John 3

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about John chapter 3.  John 3:1-21, There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. 

Let’s look at verses 5&6, Jesus said to Nicodemus, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Born of water; I believe the Lord was talking about water baptism. Let’s look in Rom 6:1-11,  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, in water baptism, we are baptized into His death, burial, and His resurrection. We are born of water. And we are born of the Spirit. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Let’s turn to 2 Cor 5:14-17, For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. All things have become new; old things have passed away. Our old man is crucified with Christ through water baptism; we are buried with Him and we are raised in newness of life to serve Him with our spirit; we are born from above. Going back to John chapter 3, Jesus said in verse 3,  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And many, many times we’ve heard that expression: born again; and it does mean, in fact, born again. But  if you look up the Greek word, it really refers more to being born from above. So we are born from above, through receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and through water baptism. We were dead in trespasses and sins; now we are born from above; made alive in Christ, and He in us. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. Rom 6:22, But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 

This is the witness: That God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life, but he that has not the Son of God shall not see life.  Let’s go back to John chapter 3 again; in verse 36, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. We read in the Interlinear version, which is the original Greek, The one not obeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Many times we’ve read these verses, and it’s easier to think, oh, I believe in Jesus, so I’m ok. But that Word, He who does not believe the Son; it means He who is not obeying the Son. Are you obeying the Son? Are you really following Jesus? Or are you religious? Are you practicing religion, or are you really following Jesus? Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. How do we follow Him? How do we hear His voice? By the Holy Spirit. They that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. If we are not obeying Jesus, we don’t love Him, and the wrath of God is upon us. We must repent and return to Him. Jesus said, You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will send the Comforter that He may abide with you forever. Jesus told us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, and He will not leave us alone, but He will send the Holy Spirit to comfort us, and help us to understand and obey His Words. Let’s go to 1 John 5:3, For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 2:4-6, He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

If we don’t love Him, but rather, we love ourselves and our own pleasures, our own ways, that’s what makes it so hard to obey Him. So what can we do? We must understand and believe what happened to us when we were baptized in water; we were crucified with Him, buried with Him, raised again, justified from all selfishness and rebellion, to serve Him in His life and love. That’s the key: LOVE. If we love Him, we will overcome, and we will love others. If we don’t, we won’t. Faith works by love! Christian faith only works by love! God so loved us, that He gave us his Son to die for us and save us from our sins.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Light is come into the world, that’s Jesus, but men rejected Him. They hate Him; they hate the light, and they love darkness so they can continue doing their evil deeds, which they love, to their own destruction. God is saving and perfecting a people who love Him from their hearts, to live with Him forever in His Glorious Kingdom. Those who refuse to love Him condemn themselves to eternal damnation. God knows the heart. God looks on the heart, and He chooses those who He can work with and perfect their love. This is all about love! God is love!, and he that dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in Him! Jesus in you, and you in Jesus. 

Be honest with yourself, if you don’t love God, be honest with yourself, and with Him! Did you know you can come to Him, and come before him; humble yourself; if you have to get on your face out in the woods, or in your house, get on your face before God and say, Lord God, I cry out to you! I’m a hypocrite! I don’t love you! I go to church; I act like I love you, but I know I really don’t love you because I do what I want to do; I don’t do what you want me to do. I humble myself before you and I cry out to you and I ask for mercy; help me to love you! You know God will answer that prayer. He will answer you! He will help you! So I urge you, you that are reading this today: humble yourself before the Living God! And, if you want to, you can love Him! He will help you to love Him. The Bible says the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you need the Holy Spirit! Don’t let anyone lie to you any more! Amen! Let’s turn to John 17. God loves you. He loves you, my friend. I don’t know who you are, but I’m talking to somebody. God loves you, He loves you. He brought you into this world to be His servant and you’ve been rebellious all your life; this is your hour. I urge you now, come to Him! He loves you. He will help you. Draw near to Him, God says, draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. And, you know what, He’s not a respecter of persons. Any person that will humble themselves  before Him, He will grant them grace. God will help you! He’ll give you grace. And, don’t worry; the things that you will leave behind aren’t worth keeping! The things that God has for you are glorious! They are wonderful! John 17:23-26, Jesus was praying to the Father, and he said,  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one,  that’s what God wants to do with us,   and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Do we believe that? Do we believe that the Father loves us as He loves Jesus? That’s what Jesus said.  And Jesus wants the world to know that the Father loves us like He loves Jesus. He said, Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.