The Greatest Truth – John 3:1-20 – Pastor Zachary Murphy

Study Outline

John 3:1-12
- Nicodemus is a Pharisee
  - Pharisees = study the first 5 books of the Old Testament (Pentateuch)
- Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. (Seeking light in darkness)
- Rabbi = teacher
- Jesus tells him the greatest truth in the Bible, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN
- Jesus talks spiritual, but Nicodemus looks at it in the natural.
- Born of water and spirit:
  - He is talking about salvation
    - Water- cleansing of sins.
    - Spirit- gives power not to sin again.
- Jesus can tell Nicodemus was having a hard time believing Him.
- Nicodemus was holding onto tradition.
- Jesus did not give up on Nicodemus, He gives him example of the wind:
  - Wind in Greek is pneuma
    - Hebrew is ruach
  - Spirit in Greek is pneuma
    - Hebrew is ruach
  - Wind and the Spirit are the same!
  - Affect of wind, we don’t see the actual wind, same thing with the Spirit.
John 3:13-16
- No man ascended to heaven before Jesus.
- Jesus fulfilled scripture.
  - Eph. 4:7-16
  - Do not fall for denominational walls.
  - Gifts within the body are for edification.
  - Everyone has their own measure of faith.
- Through Jesus only we have everlasting life
John 3:17-20
- Jesus was sent not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
- We were not called to be condemned but saved through the Blood of the Lamb!
- Unbelievers are condemned.
- Jesus is light, unbelievers are in darkness and do not like the light because it exposes their darkness.
  - John 1:4 Jesus is the light of men!
- Have you fully surrendered to the Light of Men? Do you have any secret sin you are still trying to hide?