ABANDONED At BIRTH-IV—John 3:1-21
Concessions For New Birth
Attention:
The internet company ‘LetGo.com.’
Their TV commercials visit the absurdity of holding on to useless things.
One of them opens in the busy streets of New York City(?), & focuses on two girls on a scooter, ridiculously carrying a huge disco ball balanced between the handlebars so the driver cannot possibly see. They barely avoid many disco-ball related collisions & cause others to crash in the process. The passenger asks why the driver won’t get rid of the ball. She responds, “I can’t, it takes me back to the 70’s.”(the ironic thing is that neither one of them is over 25yrs old!) After attempting to talk the driver into getting rid of the ball, the passenger posts the ball to ‘LetGo.com’ to see if someone will buy it. They are immediately met by now de-funked ‘The Village People’(late 70’s-80’s disco band) who are thrilled to purchase the disco-ball!
Their lives were no longer in jeopardy after having ‘let go’ of the encumbrances of the disco-ball.
Likewise, when you are saved/born again/born from above, you must abandon everything ‘you’ are holding onto for whatever reason. You must let go in order to be & have what God wants you to be & have. Unless you surrender your hold on the things of earth, you are not allowing God to give you the Kingdom of Heaven.
In God’s scheme of life for mankind, New Birth—being born again— is the only means of...growing close to God, finding power in prayer, being faithful in service, finding God’s purpose in life, becoming dedicated to His direction.
Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus yielded the essentials of being born again.
Being born again is essential to God’s plan.
What is essential to achieve new birth?
What is essential to be born again?
7 Concessions we all must make to achieve a new birth.
‘Concession’—Something surrendered or given up
We have already found that
Those born from above, Abandon their previous...
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2. LIMITING WISDOM(:3-7)
3. DIRECTION(:8)
4—Those born from above, Abandon their previous...
ACCEPTANCE(:9-13) Knowledge
Explanation: (:9-13) Accept Jesus & His testimony
:9—“Nicodemus answered & said to Him, “How can these things be?”
Nic responds with another question seeking Jesus’ explanation. He asks in the context of his own experience as he has not undergone spiritual re-creation/re-birth. Therefore Nic wants to know how such things can be true.
*Nicodemus couldn’t understand how the Spirit operated apart from the externals of the Law. He thought Law was necessary for obtaining heaven instead of it’s holding one in restraint apart from the Spirit.
*Explain...
*Gal. 3:19, 24-25—“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; & it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.”.....“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
—Yes, the law was from God(thru angels) but it was meant as a means to an end—of allowing the Spirit’s control.
How is it that I have ‘experienced God’s presence’ & ‘served God’ for all my life, yet not know what this “born again” & ‘going where God wants me to go’ stuff, is all about?
Jn. 16:1-2—“These things I[Jesus] have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” :10—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, & do not know these things?”
Note the definite article used by Jesus to set apart Nic as “the teacher of Israel” here, as opposed to “a ruler”(:1).
In :1, Nic is one of a group responsible to God for decision-making. But here, Nic is made solely responsible to God for his own teaching & to the detriment of others.
Blood is on his hands! Though he probably never lifted a finger against a soul. His ideals & their implementation destroy others!
Js. 3:1—“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”
Likewise, each one of you is an individual. And as such you are solely responsible for & answerable to God for, accepting &/or maintaining the thought of a group. Are you willing to be recognized as part of that group?
Be very careful with whom you are identified!!...
The 2016(or any for that matter) Presidential election:
Donald Trump—no moral compass other than money. Cold, heartless, crass, school boy.
Proffers, to some degree, the Republican agenda=Smaller government...or so they say.
Hillary Clinton—no moral compass other than the guise of humanism...Blindly borrowing & controlling to everyone’s eventual demise.
Proffers, to a great degree, the Democrat agenda=Big government.
**BUT...
...What beats out smaller & big government is God's RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT!!
“Teacher”(See :2)—didaskalov—1) A teacher; 2) In the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, & the duties of man. Strong—An instructor(genitive case or specially).
“Know”—ginwskw—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel—1a) To become known; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of—2a) To understand, 2b) To know; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Ginwskw is a knowledge grounded on personal experience. Strong—To "know"(absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
:11—“Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know & testify what We have seen, & you do not receive Our witness.”
Again, with authority, Nic is not only informed of his lack of spiritual insight(:10) but juxtaposes Jesus’ insight here.
Jesus uses the second person plural(“We”) to declare to Nic that they speak what they actually “know.” But to whom does the “we” refer?
It could refer to the Trinity in the same fashion as Nic claimed he was representing the Pharisees(:2).
Those with personal experience with Jesus vs. a secondary experience as the Pharisees.
‘Jesus probably associates here with Himself (“We”) those who have personal experience of grace & so are qualified as witnesses.’ However, Jesus may also be including ‘the convictions of a’ future ‘age.’—RWP
*The fact that Jesus is the Son of God, & simultaneously, the Son of man is absolutely foreign to Nicodemus’ understanding. But he is being schooled in that truth by the Christ/Messiah of God Himself!
‘He is not a dreamer, guesser, or speculator. He is bearing witness from personal knowledge, strange as this may seem to Nicodemus.’—RWP
Mat. 11:27—“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
*It is absolutely indisputably vital for a person to “RECEIVE” Jesus’ “witness.”
“Know”(See :8—“Tell”)—oida(variant of eidw—See :3)—1) To see—1a) To perceive with the eyes, 1b) To perceive by any of the senses, 1c) To perceive, notice, discern, discover, 1d) To see—1d1) i.e. To turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything, 1d2) To pay attention, observe, 1d3) To see about something—1d31) i.e. to ascertain what must be done about it, 1d4) To inspect, examine, 1d5) To look at, behold, 1e) To experience any state or condition, 1f) To see i.e. have an interview with, to visit; 2) To know—2a) To know of anything, 2b) To know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive—2b1) Of any fact, 2b2) the force & meaning of something which has definite meaning, 2b3) To know how, to be skilled in, 2c) To have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to (1Th 5:12). To see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception.
“Testify”—marturew—1) To be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. To affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration. Strong—To be witness, i.e. Testify(literally or figuratively)
“Seen”—oraw—1) To see with the eyes; 2) To see with the mind, to perceive, know; 3) To see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to experience; 4) To see, to look to—4a) To take heed, beware, 4b) To care for, pay heed to; 5) I was seen, showed myself, appeared. Oraw gives prominence to the discerning mind.... When the physical side recedes, [it] denotes perception in general(as resulting principally from vision), the prominence being in the mental element. Strong—properly--To stare at, i.e. by implication--To discern clearly(physically or mentally); by extension--To attend to; by Hebraism--To experience; passively--To appear.
“Receive”—lambanw—Strong—To take(in very many applications, literally & figuratively [properly objective or active, to get hold of]).
“Witness”—marturia—1) A testifying—1a) The office committed to the prophets of testifying concerning future events; 2) What one testifies, testimony, i.e. before a judge. Strong—Evidence given(judicially or genitive case).
:12—“If I have told you earthly things & you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
Jesus informs Nic that He has couched spiritual truth in a physical context so it can be understood by him. Yet Nicodemus has not grasped it’s meaning:
a. Birth—New, Separate, From above
b. Wind—as it relates to God’s direction, etc.
Rom. 1:19-20—“...what may be known of God is manifest in them[suppressors of truth], for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”
*Jesus relates that Nicodemus, though he is desirous of heavenly truth, will not be able to “believe” as he will not(cannot) grasp the explanatory “earthly” picture/example of those truths.
!As is possible with Nicodemus, so are all others who will miss the love, & glory of God’s heaven!
“Earthly”—epigeiov—1) Existing upon the earth, earthly, terrestrial. Strong—Worldly(physically or morally).
“Believe”(See :15)—pisteuw—Strong—To have faith(in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. Credit; by implication--To entrust(especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ).
“Heavenly”—epouraniov—1) Existing in heaven; 2) Of heavenly origin or nature. Strong—Above the sky.
:13—“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”
Jesus is informing Nic as to the nature of the person with whom he is now dealing. Here Jesus gives Nic, & the reader, a glimpse of His dual nature as both Divine & human.
Jesus is, in fact, the bearer of first-hand information regarding heaven. This is not because He has “ascended to heaven” but rather because He has indeed uniquely descended “from heaven.” He has willingly & mission-mindedly descended, taking on human flesh, & thus simultaneously becoming “the Son of God” as well as “the Son of Man.”
“Hence God’s decree concerning the redemption of His people lies completely outside of the range of man’s knowledge until it is revealed to him.”—William Hendriksen
1Cor. 1:21; 2:1-16—For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”.....“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ & Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, & in much trembling. And my speech & my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Mat. 11:27; Lk. 10:22—““All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
“Who is in heaven”
Not in the better attested manuscripts—But would “...emphasize[s] the timeless existence of God's Son who is in heaven even while on earth.”—RWP
—At the time of this writing—Resurrected & Ascended.
—Or even so certainly so that it can factually be said, He is resurrected & ascended & seated at the Father’s right hand!
cf.—Jn. 17:11-12—“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; & none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
Jesus stated this in prayer prior to His going to the Cross!
“Ascended/Gone into”—anabainw—Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) Ascend-1a) To go up, 1b) To rise, mount, be borne up, spring up. Strong—To go up(literally or figuratively).
From—ana—a primary preposition & adverb; properly--Up; but by extension, used distributively--Severally, or locally--At(etc.)— & the base of —basiv—from bainw(to walk); A pace("base"), i.e. by implication--The foot.
“Came down”—katabainw—2Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masc.—1) To go down, come down, descend—1a) The place from which one has come down from, 1b) To come down—1b1) As from the temple at Jerusalem, from the city of Jerusalem, 1b2) Of celestial beings coming down to earth, 1c) To be cast down; 2) of things—2a) To come(i.e. be sent) down, 2b) To come(i.e. fall) down—2b1) From the upper regions of the air; 3) metaph.--To(go i.e.) be cast down to the lowest state of wretchedness & shame. Strong—To descend(literally or figuratively).
From—kata—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations(according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined).—&—basiv—from bainw(to walk); A pace("base"), i.e. by implication--The foot.
“Heaven”3X—ouranov—Noun Masc.—1) The vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it—1a) The universe, the world, 1b) The aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds & the tempests gather, & where thunder & lightning are produced, 1c) The sidereal or starry heavens; 2) The region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal & consummately perfect where God dwells & other heavenly beings. Strong—perhaps from the same as orov(through the idea of elevation—Probably from an obsolete orw(to rise or “rear”)); The sky; by extension--Heaven(as the abode of God); by implication--Happiness, power, eternity; specifically, the Gospel(Christianity).
Argumentation:
Adding to & Taking away:
Deut. 4:1-2—““Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes & the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, & go in & possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”
Deut. 12:29-32—““When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, & you displace them & dwell in their land, “take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, & that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons & daughters in the fire to their gods. “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Prov. 30:5-6—“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, & you be found a liar.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. “Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Rev. 22:18-19 “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; & if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, & from the things which are written in this book.”
**Mat. 9:14-17—“Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we & the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, & then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, & the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, & the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, & both are preserved.”
“...Jesus’ new & internal gospel of forgiveness & cleansing cannot be attached to the old & external traditions of self-righteousness & ritual.”—John MacArthur
Mat. 7:13-14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
1Cor. 1:20-21—“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
Php. 3:2-3—“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, & have no confidence in the flesh,”
Php. 3:7-11—“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Illustration:
Secular Evolutionists are generally not accepting of God’s truth as is—They want to add to it or take away from it/They color the truth with something they can reproduce & test by ACCEPTed physical means/Something that is already on their radar...that they have come to believe without God/ACCEPTANCE
I had to ACCEPT God’s truth as the truth before I could be saved/I had to rethink & trash most of the stuff I had been taught & which is commonly accepted by our culture, & taught in our schools/ACCEPTANCE
Application:
?Did you Abandon previous ACCEPTANCE at birth?
?What did you Abandon at birth?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
LetGo.com—Scooter disco ball--to Village People—Let go of that which hinders us.
Action:
Those born from above, Abandon previous...
4. ACCEPTANCE(:9-13) Accept Jesus & His testimony
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2. LIMITING WISDOM(:3-7)
3. DIRECTION(:8)
Pt. 4 only! Presented 10/162016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave SE(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 4-6 Presented 01/09/2010 am To:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
