<\/p>\n
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named\u00a0Nicodemus,\u00a0a ruler of the Jews.<\/span>\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup>This man came to Jesus[a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0by night and said to him,\u00a0\u201cRabbi,\u00a0we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do\u00a0unless God is with him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one is\u00a0born\u00a0again[b<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0he cannot\u00a0see the kingdom of God.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup>Nicodemus said to him, \u201cHow can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?\u201d<\/span>\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered,\u00a0\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born\u00a0of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.<\/span><\/span>\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup>That which is born of the flesh is\u00a0flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span><\/span>\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup>Do not marvel that I said to you, \u2018You[d<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0must be born\u00a0again.\u2019<\/span><\/span>8\u00a0<\/sup>The wind[e<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0blows\u00a0where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.\u201d – John 3:1-8<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is significance in the fact that John details that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Some people say it is because he feared to be seen with Jesus, or did not want to be seen with Jesus for various reasons about what others would say, do, or think. Or it could have been that he simply wanted some quiet, uninterrupted time to talk with Jesus. We cannot be certain about his motive. But I believe the night is significant for another reason. The night is representative of the dark spiritual state of Nicodemus, who is a representative of Israel at that time. The night is not only representative of the dark spiritual state of Nicodemus or Israel, but of all apart from Christ who have not been born again. But for Nicodemus, D. A. Carson says this, \u201cPredominant religious thought in Jesus\u2019 day affirmed that all Jews would be admitted to that Kingdom apart from those guilty of deliberate apostasy or extraordinary wickedness.\u201d<\/em> But here, Jesus says that you cannot even see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it, unless you are born again, individually. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New Birth is Necessary<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus says that unless one is born again of water and spirit, he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God, in verse 3 and 5. Jesus is essentially saying to Nicodemus that he is unable to understand the signs that Jesus does, and that he is unable to believe in Jesus, or be a part of God\u2019s kingdom, in his carnal state – he must be born again. This of course was not just for Nicodemus and what was going on then; but it rings true and so vitally important for all of us today and everyone throughout history. You must be born again! You cannot enter heaven without it!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New Birth is Spiritual<\/b><\/p>\n There are many different views on what is meant by the phrase, \u201cwater and spirit.\u201d I don\u2019t want to spend time talking about all the different understandings of this phrase; I just want to acknowledge the complex aspect of the saying and tell you what I believe the Scripture is getting at. The Greek construction of this phrase – \u201cwater and spirit\u201d – does not favor two different types of birth here, but one birth. So essentially the \u201cwater\u201d and the \u201cspirit\u201d are not two totally separate things, but they both signify the same thing – which is regeneration. Regeneration is an act of the Holy Spirit in which He gives life to a spiritually dead person and gives them spiritual life – in other words, this is what happens in conversion, when someone comes to Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Water symbolizes a washing away, or a putting off of the old; while the Spirit creates something new.<\/span><\/p>\n But notice verse 6 on this point that the New Birth is Spiritual.<\/span><\/p>\n This is the undeniable rules of the creation order: Dogs give birth to dogs, insects produce insects, and humans give birth to humans. Darwinian Evolution is wrong! Jesus uses the common sense of nature to show that being born from above is not something of the flesh – it is not something man can do. It is not a man-made religious work to be done. If we are to be born of water and Spirit, the Spirit must give us life. We are what we are born of. The Spirit must make us into something that we are not! The Spirit must give us a new nature. 2 Corinthians 5:17, \u201cTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New Birth is Impossible<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nicodemus did not understand how the new birth was possible. Indeed, it is impossible, unless God does it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The new birth is impossible with man, but possible with the Spirit of God. I want us to now consider the nature of the Spirit\u2019s work in the new birth. Jesus compares the work of the Spirit to the wind in verse 8.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Spirit\u2019s Work is Sovereign<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The wind blows where it wishes…so it is with the Spirit. When someone is born again it is a sovereign work of God\u2019s grace. We can\u2019t control the Holy Spirit, we can\u2019t put the Spirit in a jar and keep it that way. We can\u2019t summon the Spirit like a genie in a bottle. He comes and goes as He wishes. But we know when He\u2019s been somewhere. We know when He has worked in someone\u2019s heart to give them the new birth and a new nature. Because though we cannot see or touch the Spirit, we see it\u2019s effects. Just like the wind. We see flags waving, leaves blowing, hair flowing, but we never see the wind. But we see it\u2019s effects. Someone who has been born from above is going to be changed. Things in their life are going to be different. There is going to be fruit of the Spirit. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Spirit\u2019s Work is Mysterious<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is an element of mystery to the new birth. There are spiritual things that are beyond our full comprehension. What takes place in the new birth is a miracle! It\u2019s a miraculous act of God! We can\u2019t exactly explain it. It is not something done with human hands or human efforts. It\u2019s not a formula or an equation; it\u2019s a miracle!<\/span><\/p>\n The Spirit\u2019s work is also mysterious in the sense that sometimes we just don\u2019t know why the Spirit does what He does. We don\u2019t know why some reject Christ and others come to Him. We don\u2019t know why sometimes in some places with some people He pours out His Spirit and there is great revival and turning to Christ, and at other times and in other places and with other people, there is no revival but a hardening of hearts toward the gospel. We don\u2019t know why two siblings raised in the same home the same way at the same time can turn out so differently – one loving the Lord Jesus Christ, the other hating Him. It\u2019s a mystery to us. We know that all of that is done according to God\u2019s good will and purpose for the sake of His glory in the earth and in history, but we don\u2019t know the specifics to each case. It\u2019s a mystery to us.<\/span><\/p>\n I like how A. W. Pink puts it, \u201cSometimes the wind moves so softly it scarcely rustles a leaf, at other times it blows so loudly that its roar can be heard miles away. So it is in the matter of the new birth. With some the Holy Spirit works so gently His work is imperceptible to onlookers; with others His action is so powerful, so radical, revolutionary, His operations are patent to many. Sometimes the wind is only local in its reach, at other times it is widespread in its scope. So it is with the Spirit. Today He acts on one or two souls, tomorrow, He may – as at Pentecost – \u2018prick in the heart\u2019 a whole multitude. But whether He works on few or many He consults not man; He acts as He pleases.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Spirit\u2019s Work is Irresistible<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One final thing to note about the work of the Spirit is that it is irresistible. When the wind is blowing there is no way you can escape it. You can\u2019t resist feeling it. It just happens to it. You just experience it. If you think you can resist the wind by staying inside your house and never going outside, just wait until a powerful tornado comes through and blows your house away. The wind is powerful far beyond human strength, capacity, and will to resist. But oh how good the power of the Spirit is! What a good thing to have our homes of sin blown away and destroyed by the Spirit! What a good thing to have our futile, foolish efforts of resistance blown down by God so that His Spirit can come and make His home in us and us in Him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n How Can a Man be Born When He is Old?<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I want to close by going back to the question Nicodemus asked in verse 4: \u201cHow can a man be born when he is old?\u201d I imagine that Nicodemus asks this question because he has become nervous or anxious and worried in this exchange with Jesus. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that he cannot see the kingdom of God unless he be born again, Nicodemus begins to worry! Because though he didn\u2019t understand what it was to be born again, he knew he hadn\u2019t been born again! All of the years of his life\u2019s work of study, and strict adherence to the law, and dedication to his religion was now suddenly in jeopardy. Nicodemus is probably worried that all of his life was all for not! Nicodemus may be thinking that he is too old to change, or that he is too old to change careers or life paths, or too old to give up what he has spent his whole life doing, and that he is too old to do something new and that he is too old to change his life. The possibility of a wasted life looms in that moment. And this is the good news of the gospel: a man can be born again when he is old. With God all things are possible! It doesn\u2019t matter if you live 100 years and are not converted until you are on your deathbed – you can be born again. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019ve just been born a few years, boys and girls, you can be born again. It doesn\u2019t matter if you have spent your entire life in a cult, you can come out of it and be born again into the Kingdom of God! It doesn\u2019t matter if you have wasted years of your life in sin, following the lusts and the passions of this world, you can be born again. The Lord is gracious in giving His Spirit and saving sinners. There are none out of His reach. <\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you find yourself in the darkness of night such as Nicodemus was. Maybe you find yourself swallowed up in the blackness of your sin! Well I am here to tell you today that there is a Savior. His name is Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ does not turn poor sinners away because they are in darkness – he does not wait until they can figure out how to get the lights on – no, the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the light. He is the Light of the World that outshines the darkness of the night of our sin and He overcomes it. He can do that for you today. Would you call upon the name of the Lord today, and be saved? <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now there was a man of the Pharisees named\u00a0Nicodemus,\u00a0a ruler of the Jews.\u00a02\u00a0This man came to Jesus[a]\u00a0by night and said to him,\u00a0\u201cRabbi,\u00a0we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do\u00a0unless God is with him.\u201d\u00a03\u00a0Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,22,25,30,32],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3781","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-church-history","8":"category-commentary","9":"category-faith","10":"category-preaching","11":"category-theology","12":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/nicodemus-visiting-jesus_henry-ossawa-tanner.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4017,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/unless-the-father-draws-john-641-47\/","url_meta":{"origin":3781,"position":0},"title":"Unless the Father Draws; John 6:41-47","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"February 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 41\u00a0So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said,\u00a0\u201cI am the bread that came down from heaven.\u201d\u00a042\u00a0They said,\u00a0\u201cIs not this Jesus,\u00a0the son of Joseph, whose father and mother\u00a0we know? How does he now say,\u00a0\u2018I have come down from heaven\u2019?\u201d\u00a043\u00a0Jesus answered them,\u00a0\u201cDo not grumble among yourselves.\u00a044\u00a0No one can come to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/02\/photo-1476610182048-b716b8518aae.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/02\/photo-1476610182048-b716b8518aae.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/02\/photo-1476610182048-b716b8518aae.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/02\/photo-1476610182048-b716b8518aae.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3784,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-can-these-things-be-john-39-15\/","url_meta":{"origin":3781,"position":1},"title":"How Can These Things Be? John 3:9-15","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 9\u00a0Nicodemus said to him,\u00a0\u201cHow can these things be?\u201d\u00a010\u00a0Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cAre you the teacher of Israel\u00a0and yet you do not understand these things?\u00a011\u00a0Truly, truly, I say to you,\u00a0we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but\u00a0you[a]\u00a0do not receive our testimony.12\u00a0If I have told you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/images.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3975,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/food-that-endures-john-622-29\/","url_meta":{"origin":3781,"position":2},"title":"Food That Endures; John 6:22-29","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 22\u00a0On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only\u00a0one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.\u00a023\u00a0Other boats from Tiberias came near the place\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/12\/galilee.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/12\/galilee.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/12\/galilee.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/12\/galilee.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/12\/galilee.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/12\/galilee.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3693,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-second-birth-and-its-purposes-1-john-51-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":3781,"position":3},"title":"The Second Birth and its Purposes: 1 John 5:1-5","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Everyone who believes that\u00a0Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and\u00a0everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.2\u00a0By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.\u00a03\u00a0For\u00a0this is the love of God, that we\u00a0keep his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/01-science-has-figured-out-why-you-love-the-smell-of-old-books-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/01-science-has-figured-out-why-you-love-the-smell-of-old-books-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/01-science-has-figured-out-why-you-love-the-smell-of-old-books-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/01-science-has-figured-out-why-you-love-the-smell-of-old-books-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4100,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-mud-making-god-john-91-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":3781,"position":4},"title":"The Mud-Making God; John 9:1-7","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Verse 1, \"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.\": So Jesus is walking by with his disciples and he sees a blind man. I want you to notice this play on words here. Jesus sees a man who cannot see Him. Jesus takes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/06\/unnamed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3495,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-spectacles-of-scripture\/","url_meta":{"origin":3781,"position":5},"title":"The Spectacles of Scripture","author":"Edward Larow","date":"February 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the greatest conundrums in the history of our world is that the creator of the universe is so evident, and yet his creation is so oblivious. The heavens declare the glory of God, yet the created beings declare the glory of absence. Rather than seeing the evident common\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/faith\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/02\/img_1157.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/02\/img_1157.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/02\/img_1157.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/02\/img_1157.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/02\/img_1157.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/02\/img_1157.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}