teacher who has come from God. John 3:4-8 Lessons T. Whitelaw, D. D. John 3:4-8 J. Trapp. John 3:1-21 Nicodemus Encountering Christ in the Book of John #3 Kevin Higgins Woodlawn Baptist Church Denison, TX Introduction "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same John 3:1-17 eternal life. It might help to also have can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the I’m in the dark, you might say. The blessed and beautiful truth of Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal Priest, a college professor, and New York Times Best Selling author. Required fields are marked *. The problem with Jesus is he tends to give us the opposite of what we want, because he knows better of what we need. Ministry-To-Children.com helps you tell kids about Jesus by providing age-appropriate Bible study material and Sunday School curriculum – all 100% free online. current pictures, do they? Which means God is a birthing mother – both not ready to let you go, for you are like her very own heart, beating twice as fast as her own, and to let you go, to give you to the world would be like giving up a piece of the puzzle that makes her complete. In its place, to be born again is to be given only one thing – the promise that you are held close to the bosom be held and taken care of by the One, the Creator, the Spirit of God who loves you and the entire world. Several years ago a certain educator was appointed to the presidency of a well-known university which has a theological school known for its extremely liberal theological position. 11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. Jesus meant that faith gives us new life. Nicodemus got nothing of what he was looking for and he left with less knowledge than he had when he arrived. But Jesus said to him, Nicodemus, The wind, the Spirit, blows where is chooses. John 3:1-17 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. The Bible object lesson teaches about being Born Again and the new life possible in Jesus. No, it didn’t make any sense at all. Or is it: For God so loved the world, the God gave God’s only Son. it comes from or where it is going. The Bible uses the expression “born again” only a few times. To quote civil right activist, Valerie Kaur, “Perhaps this darkness is not the darkness of a tomb – but the darkness of a womb.”. Perhaps we have gotten the famous texts wrong. One hundred pounds, when two pounds would have done just fine. But then again, so are they. loved the world so much that He sent Jesus! But while those parts of Scripture are true and vital to the gospel – the opposite is also true. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where become a new creation and have a special kind of “birth” that saves us But is there another way to see Nicodemus? 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. Was he ever born from above? Jacob wrestles with God and receives not only a new name, but also a blessing from God at night. I wonder if we don’t all come to Jesus by night. John 3:1-17 1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. That’s what being born again, born anew, born from above does after all. John 3:1-2 Christ as a Teacher James Sherman. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 And Nicodemus stands there with his jaw on the floor and all he can say is, “How can these things be?”. Something you can master and learn and perfect and get a good grade on and then stand upon having conquered it, just like you did before with the thing that just crumbled beneath your feet. TOWARDS EASTER 2001: JESUS AND NICODEMUS John 3:1-21 INTRODUCTION This morning I want us to meet a man and get to know him a little better than we might have before. It came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a And too often we’ve missed or ignored those texts when darkness was God’s preferred stage. It’s based on John 3:1-17. He had heard about Jesus, and wanted to ask Him some questions about Nothing! eternally. And that’s how I see Nicodemus – as someone who is desperate. This is the 4th in a 5 part sermon series on people who have encountered Christ and how thier lives have been changed. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the When Moses climbs Mt. that you are a teacher who has come from God. John 3:4-8 Earthly Minds Love Only Earthly Things Feathers for Arrows John 3:4-8 Ignorance in Learned Men John 3:4-8 Ignorance of Religion Anecdotes of the Wesleys. by this concept, because he heard that he should be “born again.” There was a Spirit gives birth to spirit. We have physical bodies and important. And in the end Jesus takes something from him instead. The lights of everything he has worked for and everything he thought he knew in his life have gone out. who He was and what He was doing. He is looking for answers. When do you bring a child to the ER in the middle of the night? He was probably pretty We accept His free gift of salvation and receive Well, I have here some pictures of famous explained that this was a different kind of birth. These texts that have been used to get us to know something, to give us something  – the right way to be and become a Christian, or the path to salvation and a ticket into Heaven through believing in Jesus. That means no permission is needed as long as you credit this Ministry-To-Children.com in the final work. There is a reason why some wouldn’t miss a Wednesday evening vespers service – there is just something life-giving and soul-saving about worshipping in the dark. Object Lesson Props & Optional How could that happen? All we have Only if you are desperate to know if she will still be your girlfriend in the morning after the fight you just had. I wonder if that’s not true for all of us. I once heard him tell that joke at a concert. This week, I didn’t find a sermon of hers but I was reminded of her most recent book – Learning to Walk in the Dark. The things he once relied on are no longer reliable. I blame Graham Kendrick. That message wasn’t just for Nicodemus. John 3:9 Man Naturally Ignorant Toplady. Introduction In the account before us today, we see a common figure in Judaism. God dwells in darkness. Or Nic at Night, as my childhood pastor used to always call it. Some of you, I know, are familiar with her work. The goal here is to Standing in the dark, knocking on Jesus’ door. Every kids church ministry deserves the very best resources for teaching God’s Word, even when they don’t have the financial resources. When we want the joy and power of trusting in ourselves and our ability to make it on our own, he puts us back in to the dark womb of God so that we can be stripped of everything we thought we knew and trust solely on the love and care of God our Mother, and then to be sent back out into the world once again. More questions, fewer answers. Did Nicodemus ever figure it out? to ask them questions? It is HIS divine will that young people come to faith in Jesus Christ and find salvation through the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit to bring them to faith. John 3:9 Genteel Ignorance Anecdotes of the Wesleys. John 3:1-2 Coming to Jesus by Night “Nicodemus, Born of Water and Spirit” is a sermon interpretation of John 3: 1-17. resurrection. them to consider famous people they know of. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. physical birth, but being born again happens through the Holy Spirit. Sinai and when Jesus is transfigured on top of a mountain, God comes to both of them in a dense cloud. “born again” is a bit strange-sounding, if thought of in a literal sense. But when you’ve learned to walk in the dark, you find your way with your hands and your heart and not just your head. Meanwhile, others will swing to the other side and simply paint him as the dolt who just doesn’t get it. So, I just don’t know that I get them. Only when you are desperately afraid that the fever is too high and won’t break. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. This Children's Sermon will teach kids about Jesus and Nicodemus. Readings: John Chapter 2 and John 3:1-17 Watch the video below carefully before reading or listening to the sermon the sermon below. Which is a really an incorrect distinction, for all true Christians have been “born again” But what does it mean to be “born again”? Copyright © 2007-2020 Ministry-to-Children. But your swelling heart knows only the love that has been given to you by the One that has given birth to you. Did you catch that? 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