The Earthly and the Heavenly Things.

Jesus tells us we must be born again of water and Spirit. Jesus tells us outright that our original birth is not enough- we need a spiritual birth. Unlike our birth- which we had absolutely no say so in, we do have a say so in our spiritual birth.

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews.  As a ruler of the Jews we have to understand this man knew the laws and ways of the Jews inside and out. Unlike the majority of his fellow rulers of the Jews, Nicodemus' heart was right with God. Because his heart was right with God he desired to know more of Jesus. Going to him at night, when others were less likely to witness the visit, Nicodemus didn't want to be one of the blind and deaf Pharisee. He didn't want to write Jesus off as a crackpot, not when he knew that his forefathers had done that very thing to prophet after prophet in the scriptures. This particular Pharisee ruler wanted to seek truth and that meant going to the source. He told Jesus he knows that he is a teacher from God because of all the miracles He was doing- none but God could do such miracles. As soon as Jesus heard that Nicodemus believed that He was from God, Jesus knew that he was seeking truth and had his heart open to receive that truth.

Jesus went on to tell Nicodemus that people had to be born again of water and Spirit. This threw Nicodemus for a little loop, crazy talk from one that most of his fellow Pharisees thought was a lunatic? Jesus told him outright NOT to marvel at what was being said. He even accused Nicodemus of being a Master of Israel and not knowing these things was the surprise. He looked Nicodemus in the eyes and said-

Joh 3:11… We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 

Joh 3:12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 

Nicodemus wanted to know more from the man he believed was sent by God, the miracle performing man, yet Jesus outright tells him that he was finding it hard hearing earthly things, hearing heavenly things would really throw him for a loop.

We need to remember for a moment that Nicodemus could have left at any moment. He didn't need to stay there and listen to things that might be considered insulting, he didn't need to listen to Jesus, and yet he was compelled to do so even after being told that he should know these things already and that his finding it hard to believe the simple things would make it even harder to understand the heavenly things that he was there seeking.

Why are we studying this stuff about Nicodemus and Jesus?

Because we need to live our lives in Jesus Christ our hope, and we need a newness of life, we need to be born of the water and the Spirit if we are to survive this prison planet.

Jesus tells Nicodemus of the heavenly- of Himself. He came from heaven and just like Moses lifted up the serpent…

This is something Nicodemus was intimately familiar with- Moses. He knew Moses inside and out- every word ever written by Moses Nicodemus had read time and time again. When Jesus mentioned Moses lifting up the serpent, Nicodemus knew all about the raised serpent and its purpose. A plague of fiery serpents was killing off the people following Moses in the wilderness, a lot of people. The people witnessing person after person dying knew something had to be done so they said this to Moses--

Num 21:7  Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 

They sinned and were in need of salvation.

Moses was told by God to make a brass serpent on a pole and when the bitten people looked on it, they would live.

Bitten by a serpent, knowing the bite is deadly and yet all they needed to do was look on the brass serpent there on a pole so they could live. Their faith in obeying the word of God healed them. They looked to the raised up brass serpent because they were told in doing so they would live.

Jesus used this example to predict the His own death.  Just as the serpent was raised up - He too would be raised up for all to see and look to so they could live. At the time Nicodemus had no real knowledge of Jesus' impending crucifixion. These words were cryptic to him and yet he wanted to comprehend. Nicodemus already wanted to be born again of the spirit, he wanted truth from God.

More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord, by the will of God. May we too forever be seekers of truth. May we be born of the Spirit always. May we look to the raised up and crucified Christ for our salvation, our hope of new life so we may live in Him always.

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Joh 3:1  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 

Joh 3:2  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. 

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:4  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? 

Joh 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. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

Joh 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. 

Joh 3:9  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 

Joh 3:10  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 

Joh 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. 

Joh 3:12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 

Joh 3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

Joh 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

Joh 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.