John Bible Study - Lesson 8

John Bible Study - Lesson 8

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 3 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the 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.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The 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? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

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

John 3:1-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. ² After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

⁴ “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? ¹¹ I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. ¹² But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

¹⁸ “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·         Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader comes to see Jesus during the

      evening.

·         Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus’ miraculous signs and as a teacher sent by

      God.

·        Jesus tells Nicodemus how he must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God.

·     Nicodemus does not understand the spiritual symbolism that Jesus was talking about.

·        Again, Jesus explains that one must be born of water and the Holy Spirit to enter the kingdom of God.

·    Nicodemus, still without real understanding about what Jesus is talking about, asks Him how these things are possible.

·    Jesus tells Nicodemus that because Nicodemus is respected Jewish leader He should understand the things Jesus is talking about.

·     Many people today know who Jesus is but choose not to receive Him as their Messiah/Savior.

·        People can be religious but not spiritual.

·    A spiritual relationship and connection with God brings light to the truth and answers life’s most important questions.

·   A life lived apart from God leads to dead ends and a yearning and desire for something more.

·      The void we need to fill in our lives is with God not the things that won’t last and are perishable.

·        Jesus has come down from heaven to save us from eternal separation from God due to our sin.

·     Jesus tells Nicodemus that if He doesn’t believe the testimony that Jesus gives about earthly things, he won’t believe Jesus about the heavenly things.

·    Jesus explains to Nicodemus about who He is, and why He has come from heaven to earth.

·        Jesus refers back to a past event from the scripture pertaining to Moses to make His point.

·        Jesus tells Nicodemus this truth:  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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

·        Jesus tells Nicodemus about the difference in judgement for Believers and Non-believers

·   Jesus explains that even though God’s light, Jesus, has come into the world people still continue to love darkness more than the light.

·        Jesus explains why people hate the light and remain in darkness.

·     Jesus tells Nicodemus about the actions of those who live by the truth and their relationship to the light.

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·        Jesus had a great impact on the people around Him and to those who heard about and witnessed His miraculous signs.

·        Nicodemus, although never meeting Jesus before, believed that Jesus was a Rabbi sent by God to teach people. The evidence of Jesus’ authority was due to His ability to perform miraculous signs.

·        Truth: unless you are born again you will not see the Kingdom of God.

·   Born again: The phrase "born again" literally means "born from above." Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes. Here are some bible verses about being a new creation after being born again: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:9; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 5:1-4, 1 John 5:18).   John 1:12, 13 indicate that being "born again" also carries the idea of "becoming children of God" through trust in the name of Jesus Christ. ( Gotquestions.org)

• ·        Water and Spirit often refer symbolically in the Old Testament to spiritual renewal and cleansing (Num. 19:17–19; Isaiah 4:4; 32:15; 44:3; 55:1; Joel 2:28–29; Zechariah 13:1)
• ·        Water was the central concept of the ministry of John the Baptist, that is, to transform people spiritually and rid themselves of their old habits and ways so as to get people to repent of their sin and turn toward God. Spirit is the central concept of the ministry of Jesus, that is, to transform people into being a new creation/new self. These two main concepts put together are the whole concept of the matter of regeneration. Regeneration, to be born anew, is the termination of people of the old self with all their deeds and the germination of them in the new self with a life set apart to God.

Ephesians 4:22-24 New International Version (NIV)

²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

·        The Jewish Leaders including Nicodemus knew the scriptures yet were unable    or unwilling to connect Jesus to being the Messiah.

·   Jesus came down from heaven to be Immanuel “God with us” just as the scripture foretold:

Isaiah 7:14 New Living Translation (NLT)

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

• ·        The Symbol of God saving His people can be drawn from the time Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness. When the people look at the snake lifted up on the pole they were saved:

Numbers 21:4-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Bronze Snake

⁴ Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, ⁵ and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

⁶ So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. ⁷ Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”⁹ So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

·        God loves His people and sent Jesus to save them from the consequences of sin and separation from God.

John 3:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that   everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

·        We all appear before Christ, and will be judged based on how we lived and whether or not we enter into a saving relationship with Him. In this case, whether we believe that God sent Jesus, the light, to save us.

2 Corinthians 5:10 New International Version (NIV)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Revelation 22:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.

• ·        There is no condemnation against anyone who believes in Jesus.

Romans 8:1 New International Version (NIV)

Life Through the Spirit

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

• ·        Many love darkness and evil more than the light and God.
• ·        People avoid the light fearing their sins will be exposed.

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Ask God to begin a work in you that will transform your heart so that your life will reflect Christ-likeness.

·        If you are not a believer, will you ask God to show you how you can become “Born Again”

·        Impact those around you with the love of Christ.

·        Allow the Holy Spirit to expose any darkness and sin that you are holding onto.

·        Confess your sin and repent

·        Encourage others to seek God and the hope He offers.

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·         Is your life an example of a new life in Christ?

·        Are you able to maintain an eternal perspective, or are you daily being sidetracked and distracted by the things in this world?

·        Are you sharing your testimony of faith?

·        Are you ashamed of having an identity in Christ? 

Have a great week…………….Dave