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Born Again: Gods Great Work of Restoration

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Pastor David Cha. Nicodemus. Comes to Jesus by night (darkness) ... Two Givens. The Jews were aware of God's sovereign and kingly rule in history. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Born Again: Gods Great Work of Restoration


1
Born Again Gods Great Work of Restoration
  • John 31-21
  • Pastor David Cha

2
Nicodemus
  • Comes to Jesus by night (darkness).
  • Being moral and religious does not make us fit
    for heaven.
  • Represents many of us who just know a lot.

3
Jesus
  • Comes to replace the incompleteness of Judaism.
  • Steps into the darkness to rescue and redeem
    those in the dark.

4
Nicodemus First Question
  • Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come
    from God. For no one could perform the miraculous
    signs you are doing if God were not with him
    (v.2).

5
Two Givens
  • The Jews were aware of Gods sovereign and kingly
    rule in history.
  • They were also aware of the coming kingdom where
    obedient Jews would enter into upon its coming.

6
Jesus Answer
  • He puts the focus from the miraculous signs to a
    genuine relationship with God.
  • I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom
    of God unless he is born again (v.3).

7
Born Again
  • It really means born from above.
  • In order to enter this kingdom, one must go
    beyond just mere observation of divine signs.
  • Comprehensive changing of a whole person.

8
What is John doing?
  • John is pointing out that only God can rescue
    this fallen humanity.
  • Jesus is not only going to fix parts, but the
    whole.
  • It is nothing short of a whole new birth.

9
Nicodemus Second Question
  • How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus
    asked. Surely he cannot enter a second time into
    his mothers womb to be born! (v.4)

10
Jesus Answer (v.5-7)
  • Jesus uses the Water and the Spirit analogy (2
    possible explanations).

11
Explanation 1
  • The water and the Spirit analogy by Jesus refers
    to the baptism of repentance by John the Baptist
    and only then the transforming work of the Spirit
    can be experienced.

12
Explanation 2
  • Pouring of the Spirit on all people.
  • For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and
    streams on the dry ground I will pour my Spirit
    on your offspring, and my blessing on your
    descendants (Isaiah 443).
  • Water and Spirit are seen as the life-giving
    gifts of God.

13
Prophecies Fulfilled
  • I will sprinkle clear 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 (Ezekiel 3625-27).

14
What is Jesus talking about?
  • Dawning of a new era, in which Jesus completes it
    by baptizing with the Spirit.
  • John the Baptist started it with the water
    baptism of confession of sins, and now Jesus will
    complete it with the pouring of the Spirit.

15
Holy Spirit, like the Wind (v.8)
  • Its origin and movements are mysterious, and they
    cannot be contained by the human religious
    systems Jesus has already challenged.

16
Nicodemus Third Question
  • How can this be? Nicodemus asked (v.9).

17
Nicodemus Confusion (and Fear?)
  • His commitments to the Judaic religious system
    has been challenged.
  • He is a man standing on the frontier, looking at
    a new country and wondering how such momentous
    events will unfold.

18
Jesus Answer
  • Jesus must be lifted up in order to become the
    source of life for all those who believe.
  • The cross is not just a place of sacrifice and
    suffering, but also the place of return, thus the
    place of glorification.
  • Jesus will be glorified when he is crucified.

19
Lifted Up
  • Faith in Christ is the only means of salvation.
    Gods command to Moses in Num. 21 was that he
    lift up the brazen serpent and tell men to look
    by faith.
  • Not to look meant condemnation faith meant
    salvation.

20
For God so loved the world(Unique in 2 ways)
  • God loves those outside of Judaism.
  • Universal love rarely taught in Judaism.
  • We are not to love the world (1 John 215-17) as
    in a way of selfish participation, but to love
    the world in selfless, costly love of redemption.

21
The world
  • The world refers to humanity opposed to God.
  • Jesus knew fully well the hostility He would face
    from the world.

22
Divine Judgment
  • Coming of Jesus holds us accountable.

23
Not so Simple
  • The affections of people in the world are
    corrupt their desires are fallen they are not
    eager to be redeemed. They love darkness instead
    of light in fact, they hate the light.

24
The War (vv.19-21)
  • Evil and darkness do not ignore the light they
    wage war against it.
  • But despite these efforts, the darkness cannot
    vanquish the light (19). The darkness launches a
    battle that brings about its own defeat.

25
What about those who come to the Light?
  • They are transformed into children of God,
    experiencing the power of the Spirit and living
    the truth. Such people live righteously because
    God is at work in them, not because they have a
    native desire to be godly.

26
Applications
  • God wants to change all of us, not parts.
  • We must come to the light (with our sins and all)
    and be changed.
  • Dying to ourselves brings God glory.
  • We are held accountable.

27
Our Church, today
  • We must be light to others.
  • This starts with us coming to the light first.
  • We must imitate His love for all people.
  • We are accountable to love others (regardless of
    the past).
  • We can rest assured that darkness will not
    triumph.

28
How can we be so sure?
  • Because our good God is at work
  • All this is from God, who reconciled us to
    himself through Christ and gave us the ministry
    of reconciliation that God was reconciling the
    world to himself in Christ, not counting mens
    sins against them. And he has committed to us the
    message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians
    518-19).
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