John 3:16 Part 2 by Brian Valentine
See message # 1570 First...
=== The Most Quoted and Least Understood Verse in the Bible John - 3:16 ===
PART 2 John 3:3-11 Nicodemus a Pharasee
*******Every Serious Christian Should take time to read this. See #1570 first*******
There was a Ruler of Jews named Nicodemus.
He was a Pharasee a Religious ruler and teacher in Israel.
Now Jesus had gone into the "church" and overthrown tables of commerce and beaten the clergy with a whip yelling:
Mark 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written,
My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
How to influence people and make friends :-} NICE !
After this public display of Christ's Righteous Anger !
Then: Something happens....
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
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.
Nicodemus Came to Jesus as it is written :
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Nicodemus at the first " Came to Jesus"but At Night it was not the politically right thing to do. To hear this mad man who even dared to Attack the Church ! Many of the Pharasees were saying:
John 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
But not ALL ! Nicodemus however was one of those who was Called and Chosen of God !
Nicodemus is at this point confessing that Jesus MUST LOGICALLY be a Teacher come from God because He is doing miracles ! We are quite sure that Nicodemus thinks that he is there because of his powers of reason... were his fellow theological scholars inferior ??
So much so that the would say the Lord of Glory hath a Demon and is mad !
Jesus immediately rejects Nicodemus's attempts to enter merely into an intellectual session of human reasonings and says:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said , Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
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========================Ye must be born again.========================
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Nicodemus, being a Pharasee and the intellectual 'cream of the crop' is quite used to clever debates and inquiries but Jesus answers him back You must be Born Again
How frustrating and silly is this ??? So he answers Jesus back with:
John3:4 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?
Or ... do I see the Kingdom by crawling back in my mother now that I'm old???
Jesus has not told Nick that he needs to "accept him intellectually".
Jesus has not told Nick to work real hard give to the poor and be good !
===== Jesus does tell him HOW men are saved !!! =====
After all that is why the Father has drawn him there.. to be saved !
***** THIS IS KEY - THIS IS KEY - THIS IS KEY *****
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.
This kind of Draw is as in DRAW WATER FROM a WELL !
It is not to attract like a magnet ! and not All MEN.
***** THIS IS KEY - THIS IS KEY - THIS IS KEY *****
I will do a post on the word "ALL" in scripture if asked.
Jesus DOES say:
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.
So in the same PASSIVE WAY that we were first born into this world
Whhhaaaaa I never asked to be born... boo hoo...
So it is of the second Spiritual Birth. Born of the flesh of the will of our parents Born of God of the WILL OF GOD
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Therefore Jesus said to the very Perplexed Nicodemus
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.
Jesus explains that the WIND ( Life Breathe of GOD ) blows where ever IT WILLS ( listeth )
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The word translated "Listeth" is thelo
According to Vines....
to will, have in mind, intend (1a) to be resolved or determined, to purpose
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Here is an interesting way for Jesus to say that Spiritual Birth is of the SPIRIT rather than the will of man. Does the wind blow everywhere but only 'move' those trees that are willing ?
Now Perplexed Nicodemus is now in disbelief when Jesus explained:
"so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
His answer in Total Disbelief is:
John 3:9 How can these things be ?
He plainly cannot believe that GOD alone is the author of Salvation.
He cannot believe that man is not in some way involved in the choice.
He cannot believe that all of his religious effort thus far has not helped him to
================="SEE the KINGDOM" at all =======================
What does Jesus say to Nicodemus who thinks this is a deep and hard thing to understand ??
John 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Jesus teaches that this is BASIC BASIC BASIC !!!
Yet now Nicodemus thinks that Jesus "thinks this is true" but he doubts it !
Perhaps He's not quite the "teacher sent from God" He first thought He was.
Many who read a post like this will say Brian "thinks" this says this but I "think" it means something else..
But I and He who shed His blood for me say unto you this Just as on that day...
Jesus then said to Nicodemus:
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.
Before Christ I stand .. this is God's Truth.
Next ...Part 3.... John 3:16 really :-}
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