Page 17 - Florida Sentinel 4-7-17

Saving Love (John 3:1-21)
of God. It is a second birth (or “from above” which fits the entire context better).
This was exactly what Nicodemus wanted to talk about, so he asked, How? How can a new birth take place?
Jesus’ answer was that it takes place by water and the Spirit. As a Jew, Nicodemus had a reservoir from which to interpret the concept of water and spirit. The saving love of God begins to remake cre- ation by bringing life out of death. In this sense it is a birth.
Wind Blows Wherever It Pleases | John 3:6-8
This birth process is some- thing very real, but it is spiri- tual in nature. In this sense it stands opposite what is phys- ical or human. What is human can only reproduce human. But God is Spirit (John 4:24) so he can produce spir- itual realities. This should surprise no one.
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.”
“How can this be?” Nicode- mus asked.
You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
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. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilder- ness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eter- nal life in him.”. What does this mean?
The Light | John 3:16-20
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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands con- demned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but peo- ple loved darkness, instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be ex- posed.
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.
This famous text contains the teachings of Jesus, the questions of Nicodemus who was a Pharisees, and ruler of the Jews, and the saving love of God.
Birth | John 3:1-5
In each section of our text (verses 3, 5, and 11) Very truly is used. It is Jesus’ way of say- ing, “Take this to the bank,” or “This you can count on above all else.” It underlines the truthfulness of the teaching.
Nicodemus was part of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus at night (not to be seen?). As the Gospel of John unfolds,
Nicodemus became more bold—he almost defended Jesus (John 7:40-52) and finally helped bury Jesus (John 19:38-40).
He started this conversa- tion with a compliment about the source of Jesus’ teachings. But Jesus spoke to Nicode- mus’s heart issue—not his compliment.
Jesus implied that all of Nicodemus’s religious activi- ties had left him with spiritu- ally tired blood. The path to being able to see God’s gov- ernment (kingdom) is a new birth based on the saving love
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-B