From Darkness to Light

BIBLICAL SETTING: JOHN 3:1-36
LESSON PASSAGE: JOHN 3: 1-17
KEY BIBLE VERSE: JOHN 3:3 (3) In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Boy, I thought about Nicodemus and Jesus all week long. I had tried several times to get something going on this weeks lesson but because I was so busy running around taking care of business, I just couldn’t seem to get it together. But now, finally here we go. I would ask God right now in the name of Jesus Christ, to let the Holy Spirit speak through the writing of these words on this paper. I pray we will see the sign again today that, we are supposed to see, in Jesus name, amen.

I wonder? Have any of ya’ll ever been lost in a place of total darkness? A place where no matter what you did or which way you turned, you were still lost? Maybe it was when you were a child or maybe while you were out on the ocean or in the river somewhere? Maybe even while out on a hunting trip you became lost and darkness of night came upon you and you really didn’t know which way to go? Maybe you became lost somewhere in darkness while you were depending on someone else to lead the way. You trusted them but somehow after a while, you were really lost? I wonder if possibly you have ever been in a place like your house or maybe at work and the lights went out and for a while, when you tried to move around you were disoriented in the darkness, therefore, even though you knew where you were, for a little while you were out of place?

Darkness can be very frightening. But when we come out of darkness into the light we can see so much better and really truly feel so much brighter. The light seems to be a place of safety and security. Like when the lights come back on after a power failure. Boy it feels so much better to be in the light. Would you agree that light is better for the most part, than the darkness? (Remember this: no matter what kind of darkness you are lost in, Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, Jesus is the Light House on the shore of life for all to see and by seeking His light with the most enter part of your spirit, He will show you how to come out of the darkness and into the Light of Eternal life.)

NECESSITY OF NEW BIRTH (JOHN 3: 1-3)

Nicodemus or lets say Nick at Night, well he came to see Jesus at night because he was lost in spiritual darkness, and I believe he didn’t want any of his fellow Pharisees to see that he was conferring with Jesus. He is or was no different than many people today. He was smart and thought that he knew all the answers to the religious questions of his day. He was a leader of the Pharisees. The designation Pharisees literally means, “Separated ones.” They separated themselves to the study of God’s law. They also separated themselves from pagan practices and from other people. While some Pharisees were legalistic hypocrites who observed the letter of the law while violating its spirit and intent, some genuinely sought after God, Nicodemus apparently was an earnest seeker.

Nicodemus was searching, and he believed Jesus had some answers. A learned teacher himself, he came to Jesus to be taught. No matter how intelligent and well educated you are you must come to Jesus with an open mind and heart so he can teach you the truth of God. Nicodemus came to Jesus personally, although he could have sent one of his assistants. He wanted to examine Jesus for himself, to separate fact from rumor. Perhaps Nick was afraid of what his peers would say about his visit, so he came after dark.

Later, when he understood that Jesus was truly the Messiah, he spoke up boldly in His defense. Like Nick, we must examine Jesus for ourselves—others cannot do it for us. Then, if we believe He is whom He says, we will want to speak up for Him.

What did Nicodemus know about the kingdom? From the Bible he knew it would be ruled by God, it would be restored on earth, and it would incorporate God’s people. Jesus revealed to the devout Pharisee that the kingdom would come to the whole world not just for the Jews, and Nick wouldn’t be a part of it unless he was personally born again. This was a revolutionary concept: the kingdom is personal, not national or ethnic, and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. Jesus later taught that God’s kingdom has already begun in the hearts of believers. It will be fully realized when Jesus returns again to judge the world and abolish evil forever. (Revelation 21: 22.)

POSSIBILITY OF NEW BIRTH: (JOHN 3: 4-8)

Jesus words apparently puzzled His nighttime visitor. “How can a man be born when he is old?” This question may suggest that Nicodemus was an older man. He continued, “Surly he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” If these latter words were voiced as a question, the question was worded in such a way that it expected a negative answer. This learned Pharisee lacked spiritual insight.

When Jesus suffered and died on that old rugged cross, He suffered it all for each and every one of us. By faith, when we look up to the cross of Christ we look up to God for His Loving Grace, Because it is only by The Grace of God that we can become born again. By faith, we can come to the place of the cross. By faith, we can turn away from the things we don’t understand, by faith, we can come to the place where the blood of our Savior was spilled out onto the ground, and where did man come from? The Ground, God formed Adam from the same dirt that the blood of Christ returned to. Seems sort of mysterious doesn’t. From the veins of Christ flowed the power of Everlasting life. When we realize and accept that we are truly sinners and then with a humble and contrite heart ask forgiveness from God based on faith in what was done on Calvary, then we are on the road where the shining Light of Jesus Christ leads the way.

In verse 5 and 6, “Of water and the Spirit” could refer to (1) the contrast between physical birth (water) and spiritual birth, (Spirit), or being regenerated by the Spirit and signifying the rebirth by Christian baptism. The water may also represent the cleansing action of God’s Holy Spirit. (Titus 4-7, But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared. He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that having been justified by his Grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.)

Here is another promise of God that Nick should have known about, (Ezekiel 36: 25-27, I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.)

Who is the Holy Spirit? God is three persons in one—The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. God became a man in Jesus Christ so that Jesus could die for our sins. Jesus arose from the dead to offer salvation to all people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, His physical presence left the earth, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit so that His spiritual presence would still be among mankind. The Holy Spirit first became available to all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2).

Jesus explained that we cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit; He works in ways we cannot predict or understand. Just as you did not control your physical birth, so you cannot control your spiritual birth. It is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit. (Remember this: When you seek God with all your heart, mind, and soul, He will seek you also. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.)

BASIS OF NEW BIRTH: (JOHN 9-17)

This Jewish teacher of the Bible knew the Old Testament thoroughly, but he didn’t understand what it said about the Messiah. Knowledge is not salvation. You should know the Bible but even more important, you should understand the God whom the Bible reveals and the salvation that God offers.

NUMBERS 21: 4-9:( When the Israelites were wandering in the desert). (4) They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; (5) they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” (6) Then the Lord set venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. (7) The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. (8) The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” (9) So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked up at the bronze snake, he lived.

God used venomous snakes to punish the people for unbelief and complaining. The Desert of Sinai has a variety of snakes. Some hide in the darkness or the sand and attack without warning. Both the Israelites and the Egyptians had a great fear of snakes. A bite by a poisonous snake often meant a slow death with intense suffering.

When the bronze snake was hung on the pole, the Israelites didn’t know the fuller meaning Jesus Christ would bring to the event. Jesus explained that just as the Israelites were healed of their sickness by looking at the snake on the pole, all believers today can be saved from the sickness on sin by looking to Jesus’ death on the cross. It was not the bronze snake that healed the people, but their belief that God could heal them. This belief was demonstrated by their obedience to God’s instructions. In the same way, we should continue to look to Christ.

John 3:16, The whole gospel comes to a focus in this verse. God’s love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships—when you love someone dearly, you are willing to give freely to the point of self—sacrifice. God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Jesus accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that He had bought for us. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like Jesus—willing to give up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s love.

Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil or sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this is just the introduction to eternity.

To “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us. It is to put Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His words as reliable, and relying on Him for the power to change. If you have never trusted Christ, let this promise of everlasting life be yours—and by faith, believe.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. Rather, His purpose was one of salvation. The only escape from our lost condition is through faith in Jesus Christ, who by His substitutionary death on the cross, made provision for our redemption from sin.

John did not indicate how Nicodemus responded to Jesus on the occasion recorded in John 3. We do know, however, that Nick came to the tomb where Jesus was buried with costly myrrh and aloes to embalm His body. Nicodemus also apparently defended Christ before his peers (John 7: 50-51). Old Nicodemus who came in the darkness of night grew slowly to Christ and it seems that he finally came to the place where the Light of the World was shining into and from his new heart.

He had come, “FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT”.

CONCLUSION: Just as you are! After all, isn’t that the Gospel—Isn’t that the message that Jesus Christ preached? Come as you are I’m sure that’s what He wanted. The only problem is that so many people don’t understand the message…they don’t understand what it means to “Come as you are…” And because they don’t understand the message, many will miss the message. It’s not so much about head knowledge although knowledge is a good thing to have, but it’s also heart knowledge we need.

There are millions of religious people sitting in churches this morning who are lost as Nicodemus was because they have head knowledge, but no heart knowledge. I believe the Holy Spirit can work in the heart of a person even if that person does not have all the head knowledge that others may have. But I also believe that a person can stand up better with two legs instead of one. Many people get involved with church, but not with Christ. People need to understand that church can’t save you—only a relationship with Christ can save you. There is no doubt religion (the church) will clean you up…it’ll make you look real good—but that’s only weak head knowledge and poor heart knowledge. If a person is to be saved, his heart has to be changed—and that comes only from a personal relationship with Christ. That’s the message Jesus was preaching to Nicodemus. Nicodemus, the seeker, came seeking answers about religion and Jesus told him, “It’s not about religion—it’s all about a relationship”. Being born again is a God thing—it’s all about the Grace of God, not the grace of man. God’s Grace goes beyond our comprehension. By our human nature, we want to merit God’s favor. We want to be the ones that get us into heaven. But hear this, no amount of good works will get you a ticket to heaven. You cannot earn your way or any body else’s way. Only by a trusting faith, when we look to the cross of Christ, just like the Israelites looked up to the bronze snake, can we have a chance to come into the Grace of God.

Being born again is an intervention from God. God brings us back to life as new people in the Spirit. He changes us. This supernatural act of God takes the Holy Spirit and implants the Spirit into our hearts. He gives us a heart transplant. It causes us to be a changed creature.

2nd Corinthians 5: 17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

This verse of scripture is very, very true. Just come as you are, don’t try to fix all the problems you have before you come to Christ, because that’s what going on in this lesson today, just come, Jesus will fix you to be a new creature, He will help you pass away from the old bad things in your life. All things will become new, but if you wait and try to fix every thing up before you come, well, be careful because no man knoweth when the watchman cometh, it could be even now. Trust Him today. It’s so simple, it’s a God thing, and it’s a free gift.

I read a story about an instant cake mix that was a big flop…the instructions said all you had to do was just add water and bake…The company couldn’t understand why it didn’t sell—until there research discovered that the public felt uneasy about a cake mix that required only water…apparently people thought it was to easy…so the company altered the formula and changed the directions to add an egg in addition to the water…the idea worked and sells increased.

This story reminds me of how people react to the plan of salvation…to them, it sounds too easy and simple to be true, even though the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, this is not your own doing, it is a gift from God—not of works least any man should boast.

Unlike the cake manufacture, God has not changed His, “formula” to make salvation more marketable…The Gospel we proclaim has nothing to do with being good enough…

The message that Jesus had for Nicodemus…That’s the plan that God has for us…For Jesus told Nicodemus the words that have become know as the, “Gospel in a nut shell,” “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Robert N Graves, Sr. fisherman for Christ