John 3 Lesson

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

• “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3.

Nicodemus responded with the following question:

• “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” – John 3:4.

Jesus answered:

• “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and 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.  Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:5-8.

Our study today is divided into the following three parts:

1. Being born of water,
2. Being born of the Spirit,
3. Being born again.

BEING BORN OF WATER (BAPTISM)

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about “being born of water,” He was talking about baptism.  

Baptism is necessary for salvation, and one of five matters of salvation mentioned in the Bible.

1. Believe in Jesus.  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” –  Acts 16:31, 
2. Confess our belief in Him.  “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” –  Romans 10:10, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins.  “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” –  Luke 13:3, 
4. Be baptized.  “ Baptism  now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” –  1 Peter 3:21  and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” –  Mark 16:16, 
5. Obey God’s commandments.  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”  –  Mathew 7:21. 

BEING BORN OF THE SPIRIT

When we are baptized, we receive theHoly Spirit. That is what we read in the following scripture:

• “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” -Acts 2:38.

The Spirit is referring to the Spirit of God. When we obey the Gospel in baptism, we become children of God.

Jesus tells us in John 3:5that we cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we are born of the Spirit.  

We need the help of the Holy Spirit to get to Heaven.

Life is going to get difficult.

There will be periods of adversityalong the way.  

That is ok.

God uses adversity as a teacher.

He allows it for these three reasons:

1. To teach us,
2. To discipline us,
3. To reveal His supreme power.

Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we would get lost, and it would be impossible to enter the kingdom of God.

BEING BORN AGAIN

Jesus uses the phrase “born again” to describe the type of change that can only take place because of Jesus!

Just as a baby must leave the safety and comfort of their mother’s womb to develop, a Christian must leave behind their previous life to follow Jesus.

To do this, we need to change the way we think, and we need to change the way we act.

Consider the following two scriptures:

1. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2,
2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2.

CONCLUSION

To enter the kingdom of God, we must be born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:5-8).  

We cannot get to heaven without being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Being born again is necessary for salvation.

Just as a baby leaves behind the familiarity of the womb in order to mature and grow, Christians need to leave behind their previous lives and walk in newness of life if they want to enter the kingdom of God (Romans 6:4).     

When we do, our lives will take on a new meaning. Where we once lived to serve only ourselves, or our ambitions, we will now live to glorify God and serve others.

When we commit ourselves to the Lord, we will be blessed in ways that are impossible to describe.

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture:

• “Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion,  Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. ” -1 Chronicles 29:11 .