of salvation for his soul.

Today’s passage teaches us the crucial doctrine of Christianity. It teaches us how we become children of God. Jesus tells us, Without being born again, no one can see kingdom of God. what does it mean kingdom of heaven? What does “being born again” mean? How can we be born again? It is very crucial passage in Christianity.

1. What kind of person was Nicodemus, socially and religiously (1,1:10,19,19:39)? Why did he come to Jesus at night (2; Eccl 1:18)? Based on what Jesus said, “You must be born again,” What was Nicodemus’ fundamental problem (3)?

1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?

39 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.[e]

19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

a) --The word "Pharisee" mean "a separated one." They were different from the Saducees and secular(worldly) people. They struggled to live by the word of God. They struggled for keeping their faith in God under Rome’s reign. The origin of the Pharisees was the time of Ezra, 500 years before Christ.

In order to be the Pharisee,

one must memorize the five books of Moses and study Mishina and Talmud. One must fast twice a week and pray three times a day. He kept the all kinds of regulations. We can see his religious activities.

-A member of the ruling council. He was a member of Sanhedrin. Sanhedrin had legislative and judicial power. The Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in Israel. The “Supreme Court” of the Sanhedrin’s was referred to as the Great Sanhedrin and was located in Jerusalem. Nicodemus was not only a Pharisee, an elite honor in itself; he was a member of the Great Sanhedrin

The authority was more powerful than The senate. They had authority of capital punishment. In order to be its member, one had to study many different subjects such as literature, math, philosophy, and medicine.

-He received people's respect, honor and love; admiration, knowledge, virtue, and noble personality.

-He was also a wealthy man. John19:39. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

* He was a man with virtue and wealth and fame and power. He looks that he had everything what man wish to have - He might severely struggle in order to be this position. Maybe he would think that if he got the high position and wealth and virtue, he would be full of happiness.

n Actually, most people earnestly want to be like Nicodemus in order to get real happiness and blessing.

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b) V.2 At night.

Night in John's gospel symbolizes darkness. (Jn 13:30) His inner being was dark.

(Eccl 1:18) For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Eccl 5:10 - Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.)

2. What do you think “being born again” mean? (3, Jn 1:12-13,1Pt 1:23,Eph 2:1-5,8,9,Rom 2:28-29) What do you think “the kingdom of God" mean? (Lk 17:20b-21,Mt12: 28, Rev 21:1-4)

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”[c]

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

c) Probably He had anguished by some problem in his life that he couldn’t solve.

- Based on the word of Jesus, what was Nicodemus' fundamental problem? What is this "kingdom of God" Jesus told of? (Lk 17:21)

-New birth means to be clothed with the new man in Jesus. It is the change of our inner man. (Transformation to new self from old one). It is rebirth as spiritual men from physical beings. New birth is the matter of life and death. And it determines one's happiness. Ezekiel 36:26; the heart of stone--the heart of flesh. Like bug become butterfly.

b) Having no kingdom of God. He had all things but he didn't have the kingdom of God. He was living in the dark world of Satan.

c) In Romans 14:17, Paul said the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God is the right relationship with God; love and peace. We have this kingdom of God within us through new birth. (Lk 17:21) Those who don't have new birth have the reign of Satan. They are fearful, anxious and meaningless. They really don’t know why they live and what they live for and what the purpose of their life is. They just live for enjoying and eating and easy going life. But this kind of life is meaningless and regret. Actually this kind of life is wondering life.

3. How did Jesus explain the way to be born anew (4-8,Rom8:14-16)? What was Nicodemus’s understanding like (4,9)? How did Jesus help him understand what he meant by spiritual birth (10-13)? Have you experienced the limitations of an intellectual world?

4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.' 8The 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."

9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[d] 14Just as Moses

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.”16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

--He understood Jesus' teaching physically. He don’t know about spiritual world even though he was famous scholar among his nation.

--We can not experience spiritual world through physical things. Nicodemus had had self-completion physically, but he wasn't even born again.

1 Cor 2:14 -The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are not spiritually discerned.

b) V.5 "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

-Here water refers to John's water baptism. (Mk 1:4) - we can wash dirty hands of body through water. likewise water mean washing. Jesus came to us in order to wash our sins through his blood on the cross. He died in order to pay our all kinds of sins. He never had sins. He is son of God and Holy.

Repentance is the preparation for the work of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 3:38,Acts 1:5)

Do you know the meaning of repentance?( explanation)

-The Spirit's work, not our own willpower. Our sinful nature and habit and thought can be changed when the Holy Spirit works. (Ti 3:5) when we repent our sins and long for His presence and open our heart toward the Holy Spirit, he come to our heart.

c) Eph 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

--The work Holy Spirit is like wind. The Holy Spirit is invisible and we cannot analyze its work; the Holy Spirit works according to his will. His work is mighty power like a strong storm. Everyone who is touched by Him is completely changed as the new person no matter how much he or she is stubborn or evil. He works to give people new birth. We see his work through the change of people. Being born again is the beginning of our new life. Beginning is a little like mustard seed. However it is gradually growing until we are like a big tree.

Gal 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

b) V.11-13 "I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man."

-Jesus came from heaven and he can say of mysterious things in heaven.

-The earthly things are repentance and new birth and the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came from heaven and he can say of mysterious things in heaven.

4. What does the incident with the bronze snake teach us about faith and the way to salvation (Num 21:4-9)? In order to be born anew, who should Nicodemus believe in (14-16; 12:32-33)? What did you learn about God’s love through the cross of Jesus and the blessing God gives to those who believe in Jesus?

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, [a] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" 6 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. 8 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." 9 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, he lived.

14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." 33He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

--When the Israelites complained about the difficulties they had during the desert, God sent them the bronze snake to bite them. When they humbled and asked salvation, God let them put the bronze snake up in the long stick and if anyone look it up would be saved. They needed to have faith in God to look it up.

-Salvation is to have faith in what God planned and accomplished. Simple faith in Jesus, we have salvation.

-In this world, there are many kinds of snakes such as snakes of lust, greed, selfishness, pride, empty feelings, and powerlessness. We have no hope in this world and fatal. But he sent his Son Jesus and if we look him up and believe in him, we are saved and have eternal life.

5. What is God’s ultimate purpose to send His one and only Son? (17,Rom 5:6,8-9) What is only way to be saved? (18,Jn14: 6) Why don’t people believe the light God sent into the darkness? (19-20) However who can see the light? (21,Jn6: 46-47)

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 1

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.