eyewitness testimony of nicodemus only those born of the spirit can enter the kingdom of god...

Eyewitness Testimony of Nicodemus


Only those born of the Spirit can enter the Kingdom of God




1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:1-8 (NET Bible)

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”


NicodemusPharisee

Member of SanhedrinCurious about Jesus

Visited at night

NicodemusPharisee

Member of SanhedrinCurious about Jesus

Visited at night



“Although seasonal and day/night designations can properly be understood as time notations in this Gospel, they usually are more importantly also symbolic representations of the spiritual temperature of the people in the story.”

–NAC

“Although seasonal and day/night designations can properly be understood as time notations in this Gospel, they usually are more importantly also symbolic representations of the spiritual temperature of the people in the story.”

–NAC



“Born again”

“Born from above”

“Born again”

“Born from above”



“Readers who have followed the Gospel to this point will instantly think (as Nicodemus couldn’t) of John 1:12–13: ‘to be born again’ or ‘to be born from above’ must mean the same thing as ‘to become children of God’, to be ‘born of God’, by believing in the name of the incarnate Word.” –Pillar NT Commentary

“Readers who have followed the Gospel to this point will instantly think (as Nicodemus couldn’t) of John 1:12–13: ‘to be born again’ or ‘to be born from above’ must mean the same thing as ‘to become children of God’, to be ‘born of God’, by believing in the name of the incarnate Word.” –Pillar NT Commentary



12 But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children 13 – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.



Only those who believe in Jesus have eternal life





9 Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I tell you the solemn truth, we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony.


12 If I have told you people about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”


3:16-21 is JesusKJV (#2)NKJV (#3)NTL (#4)ESV (#5)HCSB (#6)The MessageNASBRSVNRSV








3:16-21 is JohnNIV (#1)NETRSVCEGod’s Word

3:16-21 is JohnNIV (#1)NETRSVCEGod’s Word

13 “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”




Some people require more time and cultivation before becoming followers of Jesus



Some people require more time and cultivation before becoming followers of Jesus



45 Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 Then the Pharisees answered, “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 48 None of the rulers or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 49 But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!”


50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of the rulers, said, 51 “Our law doesn’t condemn a man unless it first hears from him and learns what he is doing, does it?” 52 They replied, “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee!”


38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he went and took the body away. 39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus at night, accompanied Joseph, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about seventy-five pounds.


40 Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices, in strips of linen cloth according to Jewish burial customs. 41 Now at the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus’ body there.


•Read/study John 4.•Recall how you came to Christ and share it

with someone.•Do you get discouraged when people

show resistance to the Gospel?•Do you know of people who came to

Christ slowly?•Pray for those you know who are slow in

responding to Jesus.

•Read/study John 4.•Recall how you came to Christ and share it

with someone.•Do you get discouraged when people

show resistance to the Gospel?•Do you know of people who came to

Christ slowly?•Pray for those you know who are slow in

responding to Jesus.

ApplicationApplication

eyewitness testimony of nicodemus only those born of the spirit can enter the kingdom of god...

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