The Cooling Stream

John 3: 9-15

When Nicodemus heard about the new birth, he wondered how it was possible.

Jesus explained to him how the new birth became a reality!

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Jesus told Nicodemus that the Savior must leave Heaven above, and come into this world, to die for sin!

And that was what Jesus did! He left Heaven, took upon Himself a human body, lived without sin, and died a horrible and awful death upon the cross.

Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the time Israel sinned. God sent serpents among them to bite them. Many of them died (Num. 21:4-9). After that tragic event took place, God commanded Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole.

Jesus was like that snake! He came to this world to be put upon a cross. He came to die a sacrifice for sin. He came to die that we, through His death, might live!

And when Jesus died on that cross, He paid our sin debt in full!

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What must the lost, hell bound sinner do to be saved? Believe!

Just like those people in ancient Israel who had been bitten by the fiery serpents. All they had to do was look and live!

If we want to be saved, we must believe in Jesus and receive His finished work at Calvary as the payment for our sins (Romans 10:9).

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we shall be saved!

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Like Nicodemus, We can be born again.

We can be born into the family of God and become God's children.

We can be born again right now if we will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him.

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Nicodemus got saved.

He stood up for Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:45-53).

He helped Joseph of Arimathaea bury the body of Jesus after the crucifixion (John 19:38-42).

Nicodemus was born again!

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If we will come to the Lord Jesus Christ, He will also save us by His grace.

We will be born again too!

Jesus compared the mystery of the new birth to a breeze (John 3:8).

Jesus told Nicodemus that just as the wind could be felt and measured, and the effects of it could be seen, where it came from and where it went to remained a mystery.

We cannot see God do His work in a heart.

But we can see the effects of the Spirit in a life!

When we see a wicked and hateful man turns into a sweet, loving, and holy saint, we know the Spirit has been working in his soul.

We do not see how it happens.

But we can see the effect of the power of God in the human heart.

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The wind of the Spirit was blowing in the soul of Nicodemus.

But he could not control that wind.

And it might be gone in an instant, never to return.

The time for Nicodemus to heed God’s call was when the wind was moving in his heart.

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If the wind of the Spirit is blowing in our soul, the time to be saved is now!

Remember, God will not always deal with us (Gen. 6:3).

We must come to Him when He is near and calling (Isa. 55:6; 2 Cor. 6:2).

We can come to him only when He is calling us (John 6:44).

John 3:4-7

The mystery of the new birth is like that of a physical birth.

When Jesus said “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit”, He was talking about physical birth and spiritual birth.

He was saying that for a man to get to heaven he must have two births.

He must be born into the kingdom of men and he must be born into the kingdom of God!

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There are a few ways physical birth can be used to illustrate spiritual birth:

• Physical birth provides life. Likewise, spiritual birth provides a person with spiritual life.

• Physical birth only happens once. Likewise, spiritual birth is a one time event.

• Physical birth happens because of the suffering on another. A mother suffers to bring life into this world. Jesus suffered so that we might be born again.

• Physical birth gives the infant a brand new start. Our past is wiped away; our future lies in front of us!

The new birth is a mystery!

It is like our physical birth!

John 3: 4-8

When Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again, Nicodemus could not grasp how that could be.

He imagined himself going back into his mother’s womb to be born a second time.

He wanted to know how this could happen.

So he asked Jesus about the “How?” of the new birth.

Nicodemus knew that he was in the presence of a mystery and he wanted the answers.

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The new birth is a mysterious thing.

None of us truly understands everything there is to know about it.

It is still a mystery even to those of us who have experienced it!

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But the fact that it is a mystery should not cause us to avoid it altogether!

There are many things in life that we do not understand, but we still believe in them.

So, we must not allow the mystery of the new birth keep us from being saved!

The new birth is a must!

We need the heavenly nature!

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Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)

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The new birth gives us a new nature when we are saved.

We receive God’s nature; a nature from Heaven!

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The new birth prepares us for life in a new kingdom!

If we go to heaven with a lost and fallen nature, we will be miserable there!

We will never enjoy heaven unless we have a new nature!

All the worship, the praise, the glories of Heaven will be offensive to us if we go there lost!

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We need a new birth.

It prepares us to enter and enjoy heaven!

We need a new birth, a birth from Heaven to provide us with a new, spiritual nature.

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We must be born again!

It is not an option!

The new birth is a must!

We need God's nature to enjoy God's kingdom.

The new birth is a must!

We are unable to save ourselves!

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When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he came humbly.

He came with some serious questions, but he did not expect the answer he received. Jesus told him, “You must be born again!” (John3: 3, 7).

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Nicodemus must have thought that this was a mistake.

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Nicodemus was a very rich man. He had a lot of money.

But what we have does not change what we are!

We are still a sinner in need of a Savior! Our money can buy us nothing in Heaven!

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Nicodemus was a respectable man. People knew who he was. He was held in great esteem.

But what we achieve in life does not change what we are!

It cannot provide us a place in Heaven!

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Nicodemus was a religious man. He was a Pharisee! He kept the Law. He was morally pure. He did everything the Law said to do. He kept the written Law and the traditions of the elders. He was a holy man!

But what we do does not change who we are!

We are still in need of a Redeemer! Our religious activities cannot save us.

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We can never buy our way to Heaven!

We can never gain our way into Heaven!

We can never do enough to enter Heaven!

Salvation only comes through the new birth!

No matter what we have, no matter what we do, and no matter who we are, we are still a sinner in need of a Savior!

The new birth is not an option; it is a must!

Our sinful nature demands it!

John 3:1-7

The New Birth Is A Must

We need to be born again.

What does it mean to be born again?

It means to be born from above.

It means getting a fresh start, a new life from Heaven.

It means being saved or being born again.

It means regeneration.

It means more than just reformation!

It means more than just turning over a new leaf.

It means more than just getting a new lease on life.

It means to be born from Heaven above!

And the new birth is important.

It is necessary, if we want to get to Heaven!

John 3:1-15

Jesus has a personal encounter with a man called Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was one of the most powerful and influential men in all Israel during this time.

Nicodemus is a wealthy, powerful, and religious man.

Jesus referred to Nicodemus as “Israel’s teacher”. Nicodemus was an educated man.

But despite his learning, there were some things Nicodemus did not know.

So one night, this rich, powerful, educated man found himself alone with the Lord Jesus Christ.

What Nicodemus learned that night would prove to be the greatest lessons of his life!

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Jesus shared great truths with Nicodemus.

Nicodemus came to Jesus for some answers about religion. But he received some answers about redemption.

He came to Jesus with questions about Jesus. He went away with more knowledge about Jesus and about himself.

He came to Jesus to ask questions about life. He left with information about the new birth.

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Jesus taught Nicodemus the truth about salvation.

He shared with him the new birth that we all need to hear.

John the Baptist did not preach to build up his name and reputation. He preached to point the people to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Message Of A Humble Servant (7). When John the Baptist began to talk about Jesus, He became very humble. He told the people that compared to the Lord Jesus Christ, he was a nobody! He wasn’t even worthy to do the job of the lowest household slave. That is a humility that we must have.

People often compare themselves to the wrong standard. We often compare ourselves with someone who lives worse than we do. And we think we are not too bad. But if we would honestly compare our lives to Jesus, we would see how bad we really are.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, He saw how needy he was! When He saw Jesus, he saw that he was nothing and Jesus was everything. That is why He was willing to step aside so that Jesus might shine in him (John 3:30).

John the Baptist magnified Jesus! He knew that if the people could just see Jesus, they would see themselves as they really were. They would then see their need of Jesus. They would then want Him to be their Savior and Lord.

That’s the message people need today! If they can see Jesus, they would desire to humble themselves before Him. They would bow to Him in salvation, surrender and service.

The Message Of A Holy Savior (8). John the Baptist told the people that when Jesus came, He would do a spiritual work in their hearts. He was using a material element, water, to baptize their bodies. But Jesus would use a spiritual element, the Holy Spirit, to baptize their souls. He was taking them and placing them under the water in a symbol of their repentance. But Jesus would take them and wash their sins away in His blood and give them a new life.

John the Baptist was pointing the people to a Savior Who could save their souls, forgive their sins and change their lives.

If we will come to Jesus and repent of our sins and call on Him by faith, He will save our soul, forgive our sins and change our lives.

His Fashion. John did not wear fine robes. His clothing was as rough as his message. He was a man of the desert and he dressed like a man of the desert.

His Food. John favored the food of the desert dwellers. He lived on such things as he could trust the Lord to provide. His diet was balanced. Locusts are protein and honey is carbohydrates. John the Baptist was a balanced man who was satisfied with the basics of life.

John the Baptist stepped out of the wilderness dressed in the rough garments of a prophet. He came to the people of Israel preaching with power!

John came with a strange appearance. He came with a strong message. He was out of step with his times. But God was with him. God used Him in an amazing way to carry out a powerful ministry.

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It is all right to be different. We can dress differently. We can talk differently. We can live differently. The main thing is we walk with the Lord and honor Him.

It is all right if we don’t live as the world lives. It is all right if we don’t do the things the world does. It is all right to be different if the Lord Jesus has made us different!

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We should never allow the world to force us into its mold (Rom. 12:1-2).

We should rather yield ourselves to the Lord, separate from this world (2 Cor. 6:17), and allow Him to mold us into His image!

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We must never be ashamed of who we are.

And we must never be ashamed of who we are not!

John 1:4-5

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John’s Preaching. “Preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (4b).

• John's message was a message of confrontation. He confronted sin and calling on people to repent. They had sinned and they must change their minds regarding sin. They must clean up their lives in preparation for the advent of Jesus!

• John's message was a message of change. He told the people that their repentance would result in the forgiveness of sins. Their repentance would result in God’s forgiveness!

Preachers of our day must preach like John the Baptist! They must confront sin and call people to repentance for the forgiveness of sin. They must tell the people the truth!

John’s Practice. “Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River” (5b).

John baptized people. He did not baptize people to make them right with God. People were not being baptized to have their sins forgiven; they were being baptized because their sins had been forgiven.

They went to John and were immersed into the river Jordan to declare publicly that their lives had been changed by the power of God. They were baptized to give glory to the God Who had forgiven their sins and made them whole.

This baptism was about a change of life! It is a picture of a person dying to the old life of sin and rising again to a new life of holiness.

John’s Power. “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him” (5a).

Many people came to John to be baptized by him. Some traveled many miles on foot.

They made a break with their past and were changed by the power of God. They responded to the preaching of John and they came to him confessing their sins and turning from their sinful lifestyles.

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People still need to be told they are sinners.

They still need to be confronted with the need for genuine repentance.

Then they will come confessing their sins and turning from their sinful lifestyles. They will want to be baptized!

John 1:2-3

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He cleared and opened the route for Him. He let the people know that the Savior was coming.

John the Baptist’s coming was in fulfillment of two important Old Testament prophecies:

• Isaiah 40:3 – “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

• Malachi 3:1 –“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

John the Baptist came with a divine mission; it was a heavenly mandate:

• It Involved Preparation (2). He was to clear the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ by appealing directly to the people. He came preaching to them, calling on them to repent because the Lord Jesus Christ was coming to deliver them.

• It Involved Proclamation (3). John the Baptist was a lone voice against the dead legalism of the Jews. He was a hard preacher in a dark day and God used him to touch a generation.

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John the Baptist preached during a period when the Jewish religion had become a dead orthodoxy. Legalism and ritual ruled the day. The Jews were in desperate need of a spiritual revival. The Gentiles had given up on religion and viewed most religious beliefs as superstition and foolish tales. Both groups needed just what John preached: the Truth!

We are living in similar day! We have to stand up, open our Bibles, open our mouths and preach the Word of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon! We are to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim His return.

We still hold the same heavenly mandate: We are to preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2).

Mark 1:1

Mark called the Lord “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God”.

The Lord is called Jesus, which means “Jehovah is Salvation”. This is His human name. This declares His Person. It reveals the reason why the Lord came into this world. He came to save lost sinners (Matt. 1:21; Luke 19:10).

The Lord is called “Messiah or Christ”, or “the Anointed One”. This declares His Position. Jesus is the One Who will deliver His people from their enemies.

The Lord is called “the Son of God”. This declares His Power. Jesus is a man, but not an ordinary man. He is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14).

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• Jesus is truly human. He has a human name, “Jesus”.

• Jesus is truly divine. He is the promised Messiah. He is the Son of God.

• Jesus is truly unique. He is both humanity and deity in one Person.

• Jesus is the true source of Good News.
  

• Jesus alone is the source of salvation!

John 2:10-11

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When Jesus Reigns, He Provides Our Immediate Needs. He changed water into wine! He gives us all we need to face our immediate circumstances (Phil. 4:19).

When Jesus Reigns, He Provides Our Spiritual Needs. "His Disciples believed in Him" (11). What has happened during our hour of crisis will strengthen our faith.

When Jesus Reigns, He Provides Our Future Needs. “He revealed His glory” (11). What has happened in our hour of crisis will give us hope for tomorrow. We will learn not to doubt what the Lord can do. When we see Jesus come through for us today, we will have hope for tomorrow’s trials.

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Jesus Is Tied To The Events Of Our Lives. He cares about the smallest details of our lives (Matt. 10:29-31), and He waits for us to call Him into our times of need so that He can minister to us.

What is your need today? Do as Mary did, bring it to a Lord who cares. Bring it to Jesus!

John 2:3-9

When Problem Comes (9). Sometime during the festivities, they ran out of wine. To the Jews, it could be ruinous! First, it was a matter of honor. The bridegroom was responsible for providing adequate supplies. If something ran out before the party was over, it meant that he hadn't planned well and hadn't provided for all his guests. Secondly, to run out of wine would cause public embarrassment for the groom and his family.

Steps Taken (3-5). Jesus’ mother showed us 2 steps we should do in troubled times:

• Flee To Jesus. When problem arises, we should take it to the Lord. (Phil. 4:6-7)

• Follow His Commands. We should do what Jesus says!

Jesus At Work. He turned water into wine!

• It Was Unconventional. Jesus will help us, but He may not do things our way.

• It Was Uncommon. The governor of the feast was surprised at the quality of the new wine (10b).

• It Was Unbelievable. The governor didn't know it, but the servants did! (9)

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Nobody in this world may understand what we are going through. But Jesus does!

And when He moves in our time of need and turns our darkness into day; when He lifts our burden and shoulders our load, we know it and we will never forget it!

To everyone else, it was just wine, but to all who knew the truth, it was a miracle!

Turning Water Into Wine - Jesus' first miracle.

John 2:1-2

There was a wedding. It was a huge social event in those days. The celebration could last for a week.

We are not told who was getting married. It is probably some close kinsman to Jesus. It might be a brother, a sister, a cousin, etc. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was involved in the festivities.

Jesus was here by invitation!

Jesus participates in our daily events. He desires to be included in our lives!

By virtue of His sacrifice for us at Calvary, Jesus deserves inclusion in all we are and in all we do. If we are truly His, then He must have access rights to everything! (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

We need to open up our lives to Jesus. We need to give Him access to everything in our lives!

Jesus is standing at the door and knock, waiting patiently for our invitation! (Rev. 3:20)

When Jesus was called, He came!

In all the events of life, the children of God need never fear Jesus not coming to the aid! He cares!

When we call, He will answer us and move in our need! (Matt. 7:7-8; Jer. 33:3)

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Learn to run to Jesus before you climb on the rocking horse of worry! (Phil. 4:6-7)