LISTEN TO JESUS: OUTWARD COMMITMENT RESULTS IN INWARD CHANGE

LISTEN TO JESUS

OUTWARD COMMITMENT

RESULTS IN INWARD CHANGE

John 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

Susie: Old Nicodemus still doesn’t get it. Even though he now knows it is not a second physical birth, he still cannot figure out how this new birth transpires. 

Susan: Where he goes wrong is trying to reason everything out. It is all an intellectual process for him.

Susie: He is not using eyes of faith. Of course, I guess we should cut Nick some slack since Jesus had not yet died and been resurrected.

Susan: Also, his wheelhouse is dissecting the Law for proper interpretation, . . .

Susie: . . . but he misses the core of the Law which is love for God and people. The Pharisees sat in judgment upon the people but did nothing to lift them up.

Luke 11:46 (NIV) Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

John 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Susan: Nicodemus was a teacher of teachers. He was like a tenured seminary professor, a master teacher.

Susie: He was a respected authority among the Jews. The Pharisees were so focused on the external obedience they could not see the need for inward transformation. 

Susan: If you do not know the reason for the ritual, it is of no effect. The rituals of the Jews should have been an act of obedience based on their relationship to God, not an occasion to say, “I’m holier than you.” 

Susie: I am reminded of a song that was instrumental in my realizing I was a “good girl” but did not know Jesus at all. The lyric was “Empty eyes stare from empty sockets; frozen lips form frozen words. Masks that hide faceless people, acting roles with lines unheard. Row on row we march in order, mouthing hymns and reading prayers.” Pharisees demonstrated all the outward appearance of serving the Lord but needed an operation of the heart that only the Holy Spirit could perform. The Apostle Paul explained this quite well:

Romans 2:29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Has God revealed a need for inward change in your own life?

·     Have you been checking off all the expected boxes for “Christian” behavior rather than submitting to having the Holy Spirit change your heart?

·     Remember what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments and the fact that one can only truly keep them when one is “born again”:

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

LISTEN TO JESUS - BORN FROM ABOVE

LISTEN TO JESUS

BORN FROM ABOVE

John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Susie: Nicodemus pictures a grown man somehow going back into the womb to be “born again.” As we will see, this is not what Jesus meant at all. 

Susan: The phrase “born again” can literally be translated “born from above.” 

Susie: Jesus endeavors to explain this distinction in the next few verses.

John 3:5-8 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Susie: Since Nicodemus is obviously thinking of natural, physical birth, Jesus contrasts this with spiritual rebirth. He compares the Spirit with the wind. We do not see the wind, but we feel and see its effects. 

Susan: Therefore, Jesus is declaring to Nicodemus that he must receive transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Susie: We do not see the actual transaction of the Holy Spirit entering a life, but like the wind, we see the effect this has on the person’s attitudes and behaviors. 

Susan: We see the fruit of the Spirit in a consecrated life. 

Susie: Jesus is explaining that our own self-righteousness can never be good enough. We must be transformed by the power of the Lord through faith in order to approach a Holy God.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     We are all born into this world after months in our mother’s womb. We did not choose to be born.

·     When we are born of the Spirit, God has chosen us to be His adopted children (Galatians 4:4-5). Our only effort is to accept this free gift of grace and submit to Him as our Father.

·     Have you been born again?

·     If you have been born again, you will increasingly exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in your life (Galatians 5:22-23).

LISTEN TO JESUS: BORN AGAIN?

LISTEN TO JESUS

BORN AGAIN?

Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3

John chapter 3 is both apologetic and evangelistic. In it, John proclaims and defends the deity of Christ, that He is the Son of God. He also clearly presents the way of salvation through God’s gift of His only begotten Son. The story of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus continues the theme at the end of chapter two that Jesus can see into the hearts of men.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

Susan: The Pharisees were Jewish “Puritans” . . .

Susie: . . . who meticulously observed the letter of the Mosaic law along with a host of traditions they had added to it. 

Susan: However, they often missed the heart, the spiritual intention, of the Law. Jesus called them out on this:

Matthew 23:23 (NIV) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Susie: According to the MacArthur Bible Commentary the Pharisees were comprised of mostly middle-class businessmen rather than priests and Levites. I had always pictured them as rich men.

Susan: The common people revered them because their outward appearance seemed to indicate they were devout. 

Susie: However, Jesus at one point described them as “whitewashed tombs.” OUCH!

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Susie: Nicodemus was not only a Pharisee but a “ruler of the Jews” which means he was a member of the Sanhedrin. 

Susan: The Sanhedrin was comprised of the High Priest, the chief priests, the elders, and some scribes for a total of seventy-one people. 

Susie: Nicodemus must have been an elder—head of a family—since he was neither a priest nor a Scribe. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the Jews in Palestine . . .

Susan: . . . but the Sanhedrin had to defer to the Roman authority in matters of capital punishment which we will see later as Jesus is brought before Pilate, the Procurator. 

Susie: Nicodemus was a member of this prestigious group. 

John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Susan: Nicodemus approached Jesus under the umbrella of darkness because he did not want any of the other Pharisees to know of his inquiry of Jesus. Nicodemus must have been talking about Jesus to other Pharisees whether they were willing to admit it or not because he says, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God.”

Susie: He acknowledges that the power to perform the miracles Jesus had done must have come from God. Yet, at this time, he still could not bring himself to admit that Jesus could be God’s Son. Most of the Pharisees did not even give Jesus a chance. 

Susan: But Nicodemus wanted to look into His eyes, talk with Him face to face, and see exactly what He was about. You know the honesty or deceit of a man by looking into His eyes, the window of the soul.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Susie: Jesus’s statement about being born again was shocking. Nicodemus would have been confident he would see the kingdom of God because of his righteousness in adhering to the Law and his Jewish lineage. Jesus was saying this heritage and personal righteousness was not enough. The other reason it is hard for Nicodemus to digest is that he is taking it literally! 

Susan: Because Nicodemus did take it literally rather than understanding it as a metaphor, it made his brain go tilt, tilt, tilt!

Susie: Jesus repeated “verily” or “truly” two times for emphasis. He was stressing the point that one must be born again to gain eternal life and enter Heaven. Since man cannot literally be born a second time, what did He mean? Stay tuned for next week’s post to find out!

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Nicodemus was an elder, a Pharisee, and a teacher; but he sought Jesus for answers. We must humble ourselves before Jesus, the only One who has all of life’s answers

·     Nicodemus, even before he became a follower of Jesus as the Messiah, acknowledged that Jesus must have power from God to do miracles. A person can believe Jesus had miraculous power without trusting Him for salvation and bowing before Him as King. Do you just know about Jesus, or do you KNOW Him?

·     As we continue in this study, ask yourself if you have been born again. If not, speak to your pastor, Sunday school teacher, good Christian friend, or contact us via our website for more information. We would love to introduce you to our Savior.

LISTEN TO JESUS: I WILL RAISE IT UP!

I WILL RAISE IT UP!

Destroy this temple, and in three days

I will raise it up.

John 2:19

John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

Susie: The Jews questioned Jesus’s authority to cleanse the temple of them. 

Susan: They wanted Him to perform a miracle, sign, or wonder to authenticate Himself. I’m sure that some thought Jesus to be mentally unstable. 

Susie: In present day vernacular, they thought He had “gone postal.” 

Susan: Today they might call the people in the little white coats to pick up Jesus and take Him to a place where nice people would care for Him. 

Susie: Once again we have non-believers wanting to see a “sign” before they will accept Jesus’s authority. 

Susan: They wanted a sign, but they could not decipher the living billboard of Jesus before them. What makes them think a sign would make it any easier to believe?

John 2:19-22 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Susie: Jesus tells them to destroy the temple, and He will raise it back up in three days. Now they really thought He was crazy. 

Susan: The Jews pompously, arrogantly explained that it had taken forty-six years to build the temple. They were incredulous and incensed that He would claim to be able to restore it in only three days! They were sure His elevator went nowhere near the top floor.  

Susie: They were blinded to the fact that He was prophesying about the destruction of His body and His resurrection on the third day which was an even more amazing miracle than rebuilding the temple, if you think about it. 

Susan: Those sitting in judgment of Jesus had no clue He was referring to His own physical body as the temple rather than the stone and mortar edifice before them. 

Susie: This statement was filed away in the disciples’ memory banks, and the Holy Spirit brought it to their minds after the Lord’s resurrection and used it to make their faith stronger.

John 14:26 (NIV) But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Susie: There were many things the disciples did not understand at the moment they were happening . . .

Susan: . . . but after the gift of the Holy Spirit, these things became focused. 

Susie: Before I surrendered my life to the Lord, the Bible often seemed murky to me. After my conversion and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, I began to understand more clearly. The Holy Spirit illuminates—shines a light on—the word of God to make it easier to grasp. 

Susan: The Spirit makes it crystal clear because that is one of the Holy Spirit’s jobs.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     People think witnessing a miracle would help them to believe. However, if that did not help them to believe when Jesus walked the earth, how can we think it would make a difference today?

·     The miracle of the resurrection was far greater than restoring a physical building. There is much evidence in the Bible proving the resurrection. Do we rejoice in its reality?

·     When the Bible is difficult to understand, we should pray asking the Holy Spirit to help us and continue to study.

LISTEN TO JESUS: A HOUSE OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER

LISTEN TO JESUS

A HOUSE OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER

Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

JOHN 2:16

John 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines Passover as follows:

P'ASSOVER, noun [pass and over.] A feast of the Jews, instituted to commemorate the providential escape of the Hebrews, in Egypt, when God smiting the first-born of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Israelites, which were marked with the blood of the paschal lamb.

Susie: At the specified time each year, the Jews would take an unblemished lamb to the temple to be sacrificed. If they did not own a lamb, one could be purchased with temple coins. Jesus. . . 

Susan: . . . who would ultimately be the final, perfect Passover Lamb . . .

Susie: . . . traveled to Jerusalem to participate in this ceremony. 

Susan: Jesus’s death on the cross as the final and complete sacrifice would end the need for the sacrificial system.

John 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

Susan: Jesus found merchants in the temple instead of true worshippers. Jesus could see the signs in their eyes because He sees into people’s hearts.

Susie: Not only were they profiting from the sale of animals to be sacrificed, but the exchange rate offered to replace Roman coins with temple coins was exorbitantly high, lining their pockets with a tidy profit. 

Susan: They were building their own affluence by robbing the people who desired to worship sacrificially. This egregious behavior troubled and angered Jesus to His very core.  

John 2:15-17 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Susan: We do not often think of Jesus as angry . . . 

Susie: . . . but He was so upset that He actually made a whip and used it to drive out the animals, threw tables over spilling the money, and rebuked the merchants. 

Susan: It seems that the fact that He was making a whip in the temple would have given the merchants a clue as to what He was about to do.  He was not only angry, but He was hurt. The outlandish, outrageous behavior offended Him. In His humanness it may have made Him physically ill. 

Susie: As God, Jesus was insulted by their blatant disregard for what should have been a holy atmosphere . . .

Susan: . . . and an affront to the purpose for which His house was built. 

Susie: The other three gospels record a time near the end of His ministry that Jesus cleansed the temple and reminded the merchants His Father’s house was designed to be a house of prayer. Apparently, this was a constant problem. It was an indicator that the hearts of many Jews were far from worshipping the Lord.

Susan: As a Holy God, Jesus must have been irate that the Temple continued to be desecrated in this way.

Psalm 69:9…for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Susie: The temple was designed to focus all attention on God, a place of prayer and communion with Him. These merchants and money changers were using it for their own personal gain. Rather than serving the worshipers by providing healthy animals, they were robbing their fellow Jews by unfairly raising the prices. 

Susan: They were disobeying God by committing usury. They were more devoted to creating creature comforts for themselves than their obedience to God. Communion with the Lord should be our focus in worship, and really for every believer, every day. 

Susie: Nothing should be done that detracts from devoting ourselves to prayer, worship, and fellowship in the house of God.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     The sanctuary (worship center) should be a place of prayer

·     We should focus our hearts and minds on the Lord and worship Him there

·     Our interactions with other believers should be fair and honoring to our Father

·     We should prepare our hearts for worship even before we arrive at church for corporate worship for our own benefit and the encouragement of others

LISTEN TO JESUS: DO WHATEVER JESUS SAYS

LISTEN TO JESUS

DO WHATEVER JESUS SAYS

John 2:1-2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

Susie: John never refers to Mary by name but calls her “the mother of Jesus.” This distinguishes her from other people named Mary such as Mary Magdalene . . . 

Susan: . . . or Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha.

Susie: The fact that both Mary and Jesus were invited to this wedding may indicate that the groom was a family member or close friend . . . 

Susan: . . . of one or both of them. 

Susie: The disciples may have known the bride or groom or may have been invited simply because they were accompanying Jesus everywhere. At this point, there were five disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and presumably John.

John 2:3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Susie: A wedding feast in Israel at this time could last as long as a week, so it is not surprising they could run out of wine in that amount of time. The groom was responsible for financing this elaborate affair, and it would reflect badly on him if his guests were not well taken care of. He would not want his new bride’s family to think he was “cheap!” Therefore, Mary points this out to her Son. Why would Mary tell Jesus rather than someone else? 

Susan: Maybe Mary told Jesus because she knew going to any other person might cause gossip to start. She knew they could handle it judiciously and quietly. If the groom was a family member, maybe she was trying to save face.

Susie: Do you think she was expecting Jesus to do a miracle? 

Susan: She of all people knew Jesus was the Son of God due the miraculous nature of His birth and His arrival being heralded by the angel, Gabriel. 

Susie: She was there when He was conceived in her virgin womb. 

Susan: Gabriel had even told her that the child placed in her by the Holy Spirit would be the Son of the God. When she gave birth to Jesus in the stable, she beheld the worship of the shepherds and the wonder of the star.

Susie: Surely, she knew Jesus could do something about the lack of wine.

John 2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

Susan: Jesus says, “Mom, it’s not time yet. Please don’t rush me.” 

Susie: He may have meant it was not time to reveal Himself through signs yet, or He may have been saying that the time of celebration when wine would flow freely had not yet come. Throughout the Gospel of John, we see Jesus saying that His time had not yet come. Calling her “woman” was not rude nor disrespectful. It was the equivalent of addressing her as “ma’am”. However, it did indicate He was responding as the Messiah rather than her son.

Susie: Jesus is shifting from His position as the son Mary to be raised to His position as the Son of God who must act according to the Father’s plan and time schedule. 

Susan: He moved from His human responsibilities to His divine mandate.

John 2:5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Susie: Undeterred, Mary instructs the servants to follow Jesus’ instruction. She has faith that He will remedy the situation somehow . . . 

Susan: . . . and that He will do the right thing. Mary knows her son and that He will do it out of respect for her and the fact that He would not want anyone to suffer embarrassment on his wedding day. 

Susie: She gives the servants advice that is still good for us today, “Do whatever Jesus says to do.”

John 2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

Susie: These stone pots kept the water from the impurities that would seep into clay jars, would have held at least 120 gallons! That’s some party! Jesus told the servants to fill them up. They followed Mary’s instructions and obeyed Him. This is another thing that makes me think Mary may have been a relative of the groom because her words carried weight with the servants.

Susan: They filled the jars to the brim which is how Jesus wants to fill those who believe with His Holy Spirit!

John 2:8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

Susan: If I had been one of the servants, I might have said, “If you want it taken to the master of the feast, you take it! I’m not taking a chance on getting in trouble.”

Susie: Maybe they could smell the change of the water into wine, but I think they would still be apprehensive about its quality. However, they followed instructions.

John 2:9-10 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Susie: The master of the feast had not seen what had occurred over at the water jars. He was amazed at the quality of the wine. 

Susan: He was surprised the groom had saved the best for last.

Susie: Apparently the groom was also unaware of the miracle that had transpired. Jesus had met his need before he even had to ask and even though he would have had no way of knowing Jesus could perform such a sign. Jesus does not do things half-way. 

Susan: Jesus is a “go big or go home” God.  

Susie: He can and does do much more than we can imagine. 

Susan: Jesus cared (and still does) about the ordinary concerns of ordinary people.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Susie: This first sign or miracle of turning water into wine helped to solidify His disciples’ belief that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Susan: It helped to strengthen their confidence and trust in the reality of His divinity. 

Susie: Therefore, when He left the wedding, these five disciples, along with His mother and brothers continued following Him to Capernaum.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Jesus first miracle was not something spectacular like raising a dead man or casting out a demon. It was meeting a very practical need in a miraculous way. Do you ever wonder if we fail to recognize everyday miracles in our own lives?

·     Are things really “coincidental” or does our sovereign Lord orchestrate “circumstances” to guide us into His best for us?

·     Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus said. Do we follow that advice on a regular basis?