Unbelief, don't get caught in it!

This is a cold hard fact! Truth is truth and it is truth regardless if you believe it or not. We have looked at the truth of necessity of being born again previously over last few weeks, And will press on tonight after a few reminders.

(Insert Born Again picture here again)

Nicodemus a teacher of the truth (scripture) comes to Jesus (Jn3:1-2)

Jesus a revealer of the truth teaches on the necessity of being born again, rebirth, regeneration (Jn3:3-5)

Jesus describes rebirth is by water and Spirit if you want to enter the kingdom of God (Jn3:5-6)

We have looked at the necessity of the new birth, we have defined it, we have described it, we have looked at the necessity and the location of the new birth. Yet, Nicodemus struggles with what He cannot see, for it still makes no sense to him.

Now, there are two different kinds of misunderstandings according to Barclay.

One, the one who misunderstands because of knowledge and intellect

With this one, this is one whom we can break down the truth in simple ways so there can be understanding that leads to rebirth.

The other is the one who is unwilling to understand; The failure to see, the refusal to see even when the simple evidence, truth is laid before them. - Many believe that is Nicodemus at this time (though he changes later)

Let me stay with this just for a moment, when Jesus was revealing to Nicodemus about the necessity of rebirth; it was not a new concept. This teacher of the law, adherer to every tit and tittle of the law should have though back to Ezekiel

Ezekiel 18:31 NASB95

31 “Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?

Ezekiel 36:26 NASB95

26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

This is the man who having the truth must wrestle themselves with the truth, accept the truth, believe the truth and respond to the truth.

Rejecting the truth after having received the truth is like saying “I know what Jesus offer is, but no thank you, I’m good, I don’t need Jesus, my life speaks for itself.”

Nicodemus was not denying the possibility of new birth, rebirth, regeneration, but did not understand how. So Jesus comes to our passage tonight and gives an illustration and draws back to the Spirit as noted in (v.5-6)

John 3:5–6 NASB95

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The word Spirit in the Greek is “pneuma” and it has two meanings it is the word for “spirit” and also the word for “wind” as is the Hebrew word “ruach,” So, Nicodemus was about to get a lesson.

Tonight we are going to look at these things.

Gleaning from the scripture (Jn3:7-12)

The illustration (Jn3:7-9)

The rebuke of unbelief (Jn3:10-12)

Gleaning from the scripture.

Open your bible and lets look together and pull from the scripture as simply Christians.

John 3:7–8 NASB95

7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:9–10 NASB95

9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?

John 3:11–12 NASB95

11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

What did you see, notice, what sticks out to you in this passage?

Jesus emphasis a point previously made in(v.7) what is it?

What does Jesus compare the one who is born of the Spirit to in (v.9)?

Sometimes you can see the wind (West Texas dust bowls called “Haboobs” and they do relate to what we call “Derecho” here at times

What is the rebuke Jesus gives in (v.10)?

There is the “definitive article” found in (v.10) “the teacher” meaning a place of honor, he is not just a teacher, but a gifted, respected and looked upon teacher of Israel

Look closely at (v.11) the rebuke continues, what is it?

you do not believe what you have seen. What had he seen, signs, wonders, transformed lives, yet he not does accept the spiritual truth.

Now, keep your thinking cap on, keep things in context, what heavenly things is Jesus referring to (v.12)?

You must be born again of water and Spirit!

The Illustration - the wind

We may not always understand everything, but Jesus gives an illustration that was biblical and informative but yet there is questions about it.

John 3:8–9 NCV

8 The wind blows where it wants to and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born from the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus asked, “How can this happen?”

Wind is a symbol of the Spirit of God (Job33:4; Jn20:22; Act2:2; Eze37:1-14)

Turn to Eze37, we will get there in a few minutes, until then let me bring up some other passages first.

Job 33:4 NASB95

4 “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

It is the Spirit, the breath of God that gives life

John 20:22 NASB95

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

It is the breath of God that gives the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:2 NKJV

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

It is like the rushing mighty wind

While we may not always see the wind, we can see it’s effects in the trees. And the spirit you can see the effects in the Christian.

Here is a great illustration I came across.

“Dr. John Hutton used to tell of a workman who had been a drunken reprobate and was converted. His work-mates did their best to make him feel a fool. ‘Surely,’They said to him, ‘you can’t believe in miracles and things like that. Surely for instance, you don’t believe that Jesus turned water into wine.’ “I don’t know,’ The man answered “whether he turned water into wine when he was in Palestine, But I do know that in my own house and home he has turned beer into furniture.”

We do not understand how everything works, I’m no mechanic and don’t understand everything about how a car works, but yet I believe the car will do it’s intended job if I do my part.

When it comes to Nicodemus, and all of Israel they were so close to the kingdom but not in the kingdom. They were dead and hopeless by their own works, they needed the works of the Spirit in them, they needed the rebirth the regeneration to make the dead come to life. While it is explained it is still a mystery of exactly how it works, by faith we just know it does and we walk in that faith.

Are you at Eze37? Lets just survey this section.

Ezekiel is brought by the Spirit of God to a valley of dry bones (v.1-2)

He questions him can these bones live (v.3)?

He is instructed to speak to the bones (vv.4-6) - notice and have someone read

Ezekiel 37:5 NASB95

5 “Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.

The speaking, the commanding, and the results happens (vv.7-10)

Ezekiel 37:10 NASB95

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

WOW, right? Wait there is more I think it is important to look at the following verses

Ezekiel 37:11 NASB95

11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’

Ezekiel 37:12 NASB95

12 “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

Ezekiel 37:13 NASB95

13 “Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.

Ezekiel 37:14 NASB95

14 “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’ ”

(transition) This now leads to the rebuke

The rebuke of unbelief

The rebuke is about the ignorance, the refusal of belief and it has consequences. It is important we know and understand.

John 3:10–11 The Message

10 Jesus said, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics? 11 Listen carefully. I’m speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions.

John 3:12 The Message

12 If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God?

The rebuke is because he knows the history, knows the truth yet he is rejecting it.

The rebuke is because what was unseen has been seen and has been testified to.

By Jesus, by the Word by the Spirit (3-witnesses) also by the disciples, yet he did not accept, believe.

The rebuke is because he did not accept the evidence

The religious leaders were not willing to accept the authority of Jesus who came from above, who is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn1:29, 36) the Son of God who had been testified about (Jn1:34).

The religious leaders had the law, they had the scripture, they had the prophets yet they did not have entrance into the kingdom. So close, yet so far.

It is great to have intellectual knowledge, even the truth. It is easy to have discussion groups, even called bible studies. But the essential is the application of the truth, Christianity is not something to just talk about it must be experienced by rebirth if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven.

We have slowly been working through the rebirth, being born again, being regenerated hopefully breaking it down simply that you can believe and apply as well as share with others