Through this Christmas season, we have been looking at who Jesus is. We saw that “the Word became flesh.” Jesus is the expression of God’s mind or thoughts. He makes the reality of who God is visible and real to men.
Jesus came in the flesh as a man. The God who is infinite, eternal and spiritual became a finite, temporal physical being, so that men could see God and enter a relationship with him.
Jesus also is the “lamb of God”; he lived a perfect life; he was without sin. He came to give his life as a sacrifice to cover the sins of men so they could have a relationship with God who is holy and perfect.
Jesus also is “the Light of the World.” The star on a Christmas tree serves to remind us how God led the wise men to Jesus. However, more than that it should remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World. In John 8:12 Jesus said this about himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We need to think about what the Light does for people. John 3:1-21 relates a story of Jesus talking to a man named Nicodemus, who was an important Jewish religious leader.
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Nicodemus was an important Jewish leader. He probably came to Jesus at night because he didn’t want others to know what he was doing. Most of the other religious leaders were very opposed to Jesus. Nicodemus knew Jesus was doing miracles and that fact caused him to believe that Jesus was sent by God. He wanted to know and understand more about Jesus and what he was doing.
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. “
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Physical life is referred to as flesh. Physical life only comes from physical life. You are alive physically because your mother, who is also a physical being, gave birth to you.
Spiritual life is of a different nature than physical life. It has to come from the Spirit; it doesn’t come from the physical realm.
First, a person is born physically. When a person comes to understand who Jesus is and puts his faith in him then he undergoes a second, spiritual birth. A person who is born again comes alive spiritually and can enter the kingdom of God.
A person who enters the kingdom of God has come under God’s rule or dominion. He puts himself under God’s authority. He can live in God’s presence both here on earth and for all eternity.
Even though he was a religious leader and a teacher of the people, Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was saying.
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
The reference of Moses lifting up the snake in the desert refers to a time when the people of Israel were wandering in the desert and they spoke against God and Moses. Because of what they did God sent venomous snakes among them and many of them died. When they went to Moses and confessed their sin, God told Moses what to do for them. Numbers 21:8-9 says, 8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
That reference relates to Jesus being lifted up. Jesus was hung on a cross to make payment for our sins. When we look up to him, confess our sin and believe in his name we will be saved from death; we come into God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus explained to Nicodemus more fully what he meant.
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
God sent his Son because he loves all people and wants them to come into a relationship with him. He won’t reject anyone who is humble, sees his need for forgiveness and believes in what Jesus has done.
If you are condemned, then you have been found guilty of some criminal act for which you must be punished. Our own sin condemns us. We are all guilty in the eyes of God and deserve punishment. Because God is holy, he can’t be in the presence of sinful people who are guilty and condemned.
If we put our faith in Jesus, we are no longer condemned. The perfect Lamb of God paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross. Jesus took on our punishment, paying the penalty for our sin, so God’s sees us as innocent, not guilty. This is the state of having been made perfect (justification) that we talked about in the last lesson.
People who don’t believe in Jesus remain in their condemned state. They don’t receive the benefit of what Christ did for them. Their sins aren’t covered.
Jesus is the Light of the World. The light of Jesus reveals the condition of our hearts. If we want to be clean, we come into the light so we can see what is in our hearts and needs to be cleaned out. It enables us to live spiritually.
People reject Jesus because they love darkness more than light. They want the things of the physical world more than what is of God and the spiritual world. They are focused on material things that won’t last, rather than the truth of God and the eternal.
To see what exists and is real we have to have light. If we want to continue doing things that are not of God and therefore evil then we resist the light and stay in the darkness. In the darkness, we can’t see what is in our hearts and needs to be cleansed.
Jesus came to reveal the condition of our hearts and make a way for us to come out of the darkness and truly live. The evil condition of our hearts and the bad things we think and do condemn us. Jesus wants to save us from that condemned state and give us new life. That new life isn’t physical, it is spiritual. That is why we have to be born again to become children of God.
If in looking at this visual image of black and white shapes you focus on the dark shapes, you see just a meaningless pattern of black shapes. If you focus on the white space, you see the word Jesus. Once you see the word Jesus, you can’t see the shapes any other way.
If we focus on the world and what is dark and not of God then we will miss seeing Jesus. If we focus on the light and what is of God then we can see Jesus. People miss seeing who Jesus is, not because he isn’t there, but because they can’t see him where they are looking. If we are born again, then we are alive spiritually and can see who God is. We don’t miss seeing the things of God.
To be able to see and receive the treasures and truth of God, we have to want Jesus more than the things of the world. Whatever you think about and whomever you want to please show what is in your heart. Your actions will reveal what you really desire.
Our love for Jesus is shown by our obedience to him. John 14:21 says, Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. If you love Jesus you will obey him because you want to do what is right, not because your parents are forcing you or you want to look good, but because you really want to please him.
- Overview Questions: Who was Nicodemus? (1) What did he recognize about Jesus? (2) What did Jesus say must happen for a person to enter the kingdom of God? (3) What did he mean by that? (5-7) Why did God send his son into the world? (16) What does it mean to be condemned? Why are men already condemned? (18) What does it take to be saved from condemnation? (18)
- Thought Questions: How is Jesus the light of the world? What are the two ways people respond to the light? What does the light enable us to see about ourselves? What happens when we walk in darkness? Why do men resist coming into the light?
- Prayer: Thank God for the gift of eternal life that comes through Jesus. Pray that you would want to walk in the light as he is in the light and be cleansed of any desire to live in darkness. Thank Jesus that he came to save you and give you life. Pray that you would live in obedience to Jesus out of love for him.
- This Week’s Memory Verse: John 3:19-20 Why do people reject Jesus?
People reject Jesus because they love darkness instead of light.
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.