DAY FIVE
For God so loved the
world . . .

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.
JOHN 3:14–15

NICODEMUS BEGINS with courtesies, “Teacher, we know you are a teacher sent from God, because no one can do the miracles you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2 NCV).

Jesus disregards the compliment. “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God’s kingdom” (v. 3 NCV).

No chitchat here. No idle talk. Straight to the point. Straight to the heart. Straight to the problem.

You can’t help the blind by turning up the light, Nicodemus.

You can’t change the inside by decorating the outside, Nicodemus.

You can’t help the deaf by turning up the music, Nicodemus.

You can’t grow fruit without seed, Nicodemus.

You must be born again.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

The meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus was more than an encounter between two religious figures. It was a collision between two philosophies. Two opposing views on salvation.

Nicodemus thought the person did the work; Jesus says God does the work. Nicodemus thought it was a trade-off. Jesus says it is a gift. Nicodemus thought man’s job was to earn it. Jesus says man’s job is to accept it.

Spirituality, Jesus says, comes not from church attendance or good deeds or correct doctrine, but from heaven itself.
HE STILL MOVES STONES

1. When is grace not grace, according to Romans 11:6?

2. Did you know Paul had a pedigree? He trots it out in Philippians 3:3–6:

Rejoicing, glorying in _________________________(the proper focus for all believers)

Not trusting _________________________ (our own efforts to “do good”)

Although having confidence in _________________________ (I used to, you know)

More than others, having confidence in _________________________ (let’s compare notes, shall we?)

_________________________ when I was eight days old (obedient to the law from birth)

From the nation of _________________________ (God’s chosen people)

From the tribe of _________________________ (the same as King Saul, his namesake)

A __________ of the _________________________ (the best of the best, and proud of it)

Concerning the law, a _________________________ (I knew the Scriptures inside out)

Persecuted the church because of my ___________________ (my way needed to be protected)

Obeyed the law to the degree _________________________ (no one could fault me).

3. Paul was one of the spiritual elite, but he traded his reputation away for something worth far more. What was his new perspective on that oh-so-impressive pedigree, according to Philippians 3:7–9?

4. Man-made righteousness will always fall short. How does Isaiah 64:6 describe all our righteous deeds?

A legalist believes the supreme force behind salvation is you. If you look right, speak right, and belong to the right segment of the right group, you will be saved. The brunt of responsibility doesn’t lie within God; it lies within you.

The result? The outside sparkles. The talk is good and the step is true. But look closely. Listen carefully. Something is missing. What is it? Joy. What’s there? Fear. (That you won’t do enough.) Arrogance. (That you have done enough.) Failure. (That you have made a mistake.)

Nicodemus knew how to march, but he longed to sing. He knew there was something more, but he didn’t know where to find it. So he went to Jesus.
HE STILL MOVES STONES

5. If not works, then what? Paul’s answer can be found in 2 Timothy 1:9.

6. Nicodemus is about to be introduced to the gospel of grace. We’ve heard it all before, but Jesus’ words were about to knock this Pharisee’s world off its axis.

___ Romans 3:24	a. Through grace, we are made rich.
___ Romans 5:2	b. God gives grace to the humble.
___ 2 Corinthians 8:9	c. Because of grace, we have hope.
___ Ephesians 2:8	d. By grace, we are freely justified, made right with God.
___ 2 Thessalonians 2:16	e. With Jesus, God’s grace appeared to all.
___ 1 Timothy 1:14	f. We stand in grace.
___ Titus 2:11	g. God’s grace is exceedingly abundant.
___ James 4:6	h. By grace we are saved through faith.

Spiritual life is not a human endeavor. It is rooted in and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Every spiritual achievement is created and energized by God.
HE STILL MOVES STONES

By now Nicodemus was growing edgy. Such light is too bright for his eyes. We religious teachers like to control and manage. We like to define and outline. Structure and clarity are the friend of the preacher. But they aren’t always the protocol of God.

Salvation is God’s business. Grace is his idea, his work, and his expense. He offers it to whom he desires, when he desires. Our job in the process is to inform the people, not to screen the people.

The question must have been written all over Nicodemus’s face. Why would God do this? What would motivate him to offer such a gift? What Jesus told Nicodemus, Nicodemus never could have imagined. The motive behind the gift of new birth? Love. “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NCV).

7. Grace is a gift of love. If Nicodemus was standing, he probably needed to take a seat about then. It wasn’t a set of rules, a code of ethics, a twelve-step program, or a dress code. God gives us new birth because he loves us.

• How does Paul describe salvation’s appearing in Titus 3:4–7?

• Why does 1 John 4:9 say that God sent his Son?

• What does God do with his love, according to Romans 5:5?

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
TITUS 3:4–7

8. What does Romans 8:38–39 teach us about the love of God?

9. According to Mark 10:24, what term of tenderness does Jesus use for those who follow him?

Nicodemus has never heard such words. Never. He has had many discussions of salvation. But this is the first in which no rules were given. No system was offered. No code or ritual. “Everyone who believes can have eternal life in him,” Jesus told him. Could God be so generous? Even in the darkness of night, the amazement is seen on Nicodemus’s face. Everyone who believes can have eternal life. Not “everyone who achieves.” Not “everyone who succeeds.” Not “everyone who agrees.” But “everyone who believes.”

Selections throughout this lesson were taken from Just Like Jesus, In the Eye of the Storm, He Still Moves Stones, and When God Whispers Your Name.

NOTES

NOTES