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Truth is not relative, it is truth!
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
or
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)
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.
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.
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.
It is the Spirit, the breath of God that gives life
It is the breath of God that gives the Holy Spirit.
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
The speaking, the commanding, and the results happens (vv.7-10)
WOW, right?
Wait there is more I think it is important to look at the following verses
(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.
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
(Pray) (Close)
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